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Anthony DeVito finds art and honesty in family secrets

Via Artist

Airing family secrets isn’t always fun. But as Anthony DeVito has shown us, it sure can be damn funny.

With his one-man show My Dad Isn’t Danny DeVito, which hits Nick’s in Worcester on Thursday (January 27), the New York-based comedy veteran is digging deep to tell the story of his father being a made man in an organized crime family, and while the subject matter is certainly a bit startling, DeVito is excited to take it out to crowds outside of NYC and watch it grow.

“I’m always curious to see how this show travels,” DeVito tells Vanyaland. “I haven’t taken it on the road too much, so I’m always interested to see how people react, especially when only about half of the people there know what they’re getting into. It’ll be interesting to see how it holds up, but it will also be good for me to learn how it holds up in an environment where people may not be completely in tune to what they’ll be seeing and hearing.”

What started as just a chunk of his regular stand-up set, DeVito quickly realized upon delving into such a tough and uncomfortable subject that it needed a bit more space to breathe. With the material that he’s cultivated since changing course with the show, the mixed bag of emotions and perspectives have only grown into a more intricate explanation of a complicated series of events, and DeVito is quick to admit that performing the show, and keeping in on the rails, has been a challenging to say the least, but he’s also had a lot of fun in the process.

“With stand-up, I’ve done the jokes so many times, but I’m clinging to life during the one-man show. The performances are very different,” says DeVito. “For the most part, during the one-man show, I’m scrambling to find the right words to say, because it’s a new hour all at once, and some parts of it are very emotional, so I have to give those moments what they need. It’s very difficult, and the most challenging thing I’ve done, but it’s also been very fun.”

Citing the work of Colin Quinn, Chris Gethard, and Gary Gulman as inspiration for taking this creative turn, DeVito is envisioning the endgame for this show will have a similar fate in the form of a special. Until then, he’s just looking forward to telling his story, and connecting with crowds on a deeper, more personal level, all the while hopefully helping others come to terms with their own uncomfortable family secrets.

“I’ve really enjoyed how people have felt comfortable enough to come to me after the show, and reveal a piece of their family history,” says DeVito. “I hope people can take that away from this, where they can be more comfortable revealing something in their own life that was uncomfortable. If someone can do that now, because of this show, then that’s awesome. No one should be walking around and holding things that are eating them alive.”

ANTHONY DEVITO: MY DAD ISN’T DANNY DEVITO :: Thursday, January 27 :: 8 p.m. :: Nick’s, 124 Millbury St. in Worcester :: $15 :: Advance tickets