The upcoming comedy night at Tavern on the Lake in Hightstown is coordinated by Joe DeLong, a department manager at Barnes & Noble’s MarketFair store — and a stand-up comedian since performing last September at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick. He has since performed in New York and opened for Jim Gaffigan and Judah Friedlander of NBC’s “30 Rock.”
“There is a great community of comics in New Jersey who are looking for a place to play,” he says. Tavern on the Lake agreed to let him host an open mic there on Monday, August 16, at 8 p.m. “I reached out to comics via Facebook and in person — and currently have more than 10 comics coming that night,” he says. Jimmie Allinder, Bartholomew John Batista, Johnny Bauer, Gordon Baker Bone, R.R. Castle, Mike Fortino, Dina Hashem, Stephen Hilger, Adam Mamawala, Matt Jenkins, and John Minus will join DeLong on the upstairs stage.
DeLong, 33, who was raised in South Bound Brook and lives in New Brunswick, has worked at B&N for four years. “I was planning on becoming a writer but had never written something I felt was worth publishing,” he says. His journey from would-be writer to comedian began its circuitous course.
Three years ago he met author and Princeton University faculty member Edmund White at a book signing at the Barnes & Noble. They exchanged E-mail addresses and corresponded before meeting again in person. “I was inspired by his success and spoke with him at length about my dream of becoming an author,” he says. “He was very generous with his advice and that very night after our meeting I went home and began working on a play, something I had never done before.”
DeLong’s play, 27, 28, 29. . . DEAD,” a comedy about a young gay man turning 30 and taking stock of his life,” was directed by Tim O’Neill at Raritan Valley Community College, where DeLong had majored in theater arts. “I touched on the fear many of us have about hitting a certain age without much to show for it,” he says. “It was very autobiographical as I took much of mine and my friends’ lives and put it on the page.”
He wrote another comedy script before deciding to take a turn at doing stand-up. “I would like to get back to writing scripts one day and work on a television series,” says DeLong.
“No one else in my family is a comic or performer, however from an early age my family used to say to me that I should be a comic,” he says. “I certainly used my sense of humor as a defense mechanism and then later in life as a way to win people over — it’s my greatest strength.”
His favorite comedian is Eddie Izzard. “I absolutely love the awkwardness of British comedy,” says DeLong. “I particularly enjoy British TV shows such as AbFab and Coupling.”
DeLong began stand up last September at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick. After his debut he began going to as many open mic nights as possible to gain experience. “The purpose of an open mic is for comics, both experienced and brand new, to try out material and hone their craft,” he says. “It’s a great chance for a crowd to see new talent.”
— Lynn Miller
Open Mic Night, Tavern on the Lake, 101 Main Street, Hightstown. Monday, August 16, 8 p.m. Comedy night led by Joseph DeLong. $5 cover. 908-202-1322.
DeLong is also performing on Friday, August 13, at 8 p.m. at the Blu Lounge in Somerset. He is opening for Buda and Joseph Anthony, as seen on the Howard Stern show and Last Comic Standing, respectively.
