If there was any way to describe Pat Tomasulo’s comedy, we’d have to take a look within ourselves and think about all the judgmental things we have been taught not to say – not the filtered, nice things we bring up in collective social conversation, but what we learn as children to never say. We then give our younger selves a microphone, present them with modern day society and let them roast society as a collective. Tomasulo delivers with the rhythmic comedic stylings of a seasoned performer on the cusp of attaining mainstream notoriety. 

Tomasulo’s career began as an anchor and reporter covering sports in Wisconsin. Tomasulo ,then joined Chicago’s WGN in 2005, and he currently covers sports in the morning. WGN saw potential in Tomasulo’s comedic ability and in January of 2018 Tomasulo became the “Man of The People.” Tomasulo produced some of the most original, dry humor of the time deconstructing social norms, filling Chicago potholes with giardiniera and even decided to remedy the winter tundra that is Chicago with a flamethrower.  The final episode of the show aired on July 20, 2019. Tomasulo has been producing episodes of his podcast “The Pat Tomasulo Podcast” and doing comedy ever since. 

Opening for Tomasulo at College Of DuPage’s MAC is Indiana native, Marty DeRosa, a seasoned comedian whose whole identity could be found while on stage. DeRosa’s comedic stylings boil down to subtlety and reactions. DeRosa was incredibly relatable, highlighting subjects like working to maintain his comedy career, being a comedian where life did not allow him to be, (legal) drug use, and shenanigans back in Indiana. 

Imagine an untrained waiter who is trying to balance what seems to be his first set of drinks on his serving platter. What the customer has no idea of is that he’s been waiting tables for 10 years now and simply does it to evoke reaction in his customer.  For some comedians, this approach to comedy can fall short. However, DeRosa has fine-tuned his craft over the years, pacing his comedy in subtlety, setting up his reactive joke and finally delivering a concealed one-liner that sends the audience into an hysterical explosion. DeRosa ended his set, but not without giving a heartfelt, excited introduction to his stage-mate and best friend, Pat Tomasulo. 

Tomasulo’s performance is intricately composed, beginning with his stage presence.  All throughout, Tomasulo has no large walk or overt mannerisms that materialize into physical manifestations of nervousness.  Rather, Tomasulo simply holds the microphone to the tip of his chin and speaks. As a point of relation, Tomasulo made an effort to relate to his, explicitly, older audience: “A bad cough away from the end.”  Tomasulo then made a joke where he was embarrassed to tell a co-worker how he hurt his back, not while doing something youthful and vibrant, but because he sneezed. After opening up, Tomasulo’s set, well crafted and unique, struck the audience with a sense of judgmental relatability.  Even though we may turn away in disgust or shock, in the same movement, we may look over our shoulder and think, it may be wrong, but that was something that crossed my mind.     

Tomasulo’s set was observant of the changing times and covered subjects like Roe v. Wade, COVID, social media culture, marriage, etc. (all of which he could care less about, but he does).  As much as Tomasulo may have some harsh judgements (sometimes lack thereof), his true feelings seemed to bleed through his set. He really is a Man of the People because he just wants people to try to act better. His comedy is therapeutic story-telling that points out ways we, collectively, could make life better.   

The night was an absolute blast, 10/10