nter
n
Borsht Belt
off
Woodward
Freddie Roman brings his Catskills shtick
to the Fisher Theatre.
SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Three comics
bring up-state
New York to
Michigan.
bout 12 years
ago, standup
comedian Freddie
Roman had an
idea for bringing
Catskills humor
to the Broadway
stage. But the
curtain did not go
up until a decade
later, when
Jackie Mason was
successful with a
similar venture.
Now, after more than a
year at New York City's
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre,
Mr. Roman's show —
"Catskills on Broadway"
— is on tour, stopping
April 20-25 at the Fisher
Theatre.
Three other Catskill-
trained entertainers are
part of the review, each
serving up a personal-
ized brand of Borscht
Belt fun.
Z.
Mal
Comics
Lawrence and Dick Capri
are longtime friends of
the show's creator, who
has performed in clubs
across the country as
well as in lounges
throughout the leg-
endary resort area.
Impressionist Louise
Duart is a recently-
added ingredient.
"We all work separate-
ly until the finale," said
Mr. Roman, who began
entertaining at his
uncle's Catskills resort
when he was only 15.
"We have an orchestra,
and the show opens with
an overture. While the
overture is on, a film is
shown; it's a lovely, little
pastiche of the Catskill
Mountains."
Describing the humor
as universal with a
Jewish undertone, the
show's creator talked
about his own segment.
"My routine is based
mostly on my life," said
Mr. Roman, who jokes
about his mid-life crisis
and modest weight prob-
lem. "I talk about my
family and the idiosyn-
crasies of what my life
has been like. People can
identify with it because
it's the same as theirs."
Mr. Roman can bring
an audience perspective
to his routine because he
stepped out of show busi-
ness and into his father's
shoe business for eight
years, hoping to give his
wife and two children
more stable footing.
However, the former
New York University
drama major realized
being away from the
stage was too unpleasant
for him and gradually he
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