Comedian Whatule brothers bring the funny to their native Jeannette

Aug. 2—Rocky and Michael Whatule are sure people in Westmoreland County have a sense of humor.

They're just lacking places to exercise it.

The brothers are aiming to remedy that with the weekend opening of their Pagliacci's Comedy Club at Cafe Italiano in their native Jeannette.

Pagliacci's takes its name from the Italian word for "clown." It's also the title of the 1892 Italian opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo whose title character is a comedic actor with a tragic end.

Inaugural shows will be 7 and 9 p.m. Friday in the restaurant at 417 Clay Ave. Tickets start at $35 and include a pasta buffet dinner.

The opening night bill includes sets by the Whatule brothers and Karl Prohaska of Natrona Heights.

While other entertainment options abound, the area is in need of a dedicated platform for comedy, Rocky said, and he and Michael are the perfect pair to create it.

A 1996 Jeannette High School graduate, Rocky is a Los Angeles-based comedian, karate studio owner and partner in the entertainment company SpotlightLA.

Older brother Michael is a 1984 Jeannette grad and real estate investor. He performs on the Pittsburgh comedy club circuit.

'Let's do a show'

"What started all this was, every time I'd come into town, I'd call Michael and say, let's do a show," Rocky said. "We'd call the Improv or whoever, but they're booked out so far in advance that we could never make that work."

Sometimes, they could book a last-minute gig at a local restaurant or brewery.

"We realized what would be beneficial was for us to have our own thing and be able to book when we wanted to," Rocky said.

After a friend suggested reaching out to Cafe Italiano, they met with owner Alec Italiano.

"When we met, it was an instant connection," Rocky said. "The interesting thing is we discovered that his father and our older brother were best friends growing up. It's a small, small world."

The brothers also think downtown Jeannette has a growing reputation as a destination for weekend entertainment.

Rocky and Michael both perform routines combining personal stories and observations about life and the world around them.

Where they differ somewhat is that Rocky's is "100% clean" and Michael's will vary depending the venue and audience.

"I don't try to pigeonhole myself," Michael said. "Some people are beer drinkers, and some people are wine sippers, and everyone has their own taste and what they like."

"Every one of our shows will have a rating, so you'll know what to expect," Rocky added.

The schedule for August includes shows at 7 and 9 p.m. on these dates:

—Aug. 12: Kevin Whelan, Pittsburgh-based comedian who has opened for Dave Chappelle, Kevin James, Jeff Dunham and Hannibal Buress

—Aug. 19: Bubba Bradley, Nashville-based comedian with multiple television appearances

—Aug. 26: Mike Marino, known as "New Jersey's Bad Boy of Comedy," a member of the New Jersey Comedy Hall of Fame and recipient of the USO Bob Hope Comedy Award for his many military performances.

Advance ticket purchase is recommended at pagcomclub.com. Any extras will be sold at the door prior to performances.

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .