Funny Fundraiser represents homecoming for Peters Township comedian
For Peters Township High School graduate Tom Anzalone, clowning around is serious business.
A professional comedian who now lives in Syracuse, N.Y., Anzalone has toured the country and worked with comedy heavyweights like Jay Leno, Bobcat Goldthwait, Ray Romano, Rosie O’Donnell and the King of Queens himself, Kevin James.
“I’ve been doing this for so long, Kevin James used to open for me,” Anzalone said with a laugh. “I guess he’s doing pretty good now.”
Anzalone’s TV appearances include ABC’s “America’s Funniest People” and the Showtime Comedy Club Network. He has been profiled on the NPR radio program “All Things Considered” and has performed at New York City’s Laugh Factory and Tropicana Hotels in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
Anzalone will be returning to the South Hills when he headlines the Peters Township High School Soccer Boosters’ sixth annual Funny Fundraiser on Oct. 22nd at the Library Fire Hall in South Park Township. Also performing are Missy G, who’s appeared on truTV, and David Kaye, who’s appeared on Comedy Central.
“We didn’t have soccer when I was in school, so I’m glad to help out,” Anzalone said. “I’ve worked with David Kaye before, so I work with him any chance I get. And it’s great Missy is on the bill. There are a lot more female comics now.”
Inspired by comic legends like Jerry Lewis and Steve Martin, Anzalone started performing during his senior year of high school, when he was regularly found yukking it up as a clown at the then-popular pizza restaurant Bimbo’s of Mt. Lebanon, which is now the site of Primanti Bros.
“I wasn’t a scary clown, like people are doing now,” Anzalone recalled. “I was an adorable clown.”
Anzalone worked his way to the Pittsburgh club circuit, where he took some advice from another up-and-coming South Hills comedian.
“I worked with Dennis Miller,” he said about the Keystone Oaks High School graduate. “He thought I was funny, and he told me to stick with it.”
Looking for a way to differentiate himself from other comics, Anzalone, who studied Opera at West Virginia University, decided to combine music and jokes. The results are mash-ups of heavy metal and country music, Michael Jackson and Jerry Lewis, and Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash.
“I’m a bass baritone, so it’s tough for me to do tenors,” Anzalone sai, chuckling. “If I didn’t know how to perform the songs properly, I’d start doing parodies. Now, I ruin all the music all the time.”
On a more serious note, Anzalone also performs with the Syracuse Opera and is a children’s music teacher. His children’s TV character Songflower Man is a combination of his love for music and humor.
“I love writing music,” he said. “Being a musical comedian helps make me different from other comics. In this business, you have to do other things.”
Although he doesn’t tour the country like he did in the past, Anzalone still regularly performs in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
“I’ve been doing comedy for 40 years, and it’s like surfing,” he said. “Every wave is different, but the thrill is always the same.”
For more information about the Oct. 22 event, visit www.pthssoccer.net.