LI's Favorite Funnyman Riffs On Comedy, Life, 'The Dr. Oz Show'

LONG ISLAND, NY — For comic Richie Byrne, laughter is a way of life. But there are times, he said, when making someone laugh can mean a new lease on life for someone facing the unthinkable.

Byrne, whose talents in the comedy arena have sent him skyrocketing front and center on stages worldwide, also believes in giving back: He's involved with Comedy Cures, a non-profit organization created by Saranne Rothberg that utilizes comedy as a therapeutic tool for terminally ill patients and their care-givers.

One day, Byrne, who works with the "Laughing Lunch" facet of Comedy Cures, was in New York City at the Broadway Comedy Club, where patients and their caregivers were brought in for lunch and a show. "A man — he was so sick — came up to me one day and said, 'I want to thank you. This is the first time I've laughed since I found out I was going to die."

The moment, Byrne said, put all the everyday problems into clear perspective, and put a sharp spotlight on the amazing gift laughter can bring to the world.

Byrne, who lives in Bellmore, will be bringing his hilarious act to Peconic Friday night at an event hosted by the North Fork Chamber of Commerce at the Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. Byrne is a well-loved figure not just locally, but nationwide for viewers who have enjoyed his work as the warm-up act for "The Dr. Oz Show" since 2009.

He's taken the stage at a glittering array of New York's most notable comedy venues, including Dangerfield’s, Carolines on Broadway and the Gotham Comedy Club. He has also headlined many clubs around the country including Hilarities in Cleveland, The Ice House in Pasadena, The Borgata in Atlantic City as well as the Tropicana in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.

His comedy television credits include Comedy Central, VH1, “The Rosie O’Donnell Show”, “Good Day New York” and “Gotham Live” on AXS-TV. Other daytime warm-up credits include “The Rachael Ray Show”, “The Chew”, “The Jane Pauley Show” and the sitcom “Murphy Brown”.

Byrne has also spent time pursuing his first passion, acting, both on the stage and screen, with high-profile credits including “Sex and the City," “The Sopranos," “Law & Order: Criminal Intent," and “Conviction," as well as the feature film “Good-bye Baby”. His variety show, "The Richie Byrne Show," is a spot-on meld of theater, Broadway, comedy sketches and big band grandeur.

No matter how far his star has risen, Byrne has kept his perspective firmly planted in the real-life experiences that serve as rich fodder for his riffs on family, work, his life and the universal truths that strike a chord and elicit explosive laughter.

Speaking with Patch before a show at Mohegan Sun in Pennsylvania Saturday, Byrne takes time to reflect, both back on the journey that's led him to his current success, and to the future: On May 3, he's presenting a triumphant "coming home" show at the St. George Theatre in Staten Island, where he grew up, an event that has deep meaning both professionally and personally.

Acting, Byrne said, differs from comedy in key ways. "With comedy," Byrne said, "if things go badly, it's totally on you. And there's no one there that can fix that. Also, it's kind of lonely at times."

With 30 years of winning gigs under his proverbial belt, Byrne said he still misses, at times, the days when he was just starting out, the "euphoria of when that five minutes worked, and you couldn't sleep for days. I always tell young comics that there are three stages of comedy: when you're so excited that you did great, or you're afraid you did poorly, then you get to the point where you think you'll do well, or you know you're going to do well — and then, you get to the point where you say, 'Just give me the mike.'" He laughed.

Byrne said he's a rarity in the business. "I never in my life wanted to do standup." Deeply enmeshed in theater, working Off Broadway, friends and colleagues told him he should try comedy. "I remember a professor saying, 'Any door you can open to get into show business is a good door, never a wrong door. If you have this ability, use it, and it opens all doors.'"

(Courtesy Neil Tandy)

That said, Byrne thought he'd give comedy a go and do it for a year, then hire an agent. "That has got to be as dumb a thing as anyone has ever thought in their life," he said. "It takes years and years to become a really great comic."

Having reached the level of success where his act is known far and wide as a surefire night of rock-solid funny, Byrne said he keeps his bits fresh by being around younger comics — and by going to New York City to watch others hone their talents. "The reason why New York City is the greatest place in the world for standup is the best of the best are going to be there." But while watching other comics keeps his own act new, Byrne said it's critical to remember to stay true to yourself. "You can't hide who you are," he said.

He still feels amazed when he sees a mother and son leaving his show equally enthused, despite a 30-year difference in ages.

One way to keep the gigs relevant is to expound upon issues that resonate for all, speaking from the heart about family and shared experiences. "I think the fact that I keep it as personal as possible helps," he said.

Never having thought about standup until he was 25, Byrne found himself at open mic nights in New York City, influenced by comics including "two huge influences" Joey Kola and Greg Morton, watching and learning invaluable lessons. Other comics who inspired include Jim Norton and the late Greg Giraldo.

"You get more just from being around them," Byrne said, adding that he absorbed more from those shining lights— forces that prompted him to look within and challenge himself — than bigger names such as Jerry Seinfeld or Jay Leno, to whom he wasn't able to get as close.

After years of touring, Byrne has amassed a large fan following that raves about his humor. "It's incredibly flattering," Byrne said. "But it's also a little scary because people will come and say, 'Oh, I've heard that joke before.'" On the flipside, he said, longtime fans notice when he doesn't do a favorite bit.

Today, Byrne said, he records every show, watching it over and over again to learn and perfect his act. Comic Stephen Kruiser, he said, taught him about the value of taping performances.

One thing he's learned, Byrne said, is "even if you go up with nothing, it doesn't mean something can't happen onstage."

Recently, Byrne said, he did an "Oz" show on DNA. "The next day, I told the audience I'd done a DNA swab and asked if anyone had done it, and if they were surprised by the results. I had nothing," he said. "I was just riffing." But he ended up crafting a sublime joke he's not changed a single word of, since.

Still, even the best comics have off nights. "It could bomb. But you go home and say, 'I can make this work' or 'It's never going to work,'" Byrne said.

And for a man for whom being funny is a profession, Byrne said even he has days when it's difficult to summon up a smile. "Dr. Oz gave a speech one day at one of our wrap parties. He said there are days where you're backstage when you've got to go out there, and you just don't have it. But, Dr. Oz said, 'I hear tons of laughter and applause and I know that's Richie out there, getting them to the right place for me. And it dawns on me that there have to be days like that for Richie, and he doesn't have a Richie.' It's so cool that he knows that. What gets me through is knowing that he might be having that day — and I have to help him."

One benefit of standup, Byrne added, "If you're in a mood, you can bring it to the stage. I've gone up and said, 'I'm in a bad mood.' Just like acting, you use whatever it is that you're feeling. You can't do that with the warm-up."

Looking back on defining moments of his career, Byrne recalled two life-altering snapshots in time.

"One specific day — I even know date, Dec. 15, 1998 — I was in a show, doing an Off Broadway run of a rock opera, and there was a lot of buzz around it," he said. "I was playing a role and I'd come out and sing this huge, big song, a great, great song . . . I really thought this show was going somewhere. It was awesome. And in the middle of that show, I got the Rosie O'Donnell show. So I'm running around, rehearsing this play and running over to Dangerfield's to work my five minutes on Rosie. It was a crazy time, but it was amazing. Then the Rosie O'Donnell show picked me up in a car to do my act, and she even mentioned the play and talked about it on the show. I had to leave Rosie and go perform the play. That was about as close to the most perfect day I could have in the entertainment world."

Other highlights included performing at Carnegie Hall and opening for Dr. Oz at a Radio City Music Hall event, he said.

Another night, after his variety show, Byrne was walking on Broadway to the cast party and five people came up to me who'd been at the show and said, 'Oh, my God! You were the guy! You were amazing!' And to have that happen, walking on Broadway in Times Square — that was a pretty cool moment."

Working on "The Dr. Oz" show, life is filled with stand-out moments, Byrne said. When Byrne won an award from his alma mater, Wagner College, last year, Dr. Oz made a video lauding his talent. "It just tells you what a great person he is," he said. "We've had a great rapport over the years."

Hilarity ensues on the show, Byrne said, when he pokes fun at Dr. Mehmet Oz, something Oz wholeheartedly encourages. And sometimes, he has to pinch himself when he realizes where his career has led. When Dr. Sanjay Gupta from CNN, a renowned neurosurgeon, also appears on the show, Byrne said, "How did this happen? How did I end up making fun of these two brilliant men?"

Based on the easy friendship comics seem to share, it's clear bonds are forged on the road. "It's interesting, when I was starting out, there were comics that didn't like me, and I didn't like them, for whatever reason," Byrne said. "I think a big part of it was jealousy and insecurity. I think you're scared of someone who is good, before you're good enough to be good. . . There are open mics, where there's just that one guy, and you know. You know. A lot of them went on to be really famous. And now, as time has gone on, a lot of those comics I didn't like, we're friends now. We got over the hump. We're still here, all these years later, and there's respect, that we've made it, when it's just that hard. And because we realize, 'We're both pretty good. Why did we dislike each other?"

No matter how far he's risen, Byrne still loves being out on the road, touring new venues, staying close to the fans who've fueled his success.

"Jerry Seinfeld, do you really think he needs to go out there? It's just what we do — it becomes a part of you," Byrne said.

To young comics just starting out, Byrne offers advice: "I'm overwhelmed at how many people think they can do it. I would say to them, always remember — and this was something I was never good at — that it's still a business. And you are to treat it as a business. There's a lot that goes into it. What you do onstage is a small piece of what you need to do all day. But if young comics are afraid to take the leap, then they shouldn't, because you're not supposed to do it if you're really afraid. There are long, hard nights. There are easier ways to make a living. If there's something else they want to do, they should go and do that. But if there's nothing else they want to do, then they are probably meant to do this."

Going in, young comics don't need to know big name comics — he had no connections when he started, Byrne said — but they do need to realize it's not all glitz and glamour. "Just because your friends say you're funny doesn't mean you know what's going on. Going onstage and being funny, it's a whole different beast. You'd better realize people aren't always going to laugh. It's just brutal."

But when they do laugh, long and loudly, it's magic. And it's the elixir that makes the sea of long nights and hours of arduous travel all worth every minute and mile.

And when his work is acknowledged, as it was earlier this month at a roast in his honor at Governor's Comedy Clubs, with a crowd of fellow comics and friends turning out to fete his talent, Byrne said it was an affirmation of all he's worked for, yesterday and tomorrow. "It was overwhelming," he said.

Looking ahead, Byrne has dreams still to realize. He misses acting, his first love. "I've always wanted to be on Broadway." The future is bright with possibility, he said. "A lot of my friends are now retired. I feel like I haven't even gotten started yet."

For additional information on the North Fork Chamber of Commerce's "Comedy Night," including headliner Richie Byrne, click here.