Laughter good for the mind, local comic says.
February 11, 2010 11:46 By Brian J. Lowney
Mary Ellen Rinaldi just might have the best job the world. The vivacious comedienne gets paid to make people laugh, and while her programs are filled with hilarity, Rinaldi also delivers a message filled with hope, love and inspiration. The talented performer and noted speaker recently kicked off St. Anne's Hospital's 2010 "Get Moving" program with a comedy night presentation entitled "Life Lessons Through Laughter" held at White's of Westport.
Rinaldi shared anecdotes about growing up in a large Italian-American family, and also offered a few pearls of wisdom about meeting life's challenges armed with a broad smile and a good attitude. The Cranston, R.I. native's career on the stage began in 1985 when the standup comedienne decided that it was finally time to follow her heart and pursue her dreams. While life was great and she was earning a good living, Rinaldi abandoned her career a few years later when she married her husband Victor, a single dad, and focused her energy on being a good wife and stepmother.
"Being a stepmom is hard enough, but being a stepmom who's not around is impossible," she said. "I got a real job." Rinaldi worked in publishing sales for a decade, before losing her job in 2008. As she pondered a new career path, the engaging middle-aged woman never forgot the advice often offered by her late father, Carmine DePetrillo, who died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2007. "My dad wanted me to stay in comedy. He told me, 'It's your talent, it's your calling,'" the comedienne and inspirational speaker recalls. DePetrillo often encouraged his daughter to meet popular motivational speaker and author Loretta LaRoche.
The two women met the week after DePetrillo's death and became friends and colleagues. Rinaldi now opens for LaRoche at conferences and other events and is also represented by her professional speaker's bureau. "I always say it was my dad," Rinaldi discloses. "It was a divine moment." Rinaldi says while she loves to read and stay informed about current events, her new chosen career doesn't require any special education or preparation — just a keen sense of humor and good timing. "I've gone to the school of hard knocks," she quips. "I majored in enthusiasm." Rinaldi emphasizes that she presents "good, clean fun" that's often based on her life experiences — events that most folks can relate to and people who they have known such as a parent, favorite aunt, uncle or treasured grandparent. "It's the stuff everyone talks about around the dinner table," the comic reveals, adding that the large Italian-style Sunday dinners of her youth and raising a teenage son provide her with lots of humorous material for her presentations.
"I create my father's character on stage," Rinaldi continues. "They love him." She says that humor can be found in most situations in life. "I just celebrated my 40th birthday ... 10 years ago," the comic says, noting that age is an often sensitive topic but also one that has a lighter side if folks would only relax and smile. "I finally found an exercise that I finally like: yoga," Rinaldi continues. "You go in and lay down." In a program entitled "Take This Job and Love It," the comedienne urges audience members to reflect on "who they are at work and try to draw on the humor and absurdity of it all." The inspirational speaker believes Americans are shifting to more simple ways — going back to "what is real" in their quest to find personal happiness and fulfillment. "Don't ever let your dreams go," she counsels.
