Comics Vic DiBitetto, Dan Wilson and Joe DeVito will be on hand for Valenzano Winery and Vineyard’s LOL Comedy Night on April 6 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The event, which will take place in the Barrel Room and Winemaker’s Ballroom, will feature a four-course buffet, wine tasting, dancing, and, of course, the comedy show.
The cost to enter is $60 per person.
“It’s a great crowd,” said DiBitetto, who has performed at the winery a couple of times in the past. “The first time we did, it was in a tent.”
The venue veteran originally from Brooklyn, and current resident of Manalapan,.plans to both stay at a local bed and breakfast and go antiquing in the area the next day to really soak in South Jersey’s charm.
“If ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ were about a real Italian family, it would be Vic DiBitetto’s,” said local comic and radio host Steve Trevelise in an email. “I’ve seen him blow away top headliners at the Borgata.”
While DiBitetto divulged that he does not have any wine-related bits, he said his act speaks for itself, performing sets relatable to a “normal” audience and having appeared on ABC’s “America’s Funniest People” in the past.
He is a regular at Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club in Point Pleasant.
“I can’t wait to do it,” he said of the winery show.
DiBitetto will be headlining at the Borgata in Atlantic City on April 23.
Anthony B. Valenzano, partner at Valenzano Winery, explained what drives comedians to come to the Shamong-based winery.
“Valenzano Winery has been working closely with Mother Leeds Entertainment for the past four years. Randy Butler (from Mother Leeds) has always been able to find top-name entertainers capable of reading our crowds and give them exactly what they are asking for,” he said. “LOL Comedy Night will feature three of these inventive comedians along with a local DJ who will move the crowd to the dance floor after the show ends.”
As part of the dinner portion of the night, hors d’oeuvres will include shrimp shooters, honey chicken and assorted cheeses to appease every palate. A bread station will also be offered.
The dinner buffet, which will feature entrée options such as broiled tilapia with lemon butter drizzle, oven-roasted chicken and prime rib and wine tasting segment. Guests will also enjoy banquet style seating with friends or family, Valenzano said.
“Dinner buffet will be served in our Barrel Room,” he said. “Main seating, comedy show and dancing will be in the Winemaker’s Ballroom.”
There will be an assortment of pastries and cakes for dessert.
The Tasting Room will be open for wine tasting and sales during the night, according to Valenzano.
But the main attraction of the night will be the comedy show.
“When the lights go down, the focus goes to our main stage for the comedy show and headliner,” he said. “The comedy will be hilarious and over-the-top, but the professionalism of our comedians will allow them to make sure that offensiveness and vulgarity is never more than the audience is accepting of.”
To purchase tickets, call the winery at (609) 268–6731.
