If you come from an Italian family, Giuseppe the MC has a comedy show for you this spring.
The Dec’anni Di Fanni Comedy Tour is coming to the Sault Community Theatre Centre on April 3, where Giuseppe Meleca will wax comedic about the Italian community and his experiences growing up in a family of Italian immigrants.
“The show itself is about the Italian community . . . growing up in the Italian culture, having parents as immigrants, and how a Canadian kid had to grow up with that,” he said.
Meleca said he built his comedy routine based on those experiences, which began years ago with his relationship with his mother, and has gradually expanded to speak about Italian culture more broadly.
“Either at home with my parents, or just something that is happening out there in the world involving Italians, I literally just expand on that and make it funny,” he said.
“It's great how material comes to me, it's handed to me on a silver platter.”
While some people use food or music to connect to culture, Meleca chose comedy to connect with his background.
He’s always felt a “big rush” from sharing funny stories about growing up in an Italian family, which ultimately led to him booking and selling out two comedy shows in his hometown of Toronto.
“At my sister's wedding . . . I was explaining how my mother loves my brother-in-law more than me – which is true, by the way – and the reaction I got from that was so strong that I decided I was going to do a comedy show,” he said.
“After I did those two shows, I quit my job and I expanded.”
Although some portions of the show are spoken in Italian, Meleca said the show is accessible to people of all backgrounds – and he encouraged everyone to come see it.
“I would invite anybody, whether you're Italian or not, to come out and watch the show,” he said.
“There will be a small percentage of actual Italian being spoken, but I quickly translate it and make it very easy for anybody to understand.”
The April show will mark Meleca’s third trip to Sault Ste. Marie, which he said still holds the title for the best audience he’s had, with the city showing similar levels of attendance to much larger cities he’s performed in, like Montreal.
“I've toured the world doing comedy, it's still the best audience I've ever had,” he said.
“I'm excited to be here, and I'm going to put on a great show.”
Two local performers, Jamie McPhee and Frank DeMarco, will join Meleca on April 3.
Tickets may be purchased on the Giuseppe the MC website.