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East Northport
— Samantha Tetro says she is reclaiming humor as a gift from God,
christening a night for clean comedy at her coffee house Li’l Bit of Heaven
here.
After a so-called “archeological dig” to find clean comedians, she unearthed
the talents of about ten comics including Catholics John Shea and Patricia
Brucato, parishioners of St. Frances de Chantal Church in Wantagh, who also
happen to be brother and sister.
After watching John and Pat — now regular performers at Samantha’s “Comics
for the Kingdom” — Samantha knows that you don’t need to be crass to get a
laugh.
“So much of today’s comedy is a counterfeit of what God intended,” said
Samantha, referring to many comedians’ knack for making sexual innuendos and
punctuating their routines with curse words. “The people who come to comedy
nights need to laugh because they are often hurting. But most comedians make
fun of themselves and others.”
In Pat’s standup routine, she talks about her normal life: raising a teenage
son and teaching her aging mom how to use a cell. “People ask us where we
get our material; it’s all true.” She who got her start at Governor’s Comedy
Club and was a nominee for Nickelodeon’s search for the funniest mom in
America.
“We talk about our everyday lives,” agreed her brother John, who also took
comedy classes at Governor’s Comedy Club to learn the basics. “We just
stretch the bologna,” noting that they are Irish.
In his act, he tells the audience about the class troublemaker: Dylan. On a
recent class field trip, John — a chaperone — woke to Dylan flinging Cheese
Nips at the back of his head. At lunchtime, he knew things would only get
worse: Dylan was scarfing “two Snickers bars and a Red Bull.”
“Who is feeding this kid Red Bull?” he yelled toward the audience. “If he
was my kid, he’d be getting Nyquil!”
“We really need to laugh,” said Samantha, who says the comedians are an
answer to a prayer. “The Lord made laughter as medicine. It’s a vessel of
healing. In Proverbs 17:22, Scripture says, ‘A cheerful heart is medicine to
the body.’”
“The siblings credit their late father for their brand of humor. Jack Shea,
a strong Catholic and a Knight of Columbus member, loved a good story almost
as much as he loved having his kids together. “He’d say, ‘I like my chairs
full,’” offered Pat.
Performing at Samantha’s “is bringing the family back together,” she said.
When the comics performed in nightclubs, “my mother never wanted to come to
see us. The comedians were so raw and raunchy. Now, we have this great
opportunity to relive old times, tell favorite stories, and to see our
family,” she said explaining that the whole clan — mother, kids, siblings
and aunts and uncles fill up the tables to cheer them on.
Pat and John — along with other Comics for the Kingdom — will be performing
at a special show this Friday, Aug. 11 at Samantha’s Li’l Bit of Heaven in
East Northport. Squeaky-Clean Comedy Nites are on the first Fridays of the
month at 8 p.m. New comics are welcome to audition on weekly open mike
nights. Call Samantha at 631-262-1212 for more information.
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