Comedian John Caparulo loves Northwest audiences
Jan 20, 2017, 5:25 PM
I always wanted to be a touring comedian. The prospect of driving or flying around the country, playing to different crowds and meeting new people sounded like a dream come true. I never made it to touring national headliner status, but I have performed outside our state and I still believe crowds in the Northwest are some of the best. Comedian John Caparulo is performing at the Parlor Live Comedy Club in Bellevue tonight and tomorrow evening and when I spoke to him, he agreed.
“I love any audience or any place where they’re not afraid to make fun of themselves. Able to laugh at themselves. Like, it’s rainy here, and you guys know it,” said Caparulo. “I’m from Ohio, Clevelandish. We have to laugh at ourselves, or we’ll go crazy.”
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Quite a bit has transpired in the past couple of years for the man who got his start as a doorman at the world-famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles. One of his first big breaks and my initial to exposure to him came from Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show. The 2008 film followed Caparulo and three other comedians, as they traveled over 6,000 miles to bring their unique show to audiences in the South, West and Midwest. I asked John how long it took before four comedians packed in tour bus got on each others’ nerves.
“Uh, let’s see, out of 30 days… the first day? It’s something that I’m glad that I did, because over the years, some people have seen it and have become fans of what I do because of it and that’s great,” said Caparulo. However, when it comes to recreating the experience? “Wouldn’t do it again,” Caparulo conceded.
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Now a proud parent of a 20-month-old girl, Madden, his wife Jamie’s revelation of her pregnancy was anything but routine. After months of trying to conceive, Jamie decided to break the news of her conception on an episode of their podcast Domestic Disputes, leaving Caparulo speechless.
“We were trying to have a baby, but I didn’t take it seriously. I just kind of figured, ‘Eh, I’m probably shooting blanks so it’s no big deal,'” said Caparulo. “I was so shocked because I really didn’t think it was going to happen!”
Tickets are still available to see John Caparulo at the Parlor Live Comedy Club on January 20 & 21.