Local comedian proud to return to his roots

By John Benson

The Brookfield native’s first love is acting.

After spending his first 18 years living in Northeast Ohio, national touring comedian/actor Mark Riccadonna has become the Youngstown area’s ambassador as its biggest supporter.

“It’s really easy to be negative on where you grew up, but I love Youngstown,” said Brookfield native Riccadonna, calling from Myrtle Beach, S.C. “I know where I came from, and I love the area. The people around are just one of a kind. I’m on the road now and anytime you say you’re from Ohio, people cheer. And then after, they come over and ask where I’m from and I say, ‘Youngstown.’

“I say it with pride, and a lot of times people are like, ‘Whoa, that must have been rough.’ And I’m like, ‘No, it was really nice. I love Youngstown.’ There’s this stigma in our hometown and it’s good to get the word out that it’s a town that could use a boost in the economic area, but I think it’s a great place. I’m really happy I grew up there.”

So happy to have lived in Northeast Ohio, the 27-year-old funnyman has been pitching a script around Hollywood called “Skatin’ Youngstown.”

While standup comedy has proved to be a successful venture for the talented performer, his first love is acting.

In fact, months after graduating from Brookfield High School in 1999, Riccadonna left Ohio for the Big Apple. Early on, he put together an impressive r sume, appearing on “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment” television show, as well as in national commercials and even an Indian feature film. As for standup comedy, it sort of found him.

“I was working at a comedy club in between acting and one of the comedians didn’t show up so they asked me to go up on stage,” Riccadonna said. “So I kind of fell into it. And after my first time, the owner of the club wanted to manage me. From then on, the manager of the club would give me spots and that got me good fast.”

Unlike most people’s standup debut, his 2002 leap into comedy wasn’t a miserable bombing experience.

“It actually went really well, but there was a long streak of bombing after that,” Riccadonna laughed.

Over the years, Riccadonna said his style has evolved from quintessential set-up and punch line comedian to more of an elaborate and detailed storyteller. The new side of the funnyman stems from his acting background.

“I guess I would call myself a storyteller,” Riccadonna said. “I’m living in the moment of stories, and I love to talk about my family and just life experiences. One of my friends is comedian Carl LaBove, who knew I was an actor. He was like, ‘You should do it onstage. It’s a special skill. You can act.’ So I do characters.

“And if I can get somebody more involved into a story, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Currently, Riccadonna is busy getting audiences involved with his “Average White Guy Tour,” which comes through Youngstown Thursday through Saturday at the Funny Farm. James Oakes is also on the bill. The oddball-named tour began on a whim when Riccadonna mentioned on a radio program, “It’s not enough to be funny anymore. You have to have a hook.”

Riccadonna said he’s looking forward to returning to Youngstown for his fourth Funny Farm gigs.

“With everything going on with Kelly Pavlik, just try to support local talent and local people. It’s my base. It’s my hometown, and I’d love for people to come out and enjoy the show.”