Comedian survives pandemic, comes to Cleveland

The big takeaway for comedian Paul Virzi during the pandemic is that he and his wife are together forever — a realization the result of his family surviving COVID-19. "We got it at the beginning," Virzi said, calling from Westchester County. "I like to joke and say we got it the first week like we were waiting in line for an album to drop at midnight. "We're all fine. I kind of had a sample platter of the symptoms, but I wasn't miserable. My family pretty much was asymptomatic. It made me realize that me and my wife probably aren't going to get divorced. That was up in the air before the pandemic. Now it's like, if we survived that, I think we're going to make it." Because Virzi had the antibodies, he didn't shy away from taking any available comedy gigs. This included going to Arizona in June and playing an outdoor show in Connecticut last week. Now he's returning to Cleveland, appearing through Saturday at the Hilarities 4th Street Theatre. Virzi is excited about returning to Northeast Ohio where he, admittedly, lives a charmed life. "I like to go there for the scallops, which you really wouldn't think about Cleveland," Virzi said. "And, the best Moscow mule I ever had was at Society (Lounge) on East 4th Street. "Also, another really cool memory, in all of the years I've been going to Yankee Stadium I never got a foul ball. In Cleveland, I went to see them playing the Rockies a couple of years ago and I got a foul ball. I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys have for me this weekend." A touring comedian for more than decade, Virzi often has been pegged as an opening act for Bill Burr's theater tours. In addition to hosting the weekly podcast "The Virzi Effect," he recently appeared in the Pete Davidson film "The King of Staten Island." Currently, the funnyman is working on the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut hourlong comedy special, "Paul Virzi: I'll Say This," which premiered in 2018 on Comedy Central. Virzi said more than 80 percent of his upcoming Hilarities shows will be new material that finds him digging a little deeper into life while still commenting on the silly moments. "I'm talking about stuff going on in the country," Virzi said. "There are some things where it's OK to be progressive and everybody needs to be progressive, but I do think sometimes it goes a little too far. So I'm talking about the current climate — obviously in a loose and funny way — but not making anybody feel uncomfortable. I don't take any sides politically. I'm a middle-of-the-road guy trying to see everybody's point." That said, Virzi added he does a joke about professional sports that has proved divisive in the past. "We're all going to die sooner or later, so I'm just saying everything," Virzi said. "Come out, and if you get offended, you get offended. If not, sit back, have a drink, shut up and enjoy yourself. That's how I'm looking at it. Listen, what 2020 has thrown us already, who knows what's coming next? "Everybody is thinking it's going to get better. What if 2021 is just shadowboxing going, 'They haven't seen anything yet. Wait until I arrive in a few months.' So I'm going to go to Cleveland, have a good time, eat my scallops and find that Moscow mule. Just come out and have a good time. That's where I'm at." Contact John Benson at Ndiffrence@att.net.