Jen Murphy isn’t afraid to talk on stage about the modern-day ease of watching skin flicks on her smartphone.
The Los Angeles-based comedian, who quickly quashes the prickly debate of “are women funny?” is venturing eastward to appear in the Laughing Devil’s first annual She-Devil Comedy Festival, running October 24 through 28. This 100-woman-strong showcase will feature some of the funniest up-and-coming queens of stand-up.
Murphy, who lived in Astoria for several years before moving to the West Coast, boasts an impressive resume including two seasons of “Last Comic Standing,” appearances on “Comics Unleashed” and a stint as the host of her own show on TLC called “This is Why You’re Still Single.”
While Amy Poehler of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” and Kristen Wiig of “Bridesmaids” have made it known that ladies are leading the way in recent comedy endeavors, Murphy said the early road to comedic success can be tricky for women.
“Sometimes it’s harder as a woman to get my foot in the door,” said Murphy. “It’s harder to get into clubs if they don’t know me. Club owners trust men more. But once you’re in, it can be easier because there aren’t that many of us.”
Most of Murphy’s material comes from everyday observations, like friends with kids and trials of single life, which she says provides plenty of laughs.
“I have one joke where I talk about how I wish I could be a whore because I’m broke and I hate dating,” said Murphy. “Dating is kind of like prostitution anyway!”
While the gripes of 30s singledom might ring like a girls night in, Murphy says she makes her stories something everyone — not just women — can understand.
“I try to make it something men can relate to too,” said Murphy. “I don’t just want to be like ‘dating is hard,’”
Murphy, who says she keeps pretty quiet when she’s not on stage, said audiences are often surprised when she opens her mouth.
“A lot of people say ‘I didn’t think you were going to be funny,’” she said.
