Observational New York comic Gianmarco Soresi makes his Spokane debut

Gianmarco Soresi sounds like someone hosting an Italian cooking show rather than a comic, and he is primarily Jewish. “When people see me, it’s as if they’ve been fooled,” Soresi said. “After they see me perform, it’s as if I’m actually Joshua Rubinstein.”

Soresi, 32, who will perform Friday and Saturday at the Spokane Comedy Club, is an actor/observational comic. “I’ve never been to Washington,” Soresi said. “I heard that Seattle is the suicide capital of the world. I have mild depression. We’ll see how these shows in Spokane go.” The fast-talking and quick-witted Soresi grew up a musical theater kid in Potomac, Maryland. “I can sing and dance, but somehow I ended up in standup,” Soresi said.

Soresi will not deliver any COVID-19 jokes. “I’m retiring anything I’ve done about COVID. Everyone has heard every vaccine joke. It’s over now, and I’m so glad because I’m tired of washing my hands.”

Even though Soresi has never been divorced, it’s a topic that is part of his act. “I have no memories of my parents together,” Soresi said while calling from his Manhattan apartment. “Growing up in a divorced family influences dating in a bad way and the way we see the world. Now I’m at an age in which so many of my friends are getting divorced.”

Family dysfunction has turned Soresi cynical. “The only good thing about that is that it has helped my act,” Soresi said. “If you’re looking for a comic who has dark one-liners, I’m your man. It doesn’t help me personally. I date with great reluctance, but I do date.”

Soresi will riff on New York. “There are a million things I hate about this city,” Soresi said. “The subway trains are so slow that if you’re thinking about killing yourself, the trains give you enough time to reconsider.” Acting helps pay the bills for Soresi. He recently played a waiter for Tom Selleck in the CBS drama “Blue Bloods.

“I trained for 12 years as a waiter for that role,” Soresi cracked. “That was really cool being on that show. When I was there, someone next to me asked for a photo with Tom Selleck. I got a photo with him, and he was cool about it. Normally, we don’t ask our co-workers for selfies.”

Soresi also worked on a pair of productions with two Bronx icons. Soresi appeared on “The Original OG” with Tracy Morgan and Jennifer Lopez in the film “Hustlers.”

“Tracy was totally chill,” Soresi said. “I had a dog in my scene with Tracy, and I tried to stay focused on the dog. I had to do my line and scoop up the dog, who had a leash on. I did what I could not to look like I was hanging the dog.”

And what was it like working with the glamorous Lopez? “We were filming at 1 a.m.,” Soresi said. “Everyone was exhausted. I remember saying hello to Lopez for the first time. ‘Your name is Jennifer, like “Jeh-nuh-fr,’ right?”

Soresi, who possesses a biting edge a la comic Anthony Jeselnik, is an unpredictable comic who, even though he’s edgy, is a playful humorist. “I have fun performing the only way I know how,” Soresi said. “I’m a product of what I’ve experienced.”