Best comedy events in NYC: Critics’ picks

NYC's unbeatable comedy bastion moved its Chelsea HQ to Hell's Kitchen in late 2017. Expect the same steady lineup of bonkers improv, sketch and solo shows every night from young and veteran performers. 

Claustrophobes, beware: It gets crowded down here, especially on weekends, thanks to the immense popularity of this Village standby. Big names from Amy Schumer to Aziz Ansari will drop by for a set and on any given night, you can expect to see other local greats whose acts are more X-rated than at other clubs (and who will distract you from your bachelorette-partying neighbors).

Serious libations and serious laughs collide at this comedy club–restaurant hybrid in Gramercy. Sons of Essex’s Seth Levine turns out comfort-food spins—like cheeseburger pot stickers and duck-topped pizzas—in the upstairs dining room. After dinner, head downstairs to the club, where you can sip cocktails designed by Minetta Tavern vets, while catching regular acts like Louis C.K., Jim Gaffigan and Tracy Morgan. Test your stand-up knowledge and try to name all the comedians on the wallpaper in the bathrooms. 

Stand-up femmebot Mary Beth Barone and number one angel John Trowbridge team up for this monthly getdown. February's lineup boasts drag diva Golden Delicious and comicss Jess Solomon, Evan Williams and Jay Jurden. 

Peter Smith and Sandy Honig—two of the most fantastic beasts in the NYC comedy stable—unleash their wildest friends upon the Slipper Room stage at this weekly stand-up showcase. Count on an always-diverse lineup of marvels from across NYC's alt-comedy spectrum, all giving it to you for free. 

Forget Game of Thrones, forget laundry night, forget your dayjob in the morning: Sunday nights now belong to Marie Faustin, Sydnee Washington and Aminah Imani. The trio of stand-up supremes give you looks, life and a top-tier comedy showcase every week—and there isn't even cover! Stay sharp and look fresh—you're about to witness the best night of comedy in New York. 

This free weekly getdown from Carolyn Busa, Julia Shiplett, Ben Wasserman and Emily Winter is a reliable night for solid laughs and surprise stars in Crown Heights. 

At this brand-new showcase, the razor-sharp Anya Volz presides over a changing lineup of the city's finest acts, with DJ Max Ogle setting the scene.

Best buddies and very funny power duo Rachel Pegram and Rachel Joravsky return with another glorious tag-team show at Union Hall. The February blowout features Dewayne Perkins, Karen Chee, Sydnee Washington, Fareeha Khan, Shalewa Sharpe and Sam Taggart. You will laugh. You will dance. You will leave with two new comedy crushes.   

Wickedly funny web goon Mark Vigeant invites you into a world of gut-busting HTML nonsense as he builds a bizarre website for his favorite funny guests. February's "Online Dating" edition boasts Marcia Belsky, Jenny Nelson, Dan Fox and OK Cupid researcher Lindsay Ferris. 

Enter the bananas mindscape of Lauren Maul and Selena Coppock at their consistently lit monthly showcase, featuring stand-up, dance routines and buckets of wigs. For February's edition, they recruit Raj Sivaraman, Courtney Maginnis, Pat Wise, Gabe Morales, Jiji Lee and Larry Owens. 

Thank God, she's back. The Joan Rivers of her generation hits Joe's Pub with anecdotes, songs and slides from a life too off-the-rails for a reality TV show. Keep up with fast-paced stories of a Miami childhood, celebrity run-ins and dating disasters, featuring musical accompaniment by Kenny Mellman. Not to be missed. 

Someday soon, graduate students will pen analyses of the brilliant, blink-and-you'll-miss-it comedy of Lorelei Ramirez, Amy Zimmer and Ana Fabrega. Fortunately,you get to see the three idiosyncratic artists on the same night for just a few ducats. Join them for a night of stand-up, videos and more, featuring guests Francesca D'Uva, James Sprang, Carlos Hernandez and Peter BD.    

Pro stand-up and master of crowdwork Zach Zimmerman welcomes you to his throne room, where you'll encounter all sorts of jewels from the worlds of comedy, drag and beyond. He's joined by Matt Bellassai, Carly Moseley, Sydney Washington, Andrew Barbato and Adele Computer.

Comedian, writer and musician Lane Moore takes the stage in this critically-acclaimed comedy show to open up her Tinder profile, swipe left, message guys that pique her (and the audience's) interest and even call them live. During this special Valentine's Day show, Moore is joined by Jo Firestone, Jean Grae and Sam Grittner. 

Leave it to fierce-as-fuck comedian Carly Ann Filbin to get you laid this Valentine's season. At this adults-only version of the Dating Show, the viciously funny host sets up millennial matches through a series of bracing questions and challenges. Give in to your wicked new matchmaker. 

Skip the dark comedy club and head to a stylish sex shop for Natalie Wall's always-dope, perfectly curated sex storytelling show, which offers cringe-inducing, heartbreaking and gut-busting tales every month. Joining Wall for some drinks and stories this go ’round are Pat Regan, Caitlin Brodnick and Veronica Garza. Audience members get free beer and wine and a 15% discount on Pleasure Chest merch—so the fun won't stop when the show is over.  

Improv master Philip Markle invites you to indulge in blissful inanity at this loony variety hour, featuring strange tales, visceral humor and plenty of dance breaks. The February spectacle at Joe's Pub boasts comedians Annie Donley, Larry Owens, Golden Delicious, Sophie Zucker, Ian Lockwood, Jon Wan; Sparkle band Kiki Mikkelson, Ali Reed, Chris Bell, Dan Reitz, Daniel Bennett and Alfonse Vetere and Sparkle Dancers Jamie Graham and Hollye Bynum.

Twice a week, after closing time, 20 people crowd into the city’s oldest magic shop, Tannen’s, for a cozy evening of prestidigitation by the young and engaging Noah Levine. The shelves are crammed with quirky devices; there's a file cabinet behind the counter, a mock elephant in the corner and bins of individual trick instructions in plastic covers, like comic books or sheet music. The charm of Levine's show is in how well it fits the environment of this magic-geek chamber of secrets. As he maneuvers cards, eggs, cups and balls with aplomb, he talks shop, larding his patter with tributes to routines like the Stencel Aces and the Vernon Boat Trick—heirlooms of his trade that he gently polishes and displays for our amazement.

Emmy-winning former Late Show writer Ted Greenberg performs an hour of boisterous interactive stand-up that ends with one audience member being whisked home in a taxi by Greenberg, who is a licensed NYC cabdriver.