BY KRISTA HENRY, Staff Reporter
Left: Nadine Rodriquez performs at the Ity and Fancy Cat Comedy Competition held at the Gleaner Sports Club, on Wednesday.Right: Judges, Ity, Pretty Boy Floyd and Blakka Ellis get a laugh from one of the acts at the Comedy Search. In the centre is Renae Excell from Ellis International. - ANTHONY MINOTT PHOTOS
ACCORDING TO THE STAR's Artiste of the Month Fancy Cat, "The most important thing about comedy is delivery". The contestants at the Star's Comedy Search Competition did just that as they brought a bellyful of laughter to the audience.
The event staged at The Gleaner's Sports Club on Wednesday featured twelve contestants, all vying for the the Star's Comedy Trophy, a one-year deal with Elllis International and a gift from Courts Jamaica, among other prizes. Comedian, Fancy Cat acted as the emcee, with Ity, Blakka Ellis and Pretty Boy Floyd as judges.
With a 'lifeline' of three minutes the contestants graced the stage with skits, renditions of songs and impersonations, all aimed at inducing laughter to impress both audience and judges.
OUTSTANDING ACTS
Some of the most outstanding acts included the two female contestants, Nadine Rodriquez and Ruth Samuels. The male acts that stood out were the Strikers Drama Group out of St. Elizabeth and Malachi McNeil.
Nadine Rodriquez, the first female to take the stage was stopped midway her three minutes by Ity, who along with the crowd shouted that her performance 'sell off'. From the onset Rodriquez captured the crowd and the judges' attention with her attire which matched 'from head to toe'. She immediately grabbed the crowd's attention with her case of 'mistaken identity' eliciting laugher by claiming she resembled actresses Audrey Reid and Deon Silvera.
However, it was a gang of young men from St. Elizabeth that really set the standard from the onset, coming onstage with props and decked out in costume. Their delivery, stage presence and the content of their skit had the judges and the audience wailing with laughter. They were also stopped midway their performance by Fancy Cat who noted that he didn't want to see the end of their piece until the Lunch Time Comedy Hour on Wednesday, May 31 at the LOJ auditorium.
Some of the advice given by comedians, Ity and Fancy Cat was that contestants need to "walk on like its your show, when you look like your not sure, we are not sure either". They further proclaimed that comedy is on the rise, and some of the contestants proved this to be true.
The judges rated contestants on delivery and stage presence. Based on this, seven contestants have moved on to the next round. They are: Malachi McNeil, Leighton Smith, Dalton Spence, Rox-Roy Rogers, Nadine Rodriquez, Ruth Samuels and Paul Wellington.
They will perform along with surprise Rising Stars guests and comedians from the Laughter League at the LOJ Auditorium during the free finale, next week.
Do
you have a problem? Is something bothering
you? Write to 
