Did you hear the one about the nun and the Franciscan brother who fell in love and had a comedian?
Though it sound likes a punchline, those are actually the extreme circumstances through which actor, writer and stand-up veteran John Fugelsang happened to come into this world.
Fugelsang’s unusual background, in fact, forms the basis of his one-man show, “Guilt: A Love Story,” which he brings to Queens Theatre for one performance only on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m.
˝ugelsang, speaking over the phone while waiting for a flight out of Minnesota on his way to New York, Chicago and the other locations that constantly beckon in his life-on-the-road existence, explained that through the show he tells the remarkable relationship that existed between his parents.
“My dad carried a torch for my mom for 10 long years and then got her,” he said.
Described by Queens Theatre as a “comedy-drama-suspense-romance,” the show, according to Fugelsang, is a “reboot” of his stand-up memoir “All the Wrong Reasons,” for which he received a Drama League nomination for Distinguished Performance during its off-Broadway run.
While focusing on the admittedly twisted journey his parents took as they broke their religious vows and eventually married, the show touches on a wide range of issues, among them “celebrity white supremacists, homeland security disasters and unexpected miracles,” according to Queens Theatre.
Born on Long Island in 1969, Fugelsang said he “grew up at Shea Stadium,” and “spent some of the best times of my life on the 7 train,” accompanying his grandfather, a big baseball fan, to many a game.
He has a lot of friends and family members in Astoria, which he called “a magic place between Long Island and the city.”
He is also quite familiar with the Queens Theatre, having performed a play reading there last month.
“This is a terrific facility,” he said. “I want all my friends to know about this theater. I am so honored to take this piece there.”
His Queens Theatre performance marks the kick-off a national tour, though he said he looks forward to spending more time at home. The comedian splits his time between Greenwich Village and California.
Adding to his desire to be close to home is the impending arrival of his first child in a couple of months.
A multi-talented performer, Fugelsang considers himself “an actor who does a lot of other things for stage time. I like writing. With stand-up, you get to work all your skills.”
He took his first improv class at the age of 9.
“Improvisation does what therapy promises,” he observed. “I’ll never be able to afford the therapy I need.”
At 12, he was performing Gilbert and Sullivan and appeared in a regional theater production of “Hamlet.”
After those experiences, he came to realize that “playing Atari games with friends wasn’t so interesting,” and that he “felt more at home with grown-ups” than with youngsters his own age. He went on to attend New York University’s School of Film and Television.
As a comedian with a political bent, he said he has been “banned from the clubs that pay.” But he’s had great success appearing in big theaters and opera houses around the country.
A live recording he’s on, “Stephanie Miller’s Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour Vol. 1,” has been burning up the comedy album charts, including Billboard, Amazon and iTunes.
“It’s not the same as having the No. 1 pop album, but it’s very satisfying,” he said. “It’s great to know there’s an audience out there for this.”
Some of the best audiences he ever performed for, he noted, were in Central America, where he went to entertain American troops who were there fighting in the drug wars.
But regardless of where he performs, Fugelsang always feels at home on stage.
“I get stage fright in the world, not on stage,” he explained. “If you’ve done the work, stage fright is not a problem.”
He attributes his social anxiety to his “irregular upbringing.”
“I have second-hand religious guilt. My parents were married to Jesus. I wasn’t supposed to be here. They promised God I wouldn’t happen.”
When you come from a background like that, Fugelsang concluded, “You’ve got to use funny.”
‘Guilt: A Love Story’
When: Saturday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m.
Where: Queens Theatre, Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Tickets: $40
(718) 760-0064
VanityVoss posted at 12:04 pm on Thu, Jan 26, 2012.
Love the photo of "writer and stand-up veteran John Fugelsang." Looking so wonderfully mature. Wish you would take the show on the road....V.V.