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A year ago, comedianAnthony DeVitohad no intention of writing a one-man show.
He began writing a few jokes and testing them out in comedy clubs and open mics around New York.
The show is about himself, his father, and the web of lies surrounding them.
He was 15 years old and playing basketball in a park with some friends.
Im your cousin, on your fathers side.
he says in the show.
Wed go to Toys R Us with two different agendas: Id be looking for G.I.
Joes, shed be looking for shitty fathers.
He had no connection with anyone on his fathers side, except a biannual visit with his paternal grandmother.
His father did not die in a car crash he was killed.
Before his death, his father had spent time in prison for armed robbery and multiple murders.
His mother told him that he had been trying to better himself after Anthony was born.
She didnt mean, like, meditating and doing crossword puzzles, he says during the show.
He was trying to shed the mob.
DeVitos appearance is always slightly disheveled, with shaggy hair and a full beard.
My whole appearance is a reaction to him, he says.
Theres a warmth to Anthony, and its one that clicks into place after experiencing his show.
That wholesome cluelessness was, in some ways, manufactured through the years.
Wealthy fathers, they pass on businesses to their children.
Italian fathers pass on secrets.
When he first presented the idea of a one-man show to his mother, she rejected it flat out.
She didnt want to risk anything.
Theres actually a strange precedent for DeVito publicly divulging family secrets.
In 2015, hetold a story onThis American Lifeabout his grandmother.
When he was 8, Anthony learned the tenant was actually his grandfather.
Because nobody was just saying what was going on.
It was like a corrupt government or something.
I dont even know.
It seemed normal to us.
Whatever the situation is, you want to make it seem as normal as can be.
Now Anthony is addressing a different lie from his childhood, this time with considerably higher stakes.
One-man shows from comedians can have a reputation for forgetting to be funny.
This one is darker than many, but its beautifully offset by DeVitos charm and penchant for silly jokes.
A car accident, he jokes in the show.
My mom had the first word right,car, not the second work,accident.
I dont know that heaccidentallythrew himself into the trunk and then closed the lid.
Seemed like a caron purpose.
Jokes like these serve an important role as opportunities to laugh with Anthony, despite everything.
Its about growth, honesty, loss, and power.
And somehow, its still incredibly tender, and of course, hilarious.
DeVitos show will return on Wednesday, March 11at the Fat Black Pussycat Lounge.
