Comedian Mike Marino Comes Home to Scotch Plains for Special Benefit Performance

You can take the boy out of New Jersey, but you can't 

take New Jersey out of the boy.  That's a good thing for Scotch Plains 

native Mike Marino, who brings his "New Jersey's Bad Boy of Comedy" act 

to the Italian-American Hall in Scotch Plains at 8 p.m. on Saturday, 

November 27. 

Marino lives in Los Angeles now, but he never misses an opportunity to 

come home to New Jersey.  His parents still live in the house he grew up 

in, just down the road from the Italian-American Club. 

"I was always in the limelight when I was a kid," Marino recalled over the 

phone from Hollywood, where he was taping a show with fellow comedian 

Tom Arnold at The Laugh Factory.  "I got into the Screen Actors Guild at 

age four and started doing commercials when I was 16 and I'm still doing 

them." 

At Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, Mike performed in Rep Theater 

and was a drummer for the Moonglowers jazz ensemble and the high 

school marching band.  "If there was a drum, I banged on it," said Marino.  

"Mr. Turturiello was our new band director my senior year and he asked 

me to lead the drum squad.  All these years later, Mr. 'T' saw me perform 

at a comedy club in New Jersey and asked me after the show if I would 

come home to do a benefit for the kids.  So I called my older brother, Paul, 

and he agreed to bring his band for the Thanksgiving weekend show." 

Marino's New Jersey roots inspire the standup material he delivers to 

audiences all over the world.  He has one of the most popular clips on You 

Tube with over 1.9 million views.  He just finished filming a yet-to-be- 

released movie, Ordinary Average Guys.  His 2011 comedy tour will take 

him across the country and around the world to England, Australia and 

Dubai.  

His last HBO special was in 2006 and he hopes to do another HBO 

special in 2011.  "This one I would love to film at the high school," said 

Marino.  "I would call it, 'Mike Marino - Finally Out of Detention." 

MIKE MARINO 

Special musical guests The Paul Marino Band and 33 and a Third 

8 p.m. 

Saturday, November 27 

Italian-American Hall 

1976 Valley Avenue, Scotch Plains 

$30 admission 

Tickets: 908-322-6533, spfcomedynight@gmail.com; or buy tickets 

directly every Monday and Wednesday, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. in the SPF 

High School lobby, 667 Westfield Rd., Scotch Plains 

Benefit for the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Music Department and the 

Italian American Club