Dom Irrera is Always Courting Favor

It’s tough being comedian Dom Irrera; people always want stuff from him. “I’ve been doing interviews all day,” he says over the phone from his California home. “The first guy’s call woke me up this morning; he wanted to know if I wished that I hadn’t broken up with my girlfriend because of Valentine’ s Day.” Ouch. You think getting startled awake only to be interrogated by nosey strangers is bad? You don’t know the half of it: “I was like, ‘thanks for bumming me out -- I was in the middle of a beautiful Xanax-induced dream.’” Of course, Irrera isn’t really upset. He’s just an easy-going dude who’s quick to call attention to life’s absurdities.

It’s that knack for thinking on the fly that’s made both his stand up and acting careers so sought after. His new television show airs on Direct TV 101 on March third: It’s an improv-heavy program called “The Supreme Court of Comedy” and in it, Irrera gets to preside over an actual small claims court. His friends from the stand-up circuit are the court’s “distinguished attorneys.” And with all likeliness, even the honorable Judge Irrera will somehow be found guilty. Fortunately for us all, the higher-ups in television land are letting Irrera loose just long enough to terrorize the Palm Beach Improv (550 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach) from Thursday through Sunday. There are three shows on Saturday night: a 7 p.m., 9, and 11. Tickets cost $23.43, buy ´em at www.palmbeachimprov.com.
Sat., March 1, 2008