Does the comedian make the jokes or do the jokes make the comedian? In the case of Sebastian Maniscalco, the 45-year-old performer from Arlington Height, Ill., the jokes are definitely funnier because he is telling them. In fact, on paper, there might not be much to laugh at. But the hyper-intense presentation style Maniscalco has made his own creates such an investment from his audiences that fits of laughter often stem from even the most mundane points.
There is an Italian machismo from a time past that informs his point of view, which is why he sometimes seems like a person out of place and time in his act. Maniscalco believes so much in what he is saying that much of the humor comes from the pain he seems to take on as he reminisces about a time when things were better.
His current Stay Hungry Tour sold out five nights at Radio City Music Hall in New York City breaking revenue records in the process. This is Maniscalco’s moment, even if it should have been in another time.
