Month: July 2022

It’s true what they say… “laugh, and the world laughs with you.” 

Laughter is contagious. We’ve all experienced it. Have you ever found yourselves laughing, not at a punchline per se, but often we find hilarity in others’ laughter.  

And isn’t it the best feeling?  

Whether you’re guffawing at a sitcom on TV or quietly giggling at a newspaper cartoon, laughing does a body good. Laughter is the most extraordinary form of stress relief, and that’s no joke. It’s always fun to get together with people who also spontaneously laugh. Once the laughter begins, it seems as though everything that happens and is said is funny.

And let’s not kid ourselves. We laugh because it feels great!

So, let’s all get together and laugh.

And, we’ve got you covered. Two first-time performers are coming to The Savannah Center, bringing along the chuckles.

–Joe DeVito – July 23rd

 “Joe DeVito from New York ruled the room…9.5 out of 10!”  
~The Montreal Gazette

Joe DeVito started as a journalist and advertising writer, spending a decade in that pursuit. It wasn’t until much later on that Joe gave into his coworker’s demands, taking a swing at performing so he could find fame. Always cracking jokes at the office, his coworkers saw something special in Joe but still joked that he should give his dreams a shot so they could finally get some work done.

Hailing from Long Island, Joe’s dreams were always of showbiz. Despite these dreams, he pursued a college degree and aligned his future with that of a reliable set. A desk job, a regular salary, and security, albeit at the expense of his dreams.  

After a few years of developing his act at comedy clubs in the Northeast, Joe received attention with his debut album, “First Date with Joe DeVito.” Whether taking on relationships, his Italian-American family, or current events, Joe’s comedy thrives with dead-on timing, unexpected twists, and sheer flights of lunacy. This recipe has made him a favorite at clubs and performing arts centers across the USA. At the top venues in New York City, Stage Time Magazine lists Joe in their “Five Comics We Love,” adding that DeVito is “one of the NYC scene’s most promising rising stars.”

From that office cubicle to main stages across America, Joe’s trajectory was quick, a testament to his wonderfully hilarious takes on life, love, family, and relationships. 

“DeVito opened with a set that was as fast-paced as it was funny,” says the Long Island Entertainment News, adding, “he seems to have an endless pile of one-liners in his head, all of this 100% with just the right amount of self-deprecation.”  

Since then, he’s appeared on television more than 150 times, including Comedy Central, The Late Late Show (CBS), AXS-tv’s Gotham Comedy Live, Comics Unleashed, E! Network, CNN, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, and more. Joe was also a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing (NBC). In addition, he’s been a regular panelist on FOX News Channel’s Red Eye, Kennedy, and The Greg Gutfeld Show, discussing current events with a satirical bent.

Eric Dittelman – August 20th

“Once again, Dittelman blew our mind. This man is simply incredible! We’re dumbfounded!”
~Rolling Stone

Eric Dittelman is a native of Westboro, Massachusetts, where he quickly became interested in magic, improv, and all things comedy at a young age. While in college, he honed his skills as he performed on and around campus with various improvisation and sketch comedy troupes. “It wasn’t until college that I switched to mind reading and mentalism. That’s also when I started to dive into stand-up and sketch comedy in addition to improv,” says Eric. It wasn’t until after graduating that he became more interested in combining these skills to create an experience he calls “mystery performance.”

After years of developing this unique approach, Dittelman traveled to Las Vegas to study with some of the world’s top-mind readers while continuing his improv study.  

Fast forward to 2012, when Dittelman blew audiences away as the first-ever mind reader on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, where he was a season 7 Top Ten finalist and judges’ favorite. Howie Mandel was left speechless, telling Dittelman, “You are the REAL deal!“

After which, an avalanche of opportunities presented themselves to Eric. First off was an appearance on Ellen, with Degeneres gushing, “Wow! That’s CRAZY! That’s AMAZING!” He has since appeared on Live with Kelly and Ryan (“That’s freaky! I don’t know how you do that!” ~Ryan Seacrest) and Penn and Teller: Fool Us. He has also been featured in Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone and was labeled “Best Male Performer” by Campus Activities Magazine. 

Dittelman says, “My main goal is to keep working and providing entertainment for all sorts of audiences across the country. I’m just thrilled I get to do what I love to do for a living and want to share with people.“

Joe DeVito brings his hilarity on July 23rd, and Eric Dittelman will blow you away on August 20th at The Savannah Center.

Get your tickets today at:TheVillagesEntertainment.com

It’s always about the good guys… but it’s arguable that the bad guys have the best tunes.

Resident Lifestyle Group SMASH Productions answers the calling for a Heroes vs. Villains musical showdown to let audiences answer the question while revisiting the characters we all know and love.

The idea for their production this September at Savannah Center, Broadway Heroes & Villains, originally came from a group member.

“This concept came to life when one of our performers was lamenting he would probably never get to perform Hamilton in The Villages, but perhaps we could do some songs.

 “And what about Phantom of the Opera? And Wicked? And Aladdin? Those shows have some great heroes – and villains. Wait a minute – why not do a show featuring Broadway Heroes & Villains? We have the opportunity to grab the audience’s attention to a variety of male and female characters in Broadway shows who were infamous as Villains as well as inspirations as Heroes.”

 This production is sure to keep all on their toes bouncing from beloved character to character- including the less loved, but well deserving, villains pieces as well.

When asked who the audience should expect to see and hear from at these performances group leader Susan Feinberg explains the cast will feature the stars from many recent Villages Productions,

“Our acclaimed cast of Broadway Heroes & Villainsfeatures the stars from many recent Villages Productions including Beauty and the Beast, Grease, Urinetown, Mamma Mia, The Producers, Nunsense, Carousel, 1776, My Fair Lady, Assassins, Evita, Rhapsody in Rhythm, Jesus Christ Superstar and more.”

With several combinations of ensemble pieces, trios, duets, solos and group numbers, one can imagine the hours of time put into this full-scale production. With overwhelming eagerness surrounding the beginning phases of the show, Susan explains some of the hard choices that had to be made.

“When we first started we had a list of over 130 songs we were considering including in the production, representing over 9 hours of material. It took the directors and artists almost 2 months and 8 iterations to distill that down to the 2 hour show set list we will be performing at The Savannah Center. Perhaps some day we’ll create a boxed set of all the fabulous songs!”

Make sure you don’t miss out on your beloved heroes including Maria from The Sound of Music, Jasmine and Aladdin from Aladdin and Shrek from Shrek, as well as unforgettable Broadway villains such as Miss Hannigan from Annie and the showstopper from the Ladies in Wicked!