INTERVIEW: Comediennes Angela LaGreca And Julie Halston On Bay Street Theater And The Mad, Mad World We Live In

Comedian, singer, and writer, Angela LaGreca and actress and comedian, Julie Halston will take the Bay Street Theater stage on Monday, August 15th for a night of comedy. It’s A Mad, Mad World…And We’re A Little Angry: An Evening with Angela LaGreca and Julie Halston will begin at 8p.m.

“Despite the fact that our lives have been crazy, and that we are both pretty Sicilian girls, which means revenge and murder can be part of the equation, we’re praying and hoping – and we know that in fact, people are really just going to laugh,” Halston told Hamptons.com. “So there will definitely be an edge to the evening, but on the other hand we really just want to make sure that people go home and get a real sense of who we are, and have had a really fantastic time and they laugh hysterically. That’s what we want.”

Halston, an acclaimed actress, is no stranger to the Bay Street Theater. She has performed in numerous productions, including Anything Goes, Gypsy, Hairspray, The Boys from Syracuse, On the Twentieth Century, The Women, and The Butter and Egg Man. She is the co-founder, alongside Charles Busch, of Theatre-in-Limbo, an Off-Broadway company. In addition, she has done multiple comedy shows of her own, and in collaboration with others.

LaGreca grew up in Westchester and vacationed on the East End as a child. She is best known for her work with television shows such as The View, for which she wrote and produced Hot Topics with Meredith Vieira. Currently, you can catch LaGreca on her PLUM-TV series, Laugh Out Loud with Angela LaGreca. The actress has won six consecutive MAC Awards in the Outstanding Comedienne, Musical Comedy, and Variety Show categories.

Halston and LaGreca have been friends for many years and truly enjoy performing together. Their upcoming show is unlike other stand-up comedy shows. Bay Street is a local venue for these Long Island natives, and they are excited for the unique audience it attracts.

“The crowd really cares about entertainment. They care about theater, they care about comedy, they are open to new things. For the size, it is still a very intimate theater. It feels local, but also feels global,” LaGreca remarked. “Sarah Jessica Parker will be sitting next to the local fisherman, who is sitting next to Billy Joel, who is sitting next to the lady behind the counter at The Golden Pear,” Halston added. “I do find pressure when I am performing locally because there are a number of my cousins and friends of mine who are still out on Long Island, and they do come to my shows. They do come to Bay Street, and I always feel a little extra added pressure because I really want to be great for them.”

Truly hysterical women – who pride their comedy on the hardships they have experienced throughout their lives – Halston and LaGreca are sure to bring the crowd at Bay Street to tears with their humor. “We have things to complain about. We love Long Island, we’re a little bitter, and we have new material and new depressing perspectives to share,” Halston noted. “Which is enough to scare anybody,” LaGreca added. “And we believe in comedy and humor. You have to laugh!”

Tickets to It’s A Mad, Mad World…And We’re A Little Angry: An Evening with Angela LaGreca and Julie Halston begin at $39.

Bay Street Theater is located at 1 Bay Street in Sag Harbor. For more information, call 631-725-9500 or visit www.baystreet.org.