Sebastian Maniscalco headlines Jones Beach for the first time: 'I can't wait to get there'

Back in the spring of 2015, comedian Sebastian Maniscalco booked two shows at Governor’s Comedy Club in Levittown. They sold out so fast that they kept adding on dates.

"We ended up doing 12 shows in six nights. I’ve never seen anything like it," says comedian John Ziegler, of Lindenhurst, who served as the opening act. "They could have added 20 shows and he would have kept selling out. It felt like I was opening for The Beatles."

Fast forward 10 years, Maniscalco is now one of the biggest comedians in the country with a massive fan base. On Aug. 15, the 52-year-old stand-up will headline Northwell at Jones Beach Theater for the first time.

"This wasn’t even planned on our tour. I thought it sounded kind of interesting, so we did it on a whim," Maniscalco says in a telephone interview. "This is something I’m looking forward to. It’s a little different and outside the box. I can’t wait to get there."

GETTING PERSONAL AND PHYSICAL

In the beginning of his career, Maniscalco was more focused on everyday observational humor. But he struck a nerve when he got more personal with his material.

"Once I started talking about my family, particularly my father and my upbringing in the Italian household, it began to resonate with a lot of people that weren’t just Italian, but from some sort of foreign background — Spanish, Greek, Asian, what have you," Maniscalco says. "More recently, I’ve been talking about me being a father and getting older. My comedy kind of parallels my life wherever I’m at. I’m not talking about dating anymore because I've been married for many years. I’ve left current events or politics out of my act. I kind of keep things to my own everyday life."

Maniscalco’s comedy involves a great amount of physical movement and facial expressions that accentuate his colorful storytelling. Working in big venues like an arena or an amphitheater lends itself to his signature style.

"I’m not the type of comedian that stands behind a microphone and tells jokes. I like to move around and act out the material using the entire stage as my playground," Maniscalco says. "Once I got into the arenas, I tried to make it as intimate as possible. I put the stage in the middle of the room with screens up above, so people could see my facial expressions close up."

ON THE RISE

Fame and success didn’t come instantly for Maniscalco. For 18 years, he put in his time in the comedy clubs honing his craft.

"Mitzi Shore at [West Hollywood's] the Comedy Store used to put me on stage at 12:30 a.m. or 1 o’clock in the morning when there were six people in the audience, two of which were asleep, two were making out and the other two weren’t paying attention," Maniscalco recalls. "Doing those types of gigs really toughens your skin. You’re almost ready for anything at that point."

His popularity grew steadily and he would even come out at the end of every show to take pictures, sign autographs and thank people for coming.

"Making that personal connection with people was important to me because it would bring them back the next time. It felt like these people were taking the ride with me," Maniscalco says. "I do miss those days. But if I was still doing comedy clubs, I'd have to pitch a flag in each city for a month to service all the people."

MAKING THE MATERIAL

The writing process Maniscalco goes through to construct his routines is unique. He often uses his podcast, "The Pete and Sebastian Show," which he does with fellow comedian Pete Correale, who grew up in Oakdale, as a writing room.

"My material is not so much jokes, but more storytelling. The podcast is a chance for me to tell long-form stories and very often they are stories that I could use onstage," Maniscalco says. "I’ll start working out the details at the Comedy Store. I’ll record the set, come home and listen to it. The listening portion might spark other memories that I’ll add in. It’s a polishing process."

Being a man who likes to study and break down human behavior, Maniscalco always makes a point of highlighting the little eccentricities of life.

"We have seen everybody being completely distracted by their phone. I think we’ve lost human interaction on a day-to-day basis," Maniscalco says. "Everybody is so isolated into their phone that once you start talking to somebody, it’s like a shock to the system. People are not used to conversing with anybody unless it’s through a text or an email."

However, there are certain lines Maniscalco doesn’t cross.

"I’m not out here to press anybody’s buttons. I’m 52 years old, I don’t need that type of aggravation as far as people getting upset. I don’t think it’s worth it," Maniscalco says. "Whatever I think is funny I’ll do. But I’m not using material to shock people. I do things that are funny and if they happen to offend somebody then so be it. But for the most part, I’m not controversial."

PRESSURE TO DELIVER

Now that he’s at the top of his game, the question is ... Does Maniscalco feel pressure to deliver?

"Every show I do is a commercial for the next show. You always need to come up with a new hour," Maniscalco says. "There’s a pressure to make it equal to or greater than what you have done before. Every time you go out there, you have to give it your all. You can never mail it in. You must deliver every night or else people will see right through it."

In November, his new special, "It Ain’t Right," which was filmed in his hometown of Chicago, is set to drop on Hulu.

"It’s my first special that I’ve ever shot in an arena," Maniscalco says. "I believe we hit a sweet spot. For the most part, I think it’s very digestible for families."

PLAYING PONZI ON A PODCAST

Maniscalco is starring in the new Apple TV+ podcast, "Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story," which is running in eight-episode increments.

"I was always interested in Ponzi schemes. In fact, I was almost involved with one myself," Maniscalco says. "I never knew this was named after a real guy who immigrated to the United States in the 1920s and embezzled the equivalent of $250 million today in nine months. It’s also a love story of him and his wife, Rose. I thought it had a lot of different angles to cover."

On the silver screen, Maniscalco has experienced both hits and misses. He successfully delivered dramatic roles in "Green Book" and "The Irishman" as well as voicing the character of Spike in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." Meanwhile, his comedic starring role in "About My Father" (2023) didn’t hit the mark. On TV, Maniscalco filmed two seasons of HBO Max’s "Bookie" and made an unpicked-up sitcom pilot, "Sebastian Says." However, more is on the way.

"I’m looking for projects possibly to pair with another name comedian doing maybe a franchise-type movie. It’s yet to be seen," Maniscalco says. "After this tour culminates, I’ll reset the table and see what’s out there."