By Dave Matlow
Westport Town Hall was packed tonight for 90 minutes of nonstop stand-up humor comprised of painfully sensitive portrayals of stereotypical high school students and their wide ranging self-images. 
Boston-based actor and comedian John Morello performs his one-man show “Dirt” tonight at Westport Town Hall. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
The highly acclaimed performance called “Dirt” was performed by Boston-based actor and comedian John Morello, now in his seventh year of these presentations about substance abuse and choices. It was sponsored by the Staples High School Teen Awareness Group.
It was top flight entertainment with a heavy social message. Ripples of nervous laughter were scattered throughout the audience as the very likeable and modest Morello warmed up to adults and students alike.
Morello told the audience his act was made up of “fictional stories with intense truths.”
Speaking of his personal life, he said when he was 12 years old his older brother Henry, then 20, died in a drunken driving accident.
Another brother, Glenn, turned into a heroin addict at 17 and after many rehabs and two years of sobriety, bought a bag of heroin. “He overdosed and died alone on Jan. 30, 2003,” Morello said.
Morello said “addiction can happen to anyone—show compassion to help rid of those demons.” He said that “as a high schooler the worst thing that ever happened to me was not getting caught.” 
The Staples High School Teen Awareness Group Executive Committee welcomed audience members to tonight’s performance. Pictured (l-r) are: Courtney Garzone, Jackie Dimitrief, Harry Rappaport, Caela McCann, Nick Cion, and Lucy Colgan. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
“If my parents were more informed they could have helped me,” Morello said.
He said that he was a horrible student but had a profound experience in his junior year in high school when the Latin teacher took him out of the class because he was disrupting the class with humorous comedy material.
The teacher told him that he cannot have him in the class because he was so funny it was also making the teacher laugh.The teacher offered him a deal—“come here tomorrow with 10 minutes of your material and you can present it to the class.”
The teacher added: “But then you need to listen to the Latin class for the full 45 minutes.”
Morello was excited and prepared for the next day when he presented his humorous material. It was a hit and he realized he could do this for a living. He said he rewarded himself with attention to the Latin class and felt that it was that experience that turned his life around.
Morello, a one-time time high school dropout, now holds a BA in theater arts. He is on the road more than 100 days of year spinning his message of laughter and seriousness.
