Steve Solomon has made a successful career out of talking about his family.
The one-man show he created and stars in, “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, & I’m in Therapy!” — which he will bring to Greensburg’s Palace Theatre on June 11 — has had 4,000 performances and is one of the longest-running off-Broadway productions to date.
The show played for two years in New York City and has toured internationally in more than 100 cities. Since then, he has gone on to write three sequels: “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m Home for the Holidays,” “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m STILL in Therapy!’ and “Cannoli, Latkes & Guilt … the Therapy Continues,” all of which currently have touring productions in the U.S. and abroad.
Even though “My Mother’s Italian …” is considered a one-man show, Solomon actually plays some 20 characters he has known and loved, from his sister to his granddaughter, complete with their own unique voices and mannerisms.
The comedian says he acquired many of the accents and dialects he uses in his shows while growing up in the multi-ethnic neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, where “everybody knew each other’s business.”
Back in the day, he was known as the class clown. He grew up to become a physics teacher for nearly 20 years and then an assistant superintendent of Long Island schools, before he succumbed to his passion for writing comedy.
He also couldn’t take what he calls two hazards of the educational system — politics and bureaucracy — so he decided to switch his career direction.
“When getting up to go to work wasn’t something that I looked forward to, I knew it was time for a change,” he says.
His comedy show touches on topics he says everyone can relate to — from growing up, ex-wives and mixed marriages, to dogs, cats, dieting and other day-to-day situations.
Solomon candidly describes his brand of humor as “one part lasagna, one part kreplach and two parts Prozac, but you don’t have to be Jewish or Italian to love this show
Although he follows a script with a storyline, he frequently will adapt some of the content of a show according to the vibe he picks up from the audience, or the location in which he performing.
“I want to make sure the audience is having a good time,” he says. “I can tell based on their reaction to key words. If they’re Italian, I do a lot of my mother’s stuff; if I’m in Florida, I add a lot of Jewish jokes. I change it on the fly. My poor sound and lighting people have to follow me.”
He credits his longtime director, Andrew Rogow, and producer, Abby Koffler, for their roles in his success in show business.
“They put up with me,” he says. “Andy is brilliant. He can take my pieces of comedy and plug them into a play and make them work.”
Solomon’s most recent accomplishment is his latest show, “Battle of the Broadway Comedians Starring Steve Solomon & Dick Capri,” which made its Northeast debut on May 13 in Patchogue, N.Y. His 2007 “My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy! Cookbook,” includes a blend of Italian and Jewish recipes and his comedy quips and essays.
Candy Williams is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.
‘My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m in Therapy!’
When: 3 p.m. June 11
Admission: $25-$65
Where: Palace Theatre, Greensburg
Details: 724-836-8000 or thepalacetheatre.org