PREVIEW: Sovrana Pizza Hosts a Night of Comedy… And Pizza (of course)
08/30 @ Sovrana Pizza, Albany
“It’ll just be good for people to be laughing together and surrounded by pizza. Two of my favorite things - pizza and comedy.”
As shocking as it is to realize, Sovrana Pizza is one of the last remaining iconic vintage eateries left in Albany. Serving up their famous pizza, subs, and chocolate chip cookies, they soon will be adding something new to the menu - laughs.
On August 30th, they’ll be hosting their first after hours event, a comedy show in conjunction with Albany Comedy. Cristian Virgiglio, son of owners John and Rose, has been instrumental in helping his family’s legacy carry on into the future with their social media presence (including a visit from Dave Portnoy, famous for his pizza reviews), merch, and now something very outside of the (pizza) box. Cristian was kind enough to sit down over a slice and chat about the show.
If you’ve ever been to Sovrana, you already know that John and Rose Virgiglio are some of the nicest folks you’ll ever meet. They have been an Albany staple since they opened in 1985 at 63 North Lake Avenue. They passed that kindness onto their son, which I got to experience first hand. He has been helping out full time with the shop since graduating from Albany High in 2014. His main focus has been to help bring their brand into the modern era, whether it was adding an ATM, creating social media profiles, getting a credit card machine, or even rotating in modern style specialty pizzas. Nothing is off limits, which is why when local comedian and longtime customer Twon Wood approached Cristian about hosting a comedy show, the answer was easy.
“He brought it up one day and I said yes, and he wasn’t expecting that answer,” Cristian recalls. “It’s an opportunity to showcase the talent we have in the area and I had also seen an old photo timestamped 1990, 2:30 in the morning, and there’s a line out the door. My parents said this area used to have a vibrant night life and I kind of wanted to bring some of that element back - not that there will be a line out the door, but it's something different for the neighborhood and even for the local comedy scene, for a show to take place outside of a bar or traditional venue setting.”
With the blessing given by his folks, Cristian took the idea and ran with it. With rows of seats set up in the main area of the shop and a raised platform, this will be a memorable scene, surrounded by history and laughter. To make it extra special, every ticket purchased will get you a free slice of pizza and a limited edition coozie (designed by Philly-based artist Ralph Stollenwerk). If that wasn’t enough, Cristian plans on making an exclusive pie for that night only, as well as bringing back The Cannokie, a cannoli creme filled sandwich between two of their famous chocolate chip cookies. The best part for Cristian though?
“It’ll just be good for people to be laughing together and surrounded by pizza. Two of my favorite things - pizza and comedy.”
The show starts at 9pm this Saturday with a lineup of both local comedians—Twon Wood, Dee Bellinger, Casey Dessingue, and Drew Moore—and NYC-based, Max Kaczor. Tickets are $20, but quantity is limited by nature of the size of the space and can be purchased here. Be sure to follow @Sovrana and @AlbanyComedy on Instagram to stay up to date!
Extra, extra: As I was leaving, John pointed to a photo behind him in the register area. He and Rose’s brother were on a Metroland bus ad in 1997, according to Rose. Just an iconic family continuing to do iconic things in Albany.
