BOB SAYPOL
Although he left the entertainment world decades ago, the stage has always called out to comedian Bob Saypol.
Saypol — whose comeback as a comedian will include an appearance at The Rosen Theater at The Wayne Community Center on March 12 — entered the New Jersey comedy scene in the ’80s. As a graduate of Seton Hall Law School and a practicing lawyer, he decided to enter the Funniest Lawyer in New Jersey competition at Rascals Comedy Club in West Orange, and he won third place.
“The judges for the contest were judges, and some of my material had to do with drug humor,” says Saypol. “Judges don’t like drug humor, especially coming from a lawyer, which is where I learned the first rule of comedy: Know your audience.”
The drug-related humor wasn’t just a bit for the show, but a reality for Saypol, who admits to barely remembering the ’80s due to addiction. “I was heavily into alcohol and cocaine,” he says. “I gave up alcohol and cocaine and lost my timing, so I gave up comedy for over 40 years.”
Once sober, the Teaneck native continued his work as a lawyer and later became a mortgage broker. Still, his love for the stage didn’t disappear. One of his first steps back to it came when his daughter joined a local production of “Annie,” and he was asked to participate. Despite having no previous interest in theater, he loved it. His newfound love for theater led him to minor roles in off-Broadway plays. Eventually he became a union actor, playing background roles in critically acclaimed movies such as “The Irishman” and “The Post.”
He was always the jokester on set, and other cast and crew members encouraged him to return to standup comedy, but he doubted he could get the same laughs he once did.
“I really had a fear of being onstage without the cocaine,” says Saypol. ” ‘What if I’m not funny?’ ”
He recalled meeting Matthew Lawrence, who had been a child actor in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” on the set of a student film; Lawrence claimed that Robin Williams had a similar concern when he became sober. Thinking about Williams’ tragic death, Saypol was inspired to reignite an old passion and finally return to standup.
His first opportunity arose when his best friend and golf partner passed away, and his search for a new partner led him to meet acclaimed comedian Aaron Berg at Packanack Golf Club in Wayne. He invited Berg to perform at a charity event for a local Kiwanis club alongside himself, Dan the Song Parody Man, and Jeff Greenberg.
“I got up there, I did it,” says Saypol. “Was I great? No. My material was great. My delivery needed work.”
Although Saypol felt his act needed work, Berg was confident Saypol was doing what he was always meant to do. “Bob is an eccentric man,” says Berg. “If it were not for a life in Wayne, New Jersey, and his attraction to mortgages, he could have very well been a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour circa 2004.”
The Aaron Berg & Friends show is scheduled for March 12.
At the March 12 show, which is part of a charity series presented by The Wayne Rotary Club and billed as “Aaron Berg & Friends,” Saypol will host and performers will include Stephen Rannazzisi, Joe Graziano and Max Blake. (For information, visit rotaryclubwaynenj.org.) Saypol also has been performing at open mic nights at the Brook Arts Center in Bound Brook to practice his material and timing.
Unlike Berg — who has a dirty, more aggressive comedy style — Saypol offers, in his act, stories and observations from his life. “I look at things a little offbeat,” says Saypol. “I always looked at things from a different angle.”
His stories are about things like getting ogled while delivering food to a senior living facility, and reprimanding his 6-year-old daughter for mooning the school bus.
Despite the growing prospects for a new career path, Saypol, who is 66, is not looking to make that change. For him, comedy is about the joy he brings to himself and others. “I would love to continue to do (comedy) for charity,” he says. “I would like to do it for fun and to raise money for good causes. I like giving back to people.”
He is more interested in spending his days golfing, keeping his wife happy, and trying his best to enjoy everything life has to offer.
“I look at myself like I’m Peter Pan,” says Saypol. “There was a song that said, ‘growing older but not up’; that’s my theme song in life. When you stop laughing, there’s no point to living. Life should be enjoyed.”
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