My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy!

One-man show comes to Providence for a limited engagement

The award-winning comedy show “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy!” premieres in Providence on April 23. Inspired by playwright Steve Solomon’s own family dynamics, this side-splitting one-man show has met with rave reviews and has toured internationally in more than 100 cities.

The play has been billed as “one part lasagna, one part kreplach and two parts Prozac.” The best part is you don’t have to be Italian or Jewish (or in therapy, for that matter!) to enjoy this show. The only experience you need to bring to the theater is an appreciation for dysfunction and hilarity.

Solomon, a Brooklyn native, discovered at an early age that he had a knack for comedy, a talent for mimicry and a flair for writing. He applied those gifts as a physics teacher by using humor and dialects in the classroom. Later he became a school administrator on Long Island but eventually put his academic career behind him to pursue his “latent love of making people laugh.” As Steve puts it, “I decided to follow my heart and become an impoverished comedy writer and performer.”

The Jewish Voice had an opportunity to interview Steve Solomon.

Do you consider yourself a comedian or writer?

You left out actor. [I am] all three, and I’m good to my momma!

How did you go from physics teacher and school administrator to comedian/writer?

After 18 years in the education business, my brain turned to Jell-O… I followed my heart and starved for a few years. Now it appears my heart was right!

What’s harder–being a teacher or comedian/writer?

I think the question should be “What’s more important – teaching or comedy?” Teaching! Good education is the recipe for a good life. And yes, I taught with a sense of humor. My former students come backstage and tell me how they loved me as a teacher – even after I gave them an “F.”

You’ve been compared to some great comedians – Alan King, Billy Crystal and Don Rickles among them. Does this put a lot of pressure on you?

No, it’s just wonderful company to be in.

What are the best parts of growing up half Italian and half Jewish?

I got beaten up by both sides of the family. Also, between the Italian and Jewish holidays, I hardly ever went to school! Boy, did I get shoved around by my Italian cousins after my bar mitzvah.

Are you really in therapy, and if so, has it helped?

Life is my therapy.

Do you tour with the show?

I perform over 175 times a year. My wonderful actors handle the other 200 shows in the U.S. and overseas.

Peter Fogel plays your alter ego in the show. Who else besides Peter Fogel has played Steve?

Peter is a gem of an actor and comic and… the audiences love him. I can’t wait to see the audiences’ reaction to him in Providence. There have been (and still are) three other actors who do my shows.

What’s next for you?

With four hit shows – the newest being “Cannoli, Latkes & Guilt:  The Therapy Continues” – I think I’ll stick to performing and producing. No more writing (for now). The original show, “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy,” is on its way to 3,500 performances making it one of the longest running one-man comedies in history! So, yes…I’m quite content.

KARA MARZIALI is the Director of Communications for the Jewish Alliance.

THE SHOW: “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy!,” written by Steve Solomon, directed by Andy Rogow and starring Peter J. Fogel, runs from April 23 through May 18. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays with additional 2 p.m. matinees on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are on sale now at trinityrep.com, by phone at 401- 351-4242 and at the Trinity Rep box office at 201 Washington St. in Providence.