Jim Labriola is strapped on a rocket to the stars, and ain’t nobody gonna shoot him down!
Well, that’s a little melodramatic (as well as pretty crummy-sounding), but when you look at Labriola’s career at this point, it seems the signs are pretty clear that he’s takin’ the A-train to the top, and this choo-choo won’t be derailed!
Sorry. Cliche virus going around.
But look at some of these facts:
– Labriola has been a comic for about 10 years. Some of the most popular standups today didn’t begin to get that way until their 10th year on stage.
– Labriola is 37 years old, which is roughly the same age group as some of the standups making it big now.
– Labriola is managed by the same company that works for John Caponera and Drew Carey of NBC’s “The Good Life” (RIP) and some guy who grunts for a little ABC show with the silly name of “Home Improvement.”
“God, are You talking through him? Is that You through him, God?” laughs Labriola, who’s working this weekend at Zanies (1548 N. Wells St.; 312-337-4027).
“I hope so, man” Labriola says when the facts that stardom’s knockin’ on the door, you’d better be home to answer that bangin’. . . . Excuse us. We’ll be good.
“You’re sort of right, things are coming to a head right now,” continues Labriola, who was born and got his start in New York. “Things are starting to happen for me.”
Labriola was scheduled earlier this week to film scenes for Tim Allen’s feature film “The Santa Claus.” Labriola made a few appearances this past season on Allen’s “Home Improvement.” One of those small parts, the character of a butcher, might get fleshed out a little more, so that may make a few more visits.
“I owe a lot to Tim Allen,” Labriola admits. “He’s been a big inspiration and a friend to me.”
If Labriola does catch lightning in a bottle, he’s likely to focus it more on acting in comedies and dramas, maybe doing either a television comedy or a movie with the same elements of a Martin Scorsese film.
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And if all the elements are right for stardom, Labriola is prepared for it.
“I’m ready, I’m ready to have my own show,” he says. “That’s what I’ve been working for, basically: To act. I love acting.”
But like some of the top comics working in other mediums, Labriola says he won’t abandon standup. He got in the business in the first place because of the audience attention.
“I just love the stage,” says Labriola, who’s performed standup on the A&E Network. “I love the control. I drove a dump truck, I was a Teamster in construction, and when I got off the truck, nobody ever applauded. . . . `That was great the way you dumped that day.’ “
With standup, he loves having that “bond with the audience, that high you get from the audience.”
But acting is definitely in Labriola’s plan.
“I think I’ve always had the dream of the acting,” he says. “And the comedy always came easy because I’m natural.”
But while Labriola waits for his opportunity (see, we can resist the virus if we try), he hits the road with comedy fueled by his personality and his take on life, dating and family:
“My father was a real rough Italian guy,” he says in his act. “He had a bad temper, but he was good-natured. When I was a kid, he took me hunting. Right in front of my eyes, he started punching the hell out of a deer.
“Which really scared me, because then they threw us out of the zoo.”
Last yuks
– Talented, quirky and just downright funny Paula Poundstone will be making a special appearance Saturday at the College of Du Page’s Arts Center for one show only at 8 p.m. The college is at 22nd Street and Lambert Road in Glen Ellyn; call 708-858-3110 for ticket information.
– Rumors of a possible closing of the Funny Firm have been flying, what with the club’s three-week hiatus at the beginning of the month. But the Firm is back, with the Boston Comedy All-Stars this weekend, and Len Austrevich’s crazy Blue Night Special adults-only comedy revue Friday and Saturday. The Firm is at 318 W. Grand Ave.; 312-321-9500.