QUEENS — Several Kew Gardens seniors were set to sing, recite poetry and do stand-up comedy during a show organized at the Kew Gardens Community Center by the Gotham Comedy Foundation Wednesday.
Giulio Gallarotti, a comedian who also stars in the MTV show “Totally Clueless,” will perform as well as host the event as part of the foundation’s "laughter-therapy" presentation.
Gallarotti, 27, who has been involved with the foundation since it was established about 3 years ago, said the goal is to bring humor to people who are often sick and lonely and "don’t always get the opportunity to go out to see comedy shows.”
The foundation, a nonprofit affiliate of the Manhattan-based Gotham Comedy Club, sends stand-up comedians to hospitals, nursing homes and senior centers, including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Goodwill Center Clubhouse in Brooklyn.
Comics affiliated with the foundation, Gallarotti said, have already performed once at the Kew Gardens center, which is sponsored by Queens Community House, but this time the foundation is also inviting seniors to perform.
Gallarotti said that while doing comedy shows at hospitals and community centers, he and his fellow comedians have noticed that attendees were “eager to show their talents, so it seemed like a decent idea to administer some sort of talent show for them.”
Rachel Epstein, the program director at the center, said that at least eight seniors will perform during the show.
"They can share whatever talent they have and it's empowering them," she said. "It's great for self-esteem and they can channel their energy using creative ways."
Epstein said that about 50 to 75 seniors come to the center on a daily basis. Anyone is welcome to attend.
The free "Gotham's Got Talent" show is scheduled for 2 p.m. on May 14, at 80-02 Kew Gardens Road (Suite 202). For more information, call the Kew Gardens Community Center at (718) 268-5960.
