Where Vegas meets Broadway comes the musical comedy show: Billy Mira and The Hitmen
By Amy Nicole Tangel
For one night only Long Island entertainer Billy Mira is bringing his original show, Billy Mira & The Hitmen to The Argyle Theatre for an evening of music, comedy and special guests with an all-new twist.
On Friday, April 14 Billy and company will hit the stage at The Argyle for the first time-ever and the singer, comedian, impressionist and all-around showman said he is thrilled to be joined by fellow comedians and satellite radio personalities, Sal Governale and Richard Christy.
The show is returning to the stage for the first time since the pandemic, and Billy said the audience can expect “two-shows-in-one” when he opens-up the night in the first set and leads you to what he and fellow-writer Sal describe as a “Dean and Jerry” style second act.
“We were basically able to create an old-style show with a new version of it,” Billy said.
Since the show’s creation in 2014, Billy said his fans on Long Island and all over the country have been phenomenal. With recent success and sold-out shows from Billy and Sal that also included Richard at Governor’s Comedy Club, Billy said he started thinking it only made sense to add their act to the show.
With a friendship and working relationship in comedy spanning over 20 years, the duo’s new act incorporates comedic timing and a good working chemistry the two said naturally lent itself to the show. While Sal is widely known for his stand-up comedy, prank calls, shock humor, and even a cooking show, “Big Meals, Small Places” on YouTube, he said he has never done anything like this before, but he has always loved to sing and is loving every minute.
“When I saw Billy doing what he loved he inspired me to get back out there, because I didn’t want to continue with just stand-up comedy. I wanted to do something different,” said Sal.
The mixed platform of music, comedy and impressions always lead to the songs and just like any Broadway show Billy said he created the story around the music, but for him it’s the music he loved growing up and whatever songs have touched him in a way where he felt connected. Paying homage to everything from Billy Joel to Queen to KISS, it’s all about connecting with his audience.
“It’s honest, but people seem to love the whole thing, because people connect the same,” he said.
Bringing it all together for a night of swing and rock-n-roll music is a 9-piece-band and the goal, Billy and Sal said, is for the audience to have an experience like no other show.
Prior to Covid, Billy said he was about to break out nationally with the show when everything shut down. The silver lining, he said, came from being fortunate to have places like the Polo Lounge at Westbury Manor, where he still holds residency every Thursday night, and Krisch’s Restaurant.
“Thank God I had the Polo Lounge and Krisch’s, because people saw me and people would ask me to do other things and it kept me busy singing,” Billy said of being a performer during the COVID shutdown.
Having had great success in past shows and fans from all over the country, Billy said the plan for the future of Billy Mira and The Hitmen is to take the show on the road. While there are no concrete dates set yet, he said solid plans are in the works for big stops such as Vegas and Atlantic City; making the stop at the Argyle the beginning of more to come. For Billy, it’s always the ultimate dream to get back to Vegas, but he envisions the Argyle theatre as a great marriage in being a possible production house to build the show for future performances.
“I really look forward to performing and joining up with the people over at the Argyle Theatre. It’s a great production house and an amazing theatre,” he said.
Adding to the one-of-a-kind experience for audiences, there will also be a Meet and Greet for those who purchase the package for after the show. Once the show is over, Meet and Greet ticketholders will be invited to come on stage for pictures, signings and conversation with the cast.
Believing in the power of audience participation for this show, Billy and Sal both said they really want the audience to be involved and being able to meet and talk with them after the show makes them feel like they know the people that come out to see them.
“It’s just the synchronicity of the audience loving you and us loving them, and us doing something together,” Sal said.
When having met years ago, neither Billy nor Sal said they ever imagined they would end up together in this fashion on stage, but they both simultaneously have had the drive to continue to do what they love. Meeting at a comedy club bar many moons ago, Sal said he heard Billy doing impressions of Ozzy Osbourne and of a great David Lee Roth that blew him away. Since then, Billy said the two have often talked about the chance encounter and where they are together today. So much so, that Billy said it has become a part of the show.
“We met one in a billion chance, and we actually made a bit around it,” said Billy.
Limited individual tickets and VIP Meet and Greet packages are still available at, argyletheatre.com/billymiraandthehitmen. To stay up to date with all upcoming events, you can find Billy Mira and The Hitmen, Billy Mira and Sal Governale on social media platforms.
