Before actor-comic Chris D’Elia returns this fall as the jovial womanizer Danny Burton for season three of NBC’s sitcom “Undateable,” the rising star will perform on Tuesday at Governor’s Comedy Club in Levittown.
To D’Elia, funny means grown-up babies, conversations with drunk girls, even an oh-so-gratifying roast of Justin Bieber. For almost 10 years now, his euphoric personality on stage – fused with distinct vocabulary – was rewarded with audience’s consistent howls and claps (except for those couple Selena Gomez fans).
“I do stand-up to make myself laugh,” D’Elia said. “I want to figure out what’s funny to me.”
Raised in New Jersey (later Los Angeles) by funny parents and growing up watching Eddie Murphy and Jim Carey, comedy was a familiarity in D’Elia’s life. Walking up on stage wasn’t an issue, either.
“That’s the thing [with stand-up],” D’Elia added. “You can’t really get much help. Either you’re funny or you’re not. You’re going to make people laugh or you’re not.”
His first experience in the entertainment industry came when he was 19 years old. He sold a screenplay he had written, but it was never made into a movie. He’s since honed his craft.
“Back then, I would write a lot of stuff down,” he said. “Now, I just go up, think about what’s funny, and I’ll start with that.”
Humor has a shelf life, though. There’s a constant demand for fresh jokes, laughs and more jokes after that.
“Best day on the job is when I come up with new material,” he said. “Just don’t expect old material. If you’ve seen it on TV, I don’t do that anymore.”
New material also includes his Netflix movie “XOXO,” a crime drama involving Facebook, as well as his latest independent film “Flock of Dudes” about a 30-something-year-old getting over his ex. D’Elia also has an upcoming hour special, which is coming out, as he put it, “eventually.”
While there’s no definite date for his hour special, one thing is certain: fans can see D’Elia do his stand up act this week on Long Island
Chris D’Elia will be performing at Governor’s Comedy Club, 90 Division Ave., Levittown at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18. Tickets are $34- $64. For more information, visit govs.govs.com
