MANSFIELD — Andy Beningo enjoys the life of a comedian when working aboard a cruise ship.
Unless the show doesn’t go well — and there is no dry avenue of escape.
“If you’re doing a comedy club and it doesn’t go well, you can leave,” he said Thursday afternoon. “On a cruise ship, you’re living with the audience.
“If it doesn’t go well, people are looking at you in the buffet line the next day like ‘Is that the chubby guy from the comedy show?'” Beningo said with a laugh.
“I (worked) a cruise in Europe and the average age of the audience was 84. I had nothing in common with anyone. There was a massive hurricane out in front of the ship and everyone was getting seasick and coming to my shows … it was just a train wreck of a week,” he said.
Fortunately, the hits have have far exceeded the misses over the last two decades for the Michigan-based comic who will headline a comedy night April 10 at the Mansfield Playhouse.
Tickets for the 8 p.m. show at the 95 E. Third St. theater are $17 (including a $2 per ticket fee) and can be purchased online at the Mansfield Playhouse website.
Tickets may also purchased through the box office Wednesday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and one hour prior to the show by calling 419 522-2883. Tickets may also be available at the theater on show night.
Comic Mark Bonto, also from Michigan, will be the opening act.
How did Beningo get into comedy?
Beningo, who performs 150 to 200 shows a year, said he got into comedy the old fashioned way.
He didn’t listen to his parents.
“When I turned 18 and was graduating from high school, they asked me what I wanted to do. I said I wanted to be a comedian and their faces dropped.
“They were like, ‘Yeah, maybe have a a backup plan.’ I think they figured if I went off to college and did some more studying that the entertainment bug would go away,” Beningo said.
He majored in history and theater with an eye toward becoming a teacher. But the lure of the comedy world didn’t wane as he progressed.
“When I turned 21 and it was kind of legal to go into comedy clubs, I stopped attending night classes and going to open mic nights. Some headliners said they liked my stuff and said I could make it in the business.
“So by the time I graduated from college, I was already being featured a little bit on the road (circuit),” Beningo said.
More than 4,000 performances later, the would-be teacher has provided laugh lessons around the world.
Praised for his clean and “every man” stylings, Beningo has performed in a wide litany of venues, from comedy clubs to cruise ships and theaters to churches and for Fortune 500 companies.
Along the way, he was chosen one of the “40 Best Up and Coming Comedians” in the country and “Best Comedian” by Detroit Metro Times and Detroit Hour magazine.
“I like working clean. It has helped in a way because it gives your more opportunities, not just one-night stands at comedy clubs.
“It’s just a nice clean night out. People can bring their neighbors. They can bring their family. They can have a nice night out and not worry about being embarrassed by the content or material,” Beningo said.
Where does it find his material?
Beningo finds comedy all around, an observational style that includes funny bits on his wife, children and his aging parents struggling with technology.
Considering he grew up enjoying comics like Steve Martin, Robin Williams and Jerry Seinfeld, it’s an easy style to adopt on stage.
“The other day, my dad was walking around the house saying, ‘Alexa turn the lights on. Alexa, turn the lights on.’ He doesn’t have Alexa. He thought if he just yelled it it would come on,” Beningo said.
“It’s funny to watch him.”
But the jokes come from a good place.
“When people watch my act, they can tell that it’s from a loving place. I am not blasting anyone or being mean about it,” he said.
The comic keeps his phone handy at all times because he never knows when inspiration may strike. When it happens, he puts the observation into his phone.
“It may be something I noticed at the grocery store or while stuck in traffic or at the airport. I may put down 100 things a month. Later, I will go back and see which ones were funny … and which ones were just funny at the time.
“Maybe five or six jump out immediately. Those are the ones you are enthusiastic about … the ones you think are still funny. Those are some of the ideas you start bringing on stage and developing,” Beningo said.
Those moments also come at home with his family.
“I don’t consider myself a comedian as much these days as much as I am a reporter. It’s what I see my kids do and I think, ‘Oh, there’s something.’ They’re such sweet, funny little people that is there just material all the time.
“I found early that kind of material is universal and people connect with it. For me, there is nothing better than when an audience laughs and they start tapping the person next to them … they can relate,” Beningo said.
Beningo said he feels blessed to have found his calling early in life.
“I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to to my dream job.”
