By Jean Brannum | jbrannum@queensledger.com
There was sweat, drive, and laughs, evil laughs in Greenpoint’s Nighthorse Bar on May 16 for a new kind of competition.
Roommates Mera Caulfield, Alix Matos, and Megan Mandrachio hosted a tournament to see who had the best evil laugh. Out of 39 contestants, comedian Ena Da took home the grand prizes, which included a T-shirt saying “I Won an Evil Laughing Competition” and homemade cinnamon rolls.
High-pitched, Low-pitched, old-man-like, and super-short, all laughs were welcome.
Contestants completed in groups of five. After the whole group laughed, three judges picked a winner for the group. There was one “wild card” round for random members of the audience to enter. Some entrees sent in their laughs by video recording. In the end, the winners of each round showed their laughs once more to be picked, by audience applause, to be the winner.
Many contestants did more than just laugh or flash an evil grin, some screamed, danced, lit fires, and even shot confetti. Many wore costumes and embodied a character. Many competitors practiced their laughs for days.
Ian Smith, dressed as Elphaba from Wicked, even received a complaint from his neighbor while practicing.
“My neighbors knocked on my door and told me to shut up,” Smith said.
Smooth concluded his laugh with the famous final notes of Defying Gravity while shooting confetti into the air from outstretched arms.
Mackenzie Thomas, dressed as a witch for her laugh, gave a high-pitched evil laugh that included a fiery finale. She lit several small pieces of tissue on fire.
“My roommates have been enjoying it,” Thomas said, referring to her frequent practice sessions before the contest.
The venue was packed with spectators in the backroom of Nighthorse. Spectators stood in the back and even on tables. The place was more electrified when it came time to vote for the winner. The final two contestants faced each other for the final laugh. Comedian Ena Da received thunderous applause. Da heard about the contest that day through social media and messaged one of the hosts to enter. Despite her lack of time to prepare, she took home the gold.
Caulfield, a comedian, said she got the idea for the contest after hearing about similar tournaments. She would like to host more competitions, possibly twice a year.
“That was electric,” Caulfield said. “It was just so much fun to see so many people excited about something.“