Ken Murray/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Jamille Harley takes stage at The Laughing Devil Comedy Club in Long Island City.
It’s Queens version of “Last Comic Standing.”
Long Island City is engulfed in a winner-take-all joke joust to determine the borough’s best comedian.
The multiset competition, hosted by The Laughing Devil Comedy Club on Vernon Blvd., will crown the top crackup Saturday night, with the winner taking home a $2,500 check.
“You’ve got to fire a perfect set four nights in a row,” said club owner Steve Hofstetter. “The whole idea is to give these people exposure.”
The field of 100 funny people began sparring on Tuesday, with two days of grueling joke-making that winnowed 60 entrants to 10. The other 40, who came in with lengthier résumés, received a “bye week.”
“We figured out, why not do what the NCAA does and have a play-in round,” said Hofstetter, who is also a professional comic.
The humorous Jamille Harley survived the lightning round of laughter on Wednesday.
“That was the shortest set I’ve ever had to do,” said Harley, 34, an Atlanta resident who joked about dating a girl still pining over her ex-boyfriend.
“It was exhilarating,” he said. “I was only able to do a joke and a half.”
Hofstetter has enforced strict rules throughout the tournament. Contestants were prohibited from recycling jokes in multiple rounds, he said, in case casting directors and talent scouts were watching.
“We’re trying to separate the comics who have a great five minutes to those who have a fantastic half-hour,” he said. “The judges are looking for a comic to get stronger as the festival goes on.”
The competition, in its second year, helped catapult 2012’s winner, Michael Lawrence, to new career heights.
“It definitely helped. It’s a business,” said Lawrence, 30. “It gave me a lot of personal confidence.”
Since his victory, Lawrence has seen his bookings increase, and the funnyman is airing his first half-hour Comedy Central special on May 31.
But it was the cold, hard cash he won last year that helped Lawrence stay afloat while he was trying to establish his credentials as a side-splitter.
“I definitely cashed the check the moment I got it,” he recalled. “Anything that keeps you from having a day job.”
The remaining rounds of the festival will be held at the comedy club from Friday and Saturday night. For more information, visit www.laughingdevil.com. [email protected]
