Darlene Violette relapses
By Ed Condran
Special To amNewYork
• Darlene Violette appears Wednesday at Carolines. 9:30 p.m., $18.
Stand-up comedy doesn’t mean everything to Darlene Violette but it’s certainly a part of the Brooklyn based performer’s varied repertoire.
“It’s something that’s always been important to me,” Violette says. “But there are other things that I focus on as well.”
The energetic Violette is a playwright, recently finishing her latest play, “The Crucifixion of Stevie Willis.” She is also a character actress, having performed opposite Nick Sandow in the film “Hungry Ghosts,” written and directed by Michael Imperioli.
“When you get a chance to work with someone as gifted and generous as Michael Imperioli, you just go for it,” Violette says. “So I’ve been working on other things and I thought I would shelve the comedy for awhile.”
However, many of her peers, suggested that Violette get back to her stand-up.
“I was told that I got to get back with it and so I decided to go back to the stage,” Violette says while calling from her Kew Gardens residence. “I’m ready to do stand-up. It’s been awhile. That’s why my show this week is called ‘Darlene Violette’s Relapse.’”
So Violette, 43, will return to Carolines. The Massachusetts native, who has lived in New York City since 1996, will crack wise about her marriage, weight issues, age and living in a basement apartment.
“People think my home is a subway entrance,” Violette says. “But that’s living in New York. I’m a very autobiographical comic. Everything is from my perspective. I look back to how my life and career was back when I was in my 20s. I thought anything was possible. I still think anything is possible, as long as I don’t have to run.”
Violette notes that she is one of the few women who detest Audrey Hepburn.
“I’m not crazy about Audrey Hepburn because she ruined it for a lot of women,” Violette says. “Before she became star you could be a voluptuous woman like Marilyn Monroe or Sophia Loren. But everything changed with Hepburn with ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s.’ I wish she had breakfast at Denny’s.”
After performing at Caroline’s, Violette, who hones her acting skills at Cooper Union’s Studio Dante, will focus intently on acting.
“I’m just trying to get that much better as an actress,” Violette says. “I want to be as good as I can as an actress and a standup. It’s not easy balancing everything but it’s all about being as creative as I can be. That’s what I’m aiming for.”
