Next time you’re sitting in your doctor’s waiting room, watch out for a white-haired man who suddenly jumps up from behind his walker and belts out a Broadway show tune. Even more head-scratching is that he suddenly stops and quietly walks into the examination room as the receptionist says, “Mr. Scafuri, the doctor will see you now.”
Punked? The old Candid Camera? No, it’s Frank Scafuri having a little musical fun.
Parishioners at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bethpage will recognize Scafuri as a regular substitute singer/organist. Those who have heard him sing, know that this 1971 Julliard graduate certainly has a powerful, well-trained voice.
“About a month ago, I was waiting to be seen by a doctor, and I was very bored,” said Scafuri. “The rest of the waiting room patients seemed equally bored, and were just looking at their cell phones. I thought it would be pretty funny if I stood up, sang this big Broadway song and left the room once I was called by receptionist.”
While most of us would merely daydream about a prank, Scafuri proposed the stunt to two doctors. They were as enthusiastic as he was. Using three iPhones, with the camera operators pretending to be bored patients, he had the performance recorded.
“They were astonished,” Scafuri said of his waiting room audience. “They were looking at the floor. Then they would look up and smile. You could tell, everyone one was thinking, ‘What’s going on?’”
Even more people got in on the joke when he posted the video on YouTube.
“Since Sept. 10, the video has gained 10,100-plus views,” said the 63-year-old Scafuri, who hopes the exposure boosts his singing and acting career. “I will be producing more videos over the course of the year to put smiles on ‘waiting patients.’”
In fact, Scafuri, who with his wife is a 38-year resident of Rockville Centre, is offering to take his act on the road.
“This is an open invitation to any doctor in any practice who wants to have a simple video made in the waiting room,” said Scafuri, who invites doctors to contact him at Frankpscafuri@gmail.com. “There is no cost, and it provides 10 minutes of entertainment for waiting patients without disturbing the office atmosphere and the rule of confidentiality.”
To watch the video, perform a web search of “Frank’s Waiting! Who’s Got Rhythm?”
