"I think to live in Queens you need to have a sense of humor," Steve Hofstetter said.
He is just joking. It's actually what he does for a living. He is a comic and he's also the owner of Laughing Devil, a stand-up comedy club in /*Long Island City*/. His club is a sliver of a space that packs in the laughs.
As it turns out, there are quite a few comedy clubs in Queens. The Creek and The Cave was perhaps the first to offer stand up and comedy. Several bars and restaurants now offer open mic or comedy fueled trivia nights, and the opportunities to laugh are increasing.
Richard Mazda started a theatre group out of The Creek and The Cave before he opened the Secret Theater. He couldn't have afforded this space in Manhattan, but now he's getting the last laugh in Long Island City.
"This is one of the major cities and this area was under-developed. It was bound to happen. We're pleased to be part of it," Mazda said.
So make a night of it in Long Island City. The Laughing Devil has shows almost every night of the week, and has expanded to an off-site location. The Secret Theatre does improv every weekend.
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