The King of Boomers
by Jane Evers
The
young heads of comedy production at HBO and Comedy Central were hysterical
with laughter. Steve was ecstatic. He would finally get the special that
he’d been dreaming about. They wiped the tears from their eyes and
said, “Steve, we haven’t heard anything so funny in a long
time, but… you’re too old for our target demographic.”
That's how Steve Solomon, an up-and-coming 50+ stand-up comedian based in New York, ended up in South Florida. He was butting heads with the 20-somethings in NYC and had to re-think his comedic options. "This is my third career--- I was an assistant to the superintendent of schools on Long Island, NY--- so I was a newcomer to the comedy scene. Because of my age, I didn't have 15 or 20 years to do the comedy circuit and get known the way a “Jerry Seinfeld” or “Ray Romano” did. If I wanted to be a successful working comedian (that means making my living with comedy), I had to adjust my sights and focus on an audience that would accept me."
Over the next two years, Steve developed a totally new comedy routine targeting boomer audiences. He took his act on the road and test-marketed it in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. When Steve had all his timing, stories and jokes just the way he wanted them, he made his move.
After carefully studying where to concentrate his talents, Steve and Jane (his wife, and the author) loaded one truck with bare essentials and the family cat and moved to sunny Florida. They chose Florida because that’s where a large percentage of seniors make their home... a place where live entertainment is big business.
Steve’s first condominium show was completed on September 18, 1999. From that moment, he has never looked back. Steve has been asked for more that any other comedian in Florida and has broken all Florida attendance records in just three years.
The
reason is simple; Steve relates to baby boomers. Aside from being a boomer
himself, his stories and jokes are specifically tailored to an “over
40” crowd. Steve combines comedic voices, dialects, sound effects
and astounding characters that bring to life a myriad of people from all
walks of life. He's hysterically funny and clean. His audiences roar with
laugher.
After watching the audience's reaction to Steve's performance at a major Florida University, the New York and Los Angeles entertainment and management company "Charles Rapp Enterprises" approached Steve. He signed with them two years ago and they manage his act today.
But that's not the whole story. Steve is not only a comedian, he is also a musical talent. He plays classical piano and has just incorporated music into his show by writing a special piece (the only one of its kind) dedicated to the comedy genius of Victor Borge.
Steve brings his talents to the long-running National Public Radio Show (WXEL, Sunday mornings, 11- Noon) called "The American Senior Side" with Chuck Zink. Ratings have soared!
A new one-man comedy and music show called, "My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish and I'm in Therapy" is currently under development with William Morris Agency. It will debut early in 2004.
Everyone loves to laugh...especially boomers. And now we can laugh our hearts out because Steve Solomon has developed an hysterical comedy show just for the this audience. So, take a peek at Steve's world.. Truly, I think, "one of the best comics you NEVER heard of."
You
can check Steve out at: 