Breast Cancer Benefit At Wiley's

Linda Gambino, Joanne Viskup Raymond Jackson, Jack Wilson and Rob Haney

When Rob Haney, owner of Wiley's Comedy Niteclub, sent me an email recently that began with “Go Pink,” I truly believed that a horribly offensive joke was soon to follow. Lo and behold, Wiley's is hosting a Go Pink fund raising show with a slew of comedians set to take the stage. Among those slated is Linda Gambino, a nine year breast cancer survivor. While you may not have heard of her before, insofar as comedy goes, you have definitely heard her elsewhere. You may have heard her friendly voice emanating from your GPS, telling you to make a right turn, when clearly the only thing to the right is a cornfield. She may also ask you if you have any coupons or if you will be paying with cash, credit or debit card at your local grocery store's self checkout lane.

Her approach to comedy is drawn from real life, detailing her battle with breast cancer as well as throwing a glaring spotlight on her three daughter's most embarrassing moments. On stage, she addresses the topic of cancer with humor and frankness, even going so far as to thank cancer for the new breasts she is now sporting, which she says are “fake and fabulous.”

Joining Linda Gambino on the stage is Raymond Jackson, who has opened for Dave Chappelle, Jack Wilson, Joanne Viskup, that Brooklyn girl lost in Dayton, and Rob Haney, whose breasts are real, but not all that fabulous. The show is on Thursday, October 28th at 8:00pm at Wiley's Comedy Niteclub, 101 Pine St.. Admission is only $5 with %100 of all proceeds going towards breast cancer awareness. For more information or to make reservations, call the club at (937) 224-5653 or visit them on the web at wileyscomedyclub.com.

(This article appeared in the October 28th, 2009 issue of the Dayton City Paper. This is the article as it was originally written.)