Joe Conklin, City Rhythm Orchestra Take Sports Show to Another Level
Joe Conklin, whose spot-on impersonations of Philadelphia athletes have lightened the mood on WIP radio for nearly 35 years, has gone big time – with a show that is both laugh out loud and classy.
Hard to believe, Harry.
Oh, his show still centers around the wild-and-crazy Philadelphia sports scene, and Conklin can still be his old, crass self. In a hysterical way, of course.
But the no-holds-barred comedian added another layer of entertainment four years ago, thanks in part to his singing, his talented relatives and the award-winning City Rhythm Orchestra.
Put it all together and you have a rebuilt show that has been filling buildings on both sides of the Delaware River.
“I always like to say the show is about the psyche of the Philadelphia sports fan, the feelings of the fans, the ups and downs of the teams – and mostly the downs until recently – in my lifetime,” Conklin, 63, said. “I had an idea for a long time to have music behind me because I’ve always wanted to add some singing. I’ve done singing impressions and singing parodies on the radio forever. But I’ve never had a band” until now.
In one recent show, with Mister Softee’s theme song playing, Conklin impersonated Joel Embiid (Get it? Mister Softee. As in soft or always injured) as he sang about the 76ers’ often-sidelined star. The theater’s screen showed Embiid serving ice cream from the Mister Softee truck and then holding Mister Softee ice cream cups while on the basketball court.
Another song featured the orchestra and three female singers – Tricia Gozzi, Deb Toscano and Jackie Conklin (Joe’s niece) – performing a parody of Rent’s “Seasons of Love” that, in this case, was based around the number of losses by the Phillies in their history. (They change the number, when needed, on a daily basis.) In another skit, Conklin – who, like his relatives, has a great singing voice – imitated iconic broadcaster Harry Kalas as he crooned “High Hopes” with backup singers and the orchestra.
For fans who remember the Connie Mack Stadium days and one of the Phillies’ sponsors, Conklin and others sang the old Ballantine beer commercial while it was shown on the large screen. At one point, Conklin paid tribute to the team’s one-time announcer, Bill Campbell, by imitating him midway through the Ballantine routine.
Conklin used a popular wedding-reception song in the show. To the tune of YMCA, he imitated Donald Trump as he sang E-A-G-L-E-S and added some creative verses. The audience loved it. Ditto the other irreverent skits created by Conklin, who refined some parodies he’s done on the radio.
Roasting and Toasting
Before the orchestra show’s creation in 2021, Conklin mostly roasted Philly athletes. Now it’s more of a roast and toast. It’s a Philly sports/variety show with music behind it, thanks to the orchestra, which is under the direction of Pete Spina and Nick Vallerio.
Spina’s easy-going temperament is beneficial, Conklin said, because he frequently asks him to make changes.
“Pete,” Conklin said, “is a genius. He writes the arrangements for every one of my crazy ideas. I may only want to use three lines from a song, or we cut something out. All the parodies are cut down. We re-arrange everything, and Pete does it without blinking an eye.”
Conklin paused.
“At least that’s how it is from my point of view,” he said, smiling, “but he probably curses me as I walk out the door because he has to do all the work and put them (the band members) all on the same page. But these guys are extremely talented pros who have been together for a long time.”
Spina, a saxophonist who doubles as the band’s co-director, and Vallerio have led the City Rhythm Orchestra for more than 40 years. Their eight-piece band has played in many impressive venues, including the Kimmel Center, New York’s Lincoln Center and the Birdland Jazz Club.
“When we do theater shows, it’s all music. With this, it’s all interactive with what Joe’s material is and we’re constantly changing it and tying it into his humor and the parodies he does,” said Spina, whose band is accompanied by Steve Ritrovato, an internationally known singer who specializes in Frank Sinatra songs at Conklin’s shows. “The hard part is we have to come in and out throughout the whole show and catch his delivery and it’s a lot to coordinate.”
Spina wasn’t complaining. He enjoys the challenge, “and Joe is fun to work with, and he treats the band great.”
Valentine’s Key Role
Comedian Vince Valentine, who has an extensive theater background and has starred in the one-man hit Defending the Caveman, also plays a major role in the production. Conklin credits him for showing him how to turn a comedy act about Philly sports into a theatrical production.
Valentine produces and directs the orchestra show and also emcees many of Conklin’s one-man, stand-up comedy performances. Conklin and Valentine had effusive praise for technical director Charlie Kulzer, calling him the group’s unsung hero because he is in charge of the lights, sound and videos.
Before the orchestra show was put together, Valentine said, there was a meeting at Spina’s apartment among several key people as they tried to create a format for the production.
“It was like magic. We were finishing each other’s sentences,” Valentine said. “It was like we were all looking through the same Kodak viewfinder you had as a kid. We were all seeing the same picture.”
Valentine’s experience with Caveman, he said, helped him turn Conklin’s show into a theatrical event.
“Every show has an arc, and a beginning, middle and end,” Valentine said. He said he drew from author Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces to get some structure for the project. “We’re taking you on a journey… The basic through line throughout the show is how Philly sport touches everyone,” Valentine said. “It’s not so much the sport itself, but Philly sports is a catalyst for us to spend time with our friends and family. We create memories that way. And delivering that in a theatrical presentation is the experience I had from Caveman. Caveman is based on a standup act, and a lot of Joe’s standup act is in [our] show. We’re telling the story through music.”
Valentine said he “had this vision” for the show, one that has friends and relatives popping over at someone’s South Philly house on a Saturday afternoon as they drink a beer or sip coffee while in spirited conversations.
“And I hope we convey that when we’re on stage,” he said.
An Idea with Legs
According to Conklin, the genesis of the show started when he and Mike Baldini were hosting a weekly comedy night at Parx Casino. He said Baldini was an “old soul” and a fan of shows performed in the days of the then-popular Catskills and Dean Martin roasts, back when comics performed with an orchestra behind them.
The idea has spawned a highly successful run, one in which Conklin and the City Rhythm Orchestra have performed 50-plus shows. And counting.
The next show is scheduled for Feb. 21 at the Broadway Theater in Pitman, N.J., and another show will be held April 18 at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, Pa.
Conklin, who grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, still does one-man productions at various locations, along with The Greatest Moments of Philadelphia Sports show, which he performs with Glen Macnow and Ray Didinger.
But the show with the City Rhythm Orchestra has a special place in his heart. It’s more work than his one-man production, but also more rewarding. And he enjoys singing with many of his relatives, including his brothers, John and Jim, his daughter, Casey, and his niece, Jackie. Casey usually does two or three solos in the show.
“I always wanted to perform with my brothers,” Conklin said. “Both my parents were singers, and my grandfather was a Vaudeville performer.”
Nearly 30 years ago, Conklin’s family, including his mom, sang a pseudo-Christmas tune on WIP that had “Mike Ma-mula” as its chorus. “Most of my siblings were in the choir growing up, and my oldest sister, Joan, probably has the most talent in the family,” Conklin said. “She leads the choir at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Southampton; she’s probably been doing that for 40 years.”
Professionalism ‘Beyond Reproach’
As for the entire orchestra, it “lends a degree of professionalism that is beyond reproach,” said Valentine, the director/producer.
Unlike Philly’s favorite football team, the orchestra never has an “off” day, per Valentine.
“You watch the Eagles, and we can be talking about how great they are one week, and how bad they are the next week,” Valentine said. “There are some things we [always] include in the show, but there are some songs that we fit into what’s going on [with the teams] that week. We’re changing things at rehearsal, and it’s really great to watch the band work – not only the technical stuff in the music, but Joe can say, ‘I want to do a song about Bernie Parent to ‘Bennie and the Jets,’ and we’ll change it to ‘Bernie in the Nets.’ And then the orchestra will get that and change things. And maybe at the rehearsal, Joe will say, ‘I want to speed that up a little bit,’ or maybe he’ll slow it down. And, boom, Pete makes his adjustments, along with Nick and the whole band. That’s the professionalism of them.”
Having the band in the act gives the show an old-time vibe, Valentine said.
“Someone always opened for Sinatra,” he said. “They had a comedian there and they had the band there, and (the comic) played along with the band. That old-time, supper club feel. The audience is in on the fun. That’s what the band brings. It invites the audience to be in on the fun.”
