The Hilarious Hitmen To Perform On Long Island: 'Unique Experience'

FARMINGDALE, NY — The Hilarious Hitmen are set to descend upon Farmingdale for a night of comedy and music blended seamlessly.

Sal Governale, Richard Christy and Billy Mira, radio personalities known for their prank calls and comedy, are set to perform in the stage area of restaurant 317 Main Street on June 15. The doors open at 9 p.m., with the show scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m.

Tickets are selling for $39.99 and can be purchased here. A VIP meet-and-greet before the show is available for $50 more, while a meet-and-greet following the show is $25 extra. The dinner, seating and cash bar experience costs $90.

Mira said the show is like "Bach meets Uncle Floyd." Governale said it is a "unique, Vegas-style show."

"We’ve taken all of the inspiration: comedy, music and audience participation, which we’re big on, and we’ve combined it all," Governale told Patch. "When I explain this show to people, I say, it’s not even a variety show, it’s an experience. It’s a unique experience."

The trio each excels at singing, comedy and impressions. But each member has a specialty: Governale's is humor, Mira's is impressions, and Christy's lies on the drums.

"We all complement each other," Mira said. "That’s the beauty of it. We all have different specialties."

Governale said the chemistry between the three is "ridiculous."

"I’ve heard some bands where, ‘It just has to be this drummer. It has to be this guitarist.’ It just works," he said. "There were times when you see a popular band, and all of a sudden, the lead singer goes off on his own, you’re convinced he’s going to do great, but it’s no longer there. There’s something about Billy, myself and Richard, that, when we get together, everything just really naturally flows. It’s almost like seamless."

The Hilarious Hitman has assembled a band Governale said they are excited to work with: Craig Haft on keys, Vincent Melia on bass and Eddie Melikian on guitar, as well as the horn players.

"Our guys are the backbone behind this spectacular show," Governale said. "We couldn't be more thankful for them."

Governale said there are no egos involved and the trio just wants to put on a great show. They write, and whatever makes them laugh, they put into the show.

"And whatever falls flat, we’re like, ‘Eh, garbage. Next.’ It’s easy," Governale said.

Mira said the guys relate to the music, which helps tell the story of their show.

"We don’t do anything in the show that doesn’t inspire us," Mira said. "Because once we’re inspired, that inspires us to write the comedy that’s around the songs. That keeps the show moving. That then transfers to the audience."

The act will perform music from across several decades. Everything the three say during the show, the accompanying song makes "perfect sense," Governale said. There are songs for everyone in the audience, too, as they will be covering artists from The Beastie Boys and Kiss to Frank Sinatra and Van Halen.

"We take ourselves seriously, but there’s a looseness and a fun element that we incorporate into our music and tie into the comedy," Governale said.

Governale said 317 Main Street is "100 percent" the right venue.

"Our roots are Long Island, man," he said. "Farmingdale says it all. The food here is phenomenal. The ambiance is amazing."

Mira said the back room of 317 Main Street is a "true supper club."

"There are not many rooms like this," Mira said. "There are a lot of rooms that can be dressed up with tables, serve food and have a show. But this, specifically, has a show that hosts a real show with a full sound system and lighting. This is a real show within a supper club setting."

Governale knew about 317 Main Street but had no idea about the back room, he said.

"When 317 offered us to come in and take a look, it had the 'wow' factor," Governale said. "You walk into this backroom and your eyes light up. Me and Billy looked at each other and said, 'This is it.' And then the food and everything else is just a super bonus. This is exactly what Billy and I want when we put on a show. It’s what 317 offers, and it’s amazing."

Mira said if The Hilarious Hitmen are not performing in a theater, it is usually then a comedy cabaret setting. Those spaces are not equipped with a full sound system like 317 is, however, Mira said. Mira complimented chef Eric LeVine as an "amazing" chef who cooks awesome food. And without that, their shows usually see "chicken fingers and French fries" served up.

"Make no mistake: Anybody who hasn’t been to 317 Main Street, you’re not going to your cheesy pizza joint and watching a guy in the corner with a ukulele," Governale said. "This is an amazing room and an amazing place. The vibe is intimate. It couldn’t have been a better fit for The Hilarious Hitmen."

Mira urged people to "hurry up" and buy tickets.

Governale said the trio recently did a Holiday Spectacular show where a friend of his attended with another friend. The price of the show then was $25.

"This guy said afterward, 'I’ve been to Jersey Boys' four times,'" Governale said. "'I saw a $25 ticket, I thought I was going to see a $25 show.' He says 'I saw a $250 show for $25.' Then me and Billy looked at each other and said, 'Holy shit, we’re getting ripped off.' Now we’re at a whopping $39.99. It’s a great price for a great time. We give the people more than their money’s worth. It’s tough these days. It’s a bit of a struggle out there, and people want to get quality for their money, and that’s exactly what we intend and will indeed give them."

Mira said attendees will see a show where The Hilarious Hitmen are tributing with the music everyone "knows and loves," but it all ties into the show.

"It’s like seeing 50 tribute shows in one show," Mira said.

Governale said The Hilarious Hitmen are "really, really grateful" for the opportunity to entertain not only crowds, but themselves.

"That’s the thing; We’re having fun up there," he said. "It’s no holds barred once we’re up there. The music, the comedy, the people in the audience. We’re just really, really grateful for everyone who comes. It’s just been such a wonderful experience. To do something refreshing and different like this. We’ve been through shock comedy. We’ve been through, what people deem as offensive comedy. We’ve seen it all. We’re doing what we love, and it caters to everyone."

Governale said the show has brought in fathers and sons who "equally love" the act.

"Whether you’re older or younger, whether you’re female or male, we have something for everyone and it resonates through our audience," Governale said.

Mira stated the thing The Hilarious Hitmen find most rewarding: "When people leave the show, and they’ve seen it for the first time, and it’s nothing like what they thought it was going to be based off of our past history."

Governale said their audiences have grown with them.

"Back in the day, our audiences were crazy. It was almost like toothless hyenas with chain wallets," he said. "When we first started this, it was a concern of ours. When we first started doing these shows, we realized that people didn’t like these shows; they loved them. At first, I thought it was a mutual respect, but it wasn’t. Our audience has aged with us. They were crazy too when they were younger. I’m no longer as crazy as I used to be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a little kooky. The thing is, we’re at a point in our lives and careers where we’re more confident, laid back and clever. And our audiences are, as well. It’s really great to take the ride with our audience to see how we’ve evolved and see how the audience has evolved with us."