COMEDY’S BACK ON TRACK

Friday, Aug. 24, 2007 | 7:42 a.m.

What: L.A. Comedy Club

When: 7 and 9 nightly

Where: Palace Station

Cost: $24.95, includes either two drinks inside the showroom or a meal at the Palace Station Feast Buffet that must be redeemed within seven days of purchase date.

Info: 574-5300

Comedy gets the last laugh at Palace Station.

The former Laugh Trax comedy club closed there in 2005 after a four-year run and became Sound Trax, a music venue. Dynamic Vegas entertainer Earl Turner took over the room and was the headliner until January.

But the 150-seat room was underused until a couple of weeks ago , when the former Trax became the L.A. Comedy Club.

"We're always looking to have a diverse entertainment offering to our customers," said Joseph Santiago, Station Casinos' vice president of entertainment. "We looked at several things."

Santiago says the option is still open for musical concerts, but they decided to go with comedy because of Bill Voelkner and Joaquin Trujillo of Bill Voelkner Productions, who came up with the concept.

"We developed a great relationship with Bill and Joaquin and decided to implement their idea," Santiago said. "It's a great offering to our customers."

The L.A. Comedy Club hosts hourlong shows at 7 and 9 nightly. K.T. Tatara and Peter Berman perform through Sunday. Earlier headliners included Sean Corvelle, Tim O'Rourke and Andrew Kennedy.

The producers of the show plan on a steady stream of comedians draw n from the top of the nation's comedy circuit and various television shows.

Voelkner says he's taking a different approach to the comedy club, getting away from the idea of having a couple of warm-up acts followed by the headliner.

"I put two headliners together," he said. "That way the audience isn't waiting for the headliner to come on."

Voelkner has a lot of experience in the business. He was entertainment director at the Maxim until it closed almost eight years ago.

"I've done a lot of different shows, but I love comedy," he said.

When the Maxim closed Voelkner became the producer for an entertainer who worked at its comedy club - Mac King, a magician and comedian.

Voelkner took King to Harrah's, where he has had a successful six-year run, with five more on the latest contract.

He also produces the show for one of the funniest stand-ups in town, Vinnie Favorito at O'Sheas.

"A lot of my acts will be a lot like Vinnie," Voelkner said, "that quality, not his style.

"Vinnie is helping us out here, introducing me to a lot of comedians he knows around the country."

One of the biggest obstacles is the location. Palace Station is on West Sahara Avenue, west of Interstate 15.

The challenge is to get tourists off the Strip and at the same time make the club appealing to locals.

"It's a big issue," he said. "We're going to have to get more locals, which Station Casinos is good at. The shows have to be price driven, offering more for their money. Food and drink are important elements."

He says there are bargain packages for the show and a meal.

Voelkner is confident the club will make it.

"I'm known in town as a guerrilla marketer," he said. "I deal with time shares, mail - outs, group sales, tour companies around the country. That's what I'm known for."

Voeklner says comedy is hot once again, after being on a long hiatus.

"In the late '80s and early '90s there were so many comedy clubs everybody in world thought they were comedians," he said. "It was probably better that comedy faded out. Only the good ones are left. Now there is a great crop of comics coming up. Comedy is on the comeback. You see it in the comedy festival held here in Vegas. You see it on Comedy Central.

"Comedy's a big thing again."