A lifelong fan of comedy, Larry Venturino went from watching “The Three Stooges” as a child to opening Venturino’s Comedy Club inside Embassy Suites by Hilton, 10450 Corkscrew Commons Drive in Estero.
It all started a decade ago when Venturino and a friend would write jokes together, with Venturino being the one to dive headfirst into the world of comedy. “I said, ‘One of us needs to try this, so I did,’” he said. “Then it snowballed from there, where it started as kind of a bucket list, and then it all of a sudden now is a full-time career for me.”
Venturino has been doing stand-up comedy for 10 years after spending more than 20 years as a social worker.
“Comedy was an outlet,” Venturino said. “After a day of working with families and people’s issues and problems, this was a way to mentally refresh and kind of just take my mind off what was going on.”
Originally from Rhode Island, Venturino has called Estero home since 1996 and opened the village’s first comedy club.
“This area is booming,” he said. “And I’ve lived here for so long, I have a lot of ties to Estero.”
With the club hosting shows on Mondays and Tuesdays, Venturino said those are nights that comedians usually don’t have shows, creating an entertainment opportunity for community members and stage time for comedians who are traveling to add on another day or two.
Variety in the acts that perform weekly is one of Venturino’s focal points, ranging from ventriloquists and hypnotists to stand-up comedians.
Venturino describes his comedy club as more like a theater. “It’s a smaller place,” he said. “Instead of people waiting for their server to come by, or this or that, they can just have a nice laid-back atmosphere.”
His comedic influences range from Pee-wee Herman and The Kids in the Hall to Emo Philips and Steven Wright. “I connected with them,” Venturino said.
For Venturino’s style, he describes himself as original and sometimes a little bizarre. “Sometimes a little edgy, but it’s never over the top vulgar,” he said. “I kind of add a little bit of variety to my show, as well, so it’s not just your typical stand-up show when you see me.”
Not only a stand-up comedian and comedy club owner, Venturino also runs his own talent agency, where he has produced shows and booked acts at different clubs and theaters around the country. Venturino sees his brand expanding beyond where it stands within the next decade.
His goal with the new club is to gauge interest at the Estero location before expanding to other small towns in Florida.
Venturino’s Comedy Club’s next shows are Feb. 26 and Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m., featuring comedy hypnotist Bob Lauver.
