BOCA RATON – Prior the current COVID-19 pandemic, comic Richie Minervini made a living entertaining cruise ship audiences.
Like many comics, Minervini spent the better part of the last year waiting for work to return.
In recent months Minervini began picking up a few gigs, but nothing was more prestigious than February’s grand opening of the Sadman Comedy Speakeasy Lounge.
Minervini had only been on stage for a handful of shows before hopping behind the microphone as one of four headliners that night.
During that 15-minute performance, Minervini drew from his experiences as a cruise ship comic a couple times. This video shows one of them.
In it, Minervini has a little fun with the average age of the people who take cruises, along with the overly tough cancellation policies enforced by most cruise lines.
Minervini began his comedy career in New York. He owned the East Side Comedy Club, which helped give Eddie Murphy, Jay Leno, Kevin James and Ray Romano their starts.
He’s also appeared on television (“The King of Queens”) and in several movies (“Mall Cop,” “Mall Cop 2,” “Zookeeper,” “Grown Ups” and “Grown Ups 2”).
During the Sadman Speakeasy grand opening, Minervini followed Bruce Smirnoff to the stage. Don Gavin took the microphone after Minervini, with Jimmy Shubert closing the show.
Minervini returns to Sadman Speakeasy on March 24, performing once again alongside Bruce Smirnoff. Carl Rimi, a newcomer to the room, will serve as a co-headliner.
Local comics Nadeem Awad and Steve Lamm will also perform that night, with David Sadman hosting the Sadman Comedy production.
