The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
THAT MOMENT
Every comic has one — his or her first time on stage — and Ohio native John Caparulo remembers his well
Falling somewhere between a person knowing their birthday or an addict remembering their first day of sobriety, most comedians can tell you the exact date of their first time appearing on a comedy club stage. That experience more than likely included getting a laugh and feeling a massive adrenaline rush that continues to drive them to perform decades later. “The first time I was onstage was June 2, 1997, at Hilarities in Cuyahoga Falls,” said Ohio native and nationally renowned comic John Caparulo, calling from Las Vegas, where he appears weekly at Harrah’s casino. $75 million. As if the $8 million last week wasn’t worth a dollar. That got a laugh.”
That moment came just as Caparulo graduated from Kent State University with a degree in radio-television production. He said it became apparent to him while attending the Portage County campus that comedy was his future.
“At one point, I looked around my classes and realized all of the other students actually cared about the class,” Caparulo said. “That’s when I knew I was kidding myself. I always wanted to be a comedian. That’s what I was going to do. I was just sort of running from what I really wanted to do because you’re afraid to really chase your dreams.”
After taking a stand-up comedy class at the Cleveland Improv, the aspiring funnyman had his aforementioned magical first night on stage followed by many other open-mic appearances. However, Northeast Ohio at the time didn’t have as many opportunities for stage time as it does now.
That led Caparulo to move to Los Angeles in 1999. Over the next decade and a half, he appeared on “The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn,” “The Tonight Show,” “The Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Next Generation,” “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Tour” and “Chelsea Lately.”
In addition to his regular Sin City gig, Caparulo regularly tours the country. He returns to Northeast Ohio for shows through Jan. 5 at Hilarities 4th Street Theatre in Cleveland.
“Oh, yeah, January in Cleveland sounds great,” Caparulo laughed.
The observational comedian, who is influenced by Eddie Murphy and Sam Kinison, will be talking about his family, which includes his 3-year-old daughter. One of the things Caparulo won’t be discussing during his upcoming set involves his beloved Cleveland Browns.
“I’ve always talked about growing up a Browns fan living in East Liverpool, which is on the Ohio-West Virginia border,” Caparulo said. “That was in the heart of Steeler country. That was a tough existence growing up.
“So, I’ve done a lot of material over the years about being a Browns fan and just how rough that can be. Now that the team is playing better, it’s bad for my comedy, but it’s great for the Browns. It seems like they’ve crossed over and finally joined the NFL.”
“When you’re an amateur, it’s getting your feet wet. You kind of go in spurts. You shy away, and then you go back. It was hard to get stage time. You had to call ahead of time at Hilarities, and they were backed up three months.”
While the comic seemingly has written a million jokes over the decades, Caparulo remembers the first bit that got a laugh more than 20 years ago.
“I did a joke about the lottery,” Caparulo said. “I never understood why people only play the lottery when the jackpot went up to