Who's Here

Angela LaGreca - Comedian

By Janine Cheviot

"If someone who knows East Hampton asks me where my house is, I'll say, 'Do you know where Further Lane is?' It's fun to watch their eyes grow wide with astonishment and a newfound respect. 'Uh, yes,' they respond. Then I'll say, 'It's much further from there.'"

Set up and punch sequences like this frequently punctuated the interview with Angela LaGreca. The funny woman has a laundry list of impressive titles - producer, comedian, singer and writer, to name a few - and had me in stitches as we discussed her life.

LaGreca studied opera at Smith College, but majored in government. "It made absolutely no sense. At the time I didn't think being a performer was worthy of my parents' money," she said. "I used to audition for things, but I didn't really want to do Annie Get Your Gun in Germany. I love performing, but I love words and writing even more."

LaGreca's interests come together in her comedy act, a combination of standup, songs and sometimes impressions, and she is currently working on a theatrical one-woman show. "My mom used to say, 'Honor what you do. You can make people laugh when they're having a bad day,'" said LaGreca. "You can't make sense of 99% of things in life. The only way to get through it is with laughter."

The six-time MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs) award winner has performed everywhere in New York City from Caroline's Comedy Club to Carnegie Hall, and has played to sold-out crowds in top venues around the country. "I either like a big venue that envelops the performer, or an intimate cabaret-like setting - 60 people right on top of me in my face," she said.

For many years, LaGreca was a regular contributor to Star Magazine's "Worst of the Week" page, which displays celebrity fashion disasters. "I received a lot of response from that, but it was certainly not based on my knowledge of fashion," she said. "People in my building used to ask if I was the super, so I was definitely not qualified." LaGreca also has recorded numerous voiceovers and promos for ABC, HBO and Nickelodeon. "I don't really have a classic 'I've had five martinis' voice. But I have a range," she explained.

LaGreca's career in television began on The View, where she worked for nine years, first as the audience warm-up personality and then as a writer and producer for the show's popular "Hot Topics" segments with moderator Meredith Vieira. "I invented dancing on daytime TV way before Ellen. People should know that," LaGreca joked.

When Vieira left The View to join Matt Lauer as co-anchor on The Today Show, she took LaGreca with her. Now as a producer on Today, LaGreca considers her job varied and interesting. "I love my job because it's so diverse. I have a lot of interests and I don't feel locked into any one type of segment," she said. "I really enjoy pitching stories that catch my attention, or my heart, and having the resources to produce a segment that means something."

One such segment is a piece she produced on Sag Harbor resident Joann Ferrara's book Ballerina Dreams, which chronicles the story of five young girls with disabilities who dreamed of becoming ballerinas and dancing on stage - and their dreams come true. "That story meant more to me than most. One ballerina wanted Laura Bush to attend the recital. So I called Washington and asked, 'So how busy is Laura Bush?' And she came. That kind of stuff is so meaningful," said LaGreca.

In addition to Ballerina Dreams, there were two other segments that touched LaGreca's heart. One, a piece she produced for the Clown Care Program, had Vieira in a clown costume, cheering up sick children in a hospital (the piece currently runs on a continuous loop at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital). Another was a series called "I Want a Baby" that focused on infertility, miscarriage and adoption. As a result of the piece, Vieira will be honored by RESOLVE, the national infertility organization, for putting a spotlight on the challenges of infertility and miscarriage, and for portraying adoption as a viable option. LaGreca has also produced many live entertainment segments with actors, comedians and musical acts including Jerry Seinfeld, Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Broderick, Renée Zellweger, Paula Abdul and Barry Manilow. She produced two memorable pieces with Vieira and Will Ferrell - one segment last year when Vieira took a spill on the ice rink at Rockefeller Center while Ferrell was promoting the film Blades of Glory, and the second recently when Vieira and New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson played Ferrell and Woody Harrelson in a two-on-two basketball game to promote the actors' film Semi-Pro.

As for the co-anchors on Today, LaGreca is grateful to work with Lauer and Vieira, who she says have a great sense of humor and get along really well. "Meredith really is THAT nice," she said. "And I can't believe Matt agreed to be roasted at Friars Club. The median age there is deceased, but they're brutal."

Last summer LaGreca performed at Bay Street Theatre in the comedy act "Three Gals Undone," along with friends Joy Behar and Julie Halston. "Performing comedy in the Hamptons is a challenge. It's basically like playing at a Botox convention. You know when people want to laugh, but it just is not physically possible," she joked. "Let's face it, they've taken the 'sag' out of Sag Harbor."

Behar encouraged LaGreca to buy a house in the Hamptons a few years ago, and she's been fantasizing about living here year-round ever since. "I love to garden, entertain, cook - stuff I would never admit to ten years ago. I basically cry when I have to leave on Sunday."

But what makes LaGreca so likeable is how "un-Hamptons" she is. She "gets" what the East End is truly about. "I have a moment every time I drive on Old Stone Highway on the way to the Amagansett Farmer's Market. It's so beautiful," she said.

LaGreca would rather have dinner with friends, take a bike ride or go crabbing in Georgica Pond than wait on line for an hour at a swanky restaurant, as she appreciates the Hamptons for its natural beauty and serenity, rather than for its fancy parties and expensive shopping.

"People ask me how I got into the business, but they don't realize how much hard work it takes. Everything is hard work and very little glory. But a good cup of coffee, outdoor showers, twilight times at the beach, the sunset over Three Mile Harbor - that's it."

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