Comedian With Sheepshead Bay Origins Makes Country Laugh

Anyone headed to California this week? If so, it might not be too late to catch Steve Solomon at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. There’s no guarantee that you’ll actually get tickets for any of the four shows happening from April 9 through 11. You see, the last time he played at the same venue, his shows were sold out. In fact, most of his past performances were usually sold out.

So, why am I talking to you about California stand-up? It’s because Steve Solomon is from Sheepshead Bay and he goes around the country joking about how his inter-cultural upbringing messed with his head and sent him to therapy.

Solomon’s mother was Italian and his father Jewish and if you’ve seen the title of his last two comedy shows — “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, and I’m in Therapy” and “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, and I’m Still in Therapy”, you’d already know that. It just might be that he’s never actually been in therapy and is just messing with our heads.

Read more about Steve Solomon’s show after the jump.

Let’s not be fooled, this jokester is no “joker” and he knows what he’s doing. In fact, before he started doing stand-up comedy, Solomon taught high school physics and was a school administrator. Looking for a life change, he turned to comedy or should I say, turned back to comedy.

Since Solomon was always known as the class and family funny man, no one was surprised with his newfound success making everyone else laugh.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned about how difficult it is to find performances that are somehow related to Sheepshead Bay, being shown locally. Whenever, there is a film or performer featuring our area, it never seems to have a run in any venue in our area.

Steve Solomon told me that he misses Pips Comedy Club. But not having a local venue, didn’t stop him from a NYC run, and he enjoyed a long run on Broadway. Imagine that — our Sheepshead Bay native was having fun mentioning us on Broadway and I never even knew it.

Had I known, though, I definitely would have headed over there and not have to make the trip to Atlantic City last month. Still, I wasn’t complaining having to leave my Brooklyn shores, since I got invited as “Press” and was welcomed as VIP at the Atlantic City Hilton reception desk. Not knowing what to expect, I figured if Steve Solomon couldn’t make me laugh, at least I could have a VIP’s smile on my face for a while.

I didn’t have to worry, because the show made me smile. I wasn’t the only one, though, because the packed audience was laughing their heads off. Made up of a mostly older crowd and a group of youngsters who screamed at the mention of Sheepshead Bay, the audience members were practically tearing up with laughter all throughout the show.

At the end of the show, when everyone was exiting the theater,they were all jubilant and excited. The retired crowd had so much energy to burn, they were probably ready to gamble away their kid’s inheritance at the casino.

As for me, I found myself wondering if Steve Solomon could find anything funny to say about Sheepshead Bay, if he were growing up here, now. I suppose, with him being the true comedian that he is, he would be able to find something funny.

Those of you who can’t make it California on such short notice, maybe you can write to Kingsborough Community College and ask them to book Steve Solomon in time to put him on the Fall events list. I’m sure it’ll be another sold-out show.