Steve Solomons theatrical one-man shows which began with My Mothers Italian, My Fathers Jewish and Im in Therapy have been criticized for perpetuating stereotypes and also just for general crassness. <\/p>\n
But Solomons naughty, but not dirty family-centered storytelling is traditionally old-school, and that may have something to do with his comic beginnings. <\/p>\n
The person that influenced me was Jonathan Winters. He would do sound effects and I would emulate him. I worked all my life with the sound effects, says Solomon, who also was mentored early in his career by George Carlin, himself a comic known for politically incorrect humor. <\/p>\n
Solomon brings the fourth installment in his Italian\/Jewish series, Cannoli, Latkes & Guilt, to Booth Playhouse beginning Tuesday, when it starts its seven-day run. <\/p>\n
It is politically incorrect, and I think thats why people love it, says Solomon, who left a career as a high school administrator and physics teacher to pursue comedy writing. Old ladies that wear black dresses and stir sauces and gravy thats a stereotype? Thats the way I grew up! Thats every old Italian lady I knew. The older people know thats the way it was. Its not a stereotype. Im describing people I come into contact with. <\/p>\n
He says that while his family has mostly embraced the shows, which feature 20 different recurring characters and are more akin to plays than stand-up, his daughter did once ask him to remove a joke. <\/p>\n
She brought all of her friends to see the show when it was on Broadway, Solomon says. In the scene, shes a crazy teenager. I have a friend that says shes spoiled. And I said, No. Shes supposed to smell like that. She came backstage and said, Dad, that line has got to go. <\/p>\n
Cannoli, Latkes & Guilt is set in his parents attic as theyre preparing to move to Florida from the Brooklyn home theyve shared for 40 years. My sister and I were going to take care of the moving, says Solomon, who discovered they hadnt bothered to pack the attic. The attic was far from empty. <\/p>\n
And he says the humor transcends ethnicity. <\/p>\n
In Galveston (where he played last week), there wasnt a Jew or an Italian for a thousand miles, he says. Its not just about family. Its about airports and doctors and people you come into contact with. I think that is why it works. <\/p>\n
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\nComedian Steve Solomons mines his Italian and Jewish heritage<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"