'Rolling in the Aisles' Comedy Show to Hit the Paramount

Written and reported by Rebecca Porath.

John Iavarone, a Yorktown resident, was always the class clown growing up. By the time he was old enough to realize there’s money in telling jokes, Iavorone knew comedy was the profession for him.  

Since then, Iavarone has gone from watching Seinfeld—which he said inspired his style of comedy—to headlining comedy shows. 

On July 12, Iavarone, along with stand-up comics Buddy Fitzpatrick and Joe DeVito, will perform at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill in the comedy show “Rolling in the Aisles.” 

“We figure Adele had so much success with ‘Rolling in the Deep’, let’s do Rolling in the Aisles,” Iavarone said. 

The comedian said a theater like the Paramount is his dream venue.

“The number-one place where comics love to perform is a small theater,” he explained. “That’s the Mecca for us. A place like the Paramount is what we love, with its charm. It’s so iconic.”

The theater seats 1,200, making it one of Iavorone’s biggest shows to date. But he’s not anxious in the least.

“You’ve got a lot of people, but you can still connect because it’s intimate,” Iavarone said. 

The Paramount Hudson Valley Theater closed for several months after being purchased by new owners, and went through massive renovations. “Rolling in the Aisles” will be the first comedy show to play at the theater since its grand opening.

“Its not a regular show, it’s the first show,” Iavarone said. “We’re really going to put our A-game out there and give it our best shot.”

The night will start a with a happy hour pre-show party, and after the stand-up acts, there will be a meet-and-greet with the three comedians. Spectators will have a chance to snap pictures and chat with the comics.

“We’re really looking forward to meeting everybody and saying hi afterwards,” Iavarone said. “It’s going to be great.”

Iavarone‘s journey to the Paramount began over a decade ago, when he first broke into the business. In 2000, Iavorone took his first comedy class at a place called The Comic Strip.

“They give you a few minutes on stage, and from there you just get hooked,” Iavarone said. “It’s like an addiction.” 

By 2002, the funnyman was already making headway, winning an MTV Improv Contest—where he remembers winning a pair of rollerblades, a stereo and a ski trip.

“I was so happy I didn’t come in second, because all he got was gum, and a tee shirt,” Iavorone said.

Over the next 11 years, Iavorone performed in a spate of diverse shows, including a “whodunit” dinner theater play, and stand-up performances at restaurants, colleges and clubs. As time went on, he found his act being requested more and more. 

“One thing led to another, you start opening up for guys, people start calling,” Iavarone said. “It’s a rush, and it’s been great because I’m doing my most favorite thing in the world.”

The first time Iavorone felt he truly made it was a performance at the Mohegan Sun theater, he said. After performing at countless small venues, it was to stand in front of a sprawling crowd. Additionally, Iavarone‘s family was present, and he got to see them laugh.

“To perform there was something I’m really proud of,” Iavarone added.

Growing up in a house full of women, Iavarone found comedy in the everyday struggles and joys of life. Today, his routines consist of jokes linked to family, marriage, fatherhood and the daily situations he encounters.

“I don’t go into politics or religion that much because that stuff kind of bores me,” Iavorone said. 

In the future, Iavarone has a specific set of dreams: headline his own special, pen a skit for “Saturday Night Live,” and meet his hero, Jerry Seinfeld.

“He’s probably busy right now, so I won’t bother him just yet,” Iavarone said.

And if there were no more room in the comedy field?

“I’d probably be a writer if I wasn’t a comic,” Iavarone said. “Or I’d be a funny toll collector, they need some humor there. Every time you pass by it’s just really boring. I’d revolutionize that. Everybody would be coming on my line instead of E-ZPass.”

Right now though, Iavarone feels lucky every day to be doing what he’s doing.

“There are guys out there that aren’t even working, so right now I’m just really appreciating what I’ve got here,” he said.

--

For more information on John Iavarone, visit his website, www.j2comedy.com 

For information on and tickets to “Rolling in the Aisles,” visithttp://paramounthudsonvalley.com