Best of New York 2012 • Fun

• Uptown Showdown

  Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th St.; 212-864-5400

  In a city that’s not short on opportunities to see successful comics in friendly spaces for not a lot of money, the Uptown Showdown is distinguished by its amusingly absurd setup. The semi-regular event, held in a venue usually reserved for book clubs and classical-music performances, features teams of improv-adept alt-comedy stars like Michael Showalter and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon head writer A. D. Miles arguing against each other in a satirically rigid debate format common to extracurricular high-school discussions of nuclear-energy policy. (Some participants dress in sober businesswear.) The inaugural Showdown’s subject of contention: cats versus dogs.

From the 2012 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine