Arcada Theatre to screen comedy show
At 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, Showtime and Showtime HD will air “The Godfathers of Comedy,” a presentation filmed at the Arcada Theatre and co-produced by the theatre’s proprietor, Ron Onesti. The premiere will be shown free at the theatre, 105 E. Main St. in St. Charles, where it was filmed.
“There was the ‘Kings of Comedy,’ the ‘Latin Kings of Comedy’ and the ‘Blue Collar Comedy Tour’ breaking records all over the country,” Onesti said. “We all said to each other, ‘What about the Italian guys?’ So five of the top Italian American comedians came together for one of the funniest nights I have ever witnessed.”
It has been about two years since Ron Onesti brought the “Godfathers of Comedy” to his Arcada Theatre. He, along with the comics themselves, produced this presentation consisting of two standup comedy shows featuring five of the top Italian-American comics in the country.
After the Jan. 29 premiere, Showtime will air the special a minimum of 20 more times throughout the year. This will support a national tour for the comics. Between the opening scene that features the Arcada marquee, coupled with its ageless splendor, St. Charles stands to receive a great amount of publicity from the show.
The comics are all veterans of the standup comedy circuit who have logged thousands of shows on the road and on television independently over the years. Rocky LaPorte, a Chicago native who has received a standing ovation on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” has appeared on several television specials and in the last three Tim Allen movies. John Caponera, another hometown boy who had his own series on NBC and appeared regularly on “The Drew Carey Show” is widely known for his slew of McDonald’s commercials and his amazing vocal impersonation of the late sports announcer Harry Carey. Two of the comics hail from Boston — Frank Santorelli, who played “Georgie” the Bartender on the HBO television show “The Sopranos,” and Paul D’Angelo, an attorney whose career in comedy exploded, so much so that the stand up circuit and special events became his main vocation. Rounding the crew out is Willie Fratto, a sharp-dressed, quick-witted comic who is one of the most popular veterans on the road today.
The production team was the top of the line as well. Rocco Urbisci directed the taping, bringing with him experience he received while directing 25 years of George Carlin’s television shows, writing and directing for Richard Pryor and receiving an Emmy award for his work with Lily Tomlin. The show was produced by Neal Marshall, a show biz veteran who wrote the story and screenplay for the widely acclaimed motion picture “The Flamingo Kid” and produced comedy shows for stars ranging from Carol Burnett to Robert Klein, Kevin Nealon to Katt Williams.
Another popular comic and producer on the show, Rick D’Elia was the driving force who brought the project to Ron Onesti after Rocky LaPorte brought the two together. Onesti put the nuts and bolts together at the theater and hired HD Ready, the St. Charles firm that films High Definition television shows across the country — including the nationally renowned PBS show “Soundstage” — to film it.
The seven-camera, s-figure shoot was principally financed by the comics and St. Charles resident, marketing mogul and close Onesti friend, Pat O’Rahilly.
Doors will open at 7 p.m. Jan. 29 for the general admission show with some behind-the-scenes perspectives. Call (630) 962-7000 or visit www.oshows.com for more information.