I Like Ike (You Will, Too!)
Laughter is often the most effective medicine, they say, and one of its best emerging practitioners is an out, hip, devil-may-care comedian from New Jersey who has been making audiences cackle for almost a decade now. Meet Ike Avelli, an irreverent, side-splitting comedian whose unique blend of bawdy humor and self-deprecating wit has earned him a devoted following among the nightlife crowd in New York City and beyond. His turn towards comedy began when he found himself doing an impromptu stand-up skit at a Christmas party in 2009. He was, to his surprise, well received, and this encouraged him to set about seriously developing his talent. Since then, Ike has evolved into an established jokester; his 2013 show, I’ve Slept My Way To The Top…Twice!, gained wide critical acclaim, putting Ike ion the map, and encouraging him to go further afield. Performing for such notable organizations and events as LIFEbeat, venerable LGBTQ advocacy group Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), and My Brothers House, which houses and counsels straight and LGBTQ military veterans, Ike has steadily created a presence in both mainstream and LGBTQ circles.
Moving within his creative orbit, Ike produced his first Christmas show, Ike Avelli Is Coming To Town, which played at marquee venues such as Atlantic City’s Taj Mahal and the George Street Theater in New Brunswick, in 2014. The next year, Ike packed the house at the Taj with his signature show, 50 Shades Of Gay, a comedic tour de force that made a whirlwind odyssey around the country over the past few years. There were supplementary, but no less outrageous, performances along the way, among them The Book Of Ike, Love On A Dead End Street, and last winter’s holiday romp at NYC’s Triad, entitled Dear Santa, Define Good, Love Ike, all of which boosted Ike’s growing career. For Ike, nothing is sacred, especially life as a gay man, and he brings the house down with his hilarious depictions of dating, sex, and growing older in the life. Amidst all this, Ike then decided to pick up his pen. That opened up a whole new dimension of the comedian’s repertoire.
The result was a delightful little tome, A Year In The Life Of Ike Avelli…And It Ain’t Pretty, which is currently available on Amazon. It’s filled with irresistibly funny tidbits and Ikeisms that swill have you swaying in your chair with giggles. It’s also a vivid snapshot of Ike’s unique brand of levity, which keeps his fans calling for more. With Pride Weekend upon us, Ike is running the streets of New York City meeting that demand. Tonight, you can find him rocking the house at the Producers Club in the famous Theater District as part of his friends Tym Moss and Michael D’Antoni’s production of NYC Entertainers: Pride Explosion, a two-night, star-studded extravaganza which is also an official World Pride event. Tomorrow night, on the eve of the Pride March, it’s a double bill for Ike, as he joins the inimitable drag diva Jeza Belle for the country-themed Hee Whore variety show, at the iconic Duplex, before returning to the Producers Club for an encore.
After Pride, Ike keeps going. On July 20, 50 Shades Of Gay returns to Atlantic City at Bally’s, and other shows are in the pipeline. No matter what time of year it is, you can count on Ike to brighten your day, as only he can. Laughter makes it all get better!
