Good grief: Shaler funeral director moonlights as stand-up comic

Frank Perman is a mortician with a stand-up routine that always knocks ‘em dead.

The supervisor of Perman Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Shaler takes his job very seriously. Comedy is an emotional outlet.

On Feb. 21, before a sold-out crowd at Crafthouse Stage & Grill in Baldwin, he opened for Gallagher, a prop comic known for smashing watermelons with a Sledge-O-Matic. Clad in a suit and tie, Perman delivered his set.

A lifelong smart-aleck with a penchant for puns, Perman grew up in the death care industry. His father was a stern undertaker, which led him to bring a softer approach to the profession.

He got into show business a decade ago, when Shaler North Hills Library needed talent for a comedy fundraiser. Youth Services Coordinator Ingrid Kalchthaler immediately contacted Perman. She knew about his quick wit and dedication to community service.

His wife, Heather, committed him to the event before he had a chance to decline.

With two months to prepare, he began jotting down funny observations and anecdotes. When he decided he had enough material, he recorded his schtick.

“And you know what? I wasn’t half-bad,” he says, raising an eyebrow, “I was godawful. Slowly I went from godawful to horrendous and from horrendous to mildly amusing.”

On the night of the show, he slayed the crowd with deadpan zingers such as, “Funeral directors think inside the box.”

“Frank seriously put the fun in funeral,” Kalchthaler says. “I know that is an old joke, but the thing about Frank is that he has a way about him that shares empathy, respect and sincerity, as well as humor, and so it isn’t offensive or oxymoronic for him to be a funeral director and a comedian.”

More gigs followed. Most of them were unpaid. Thankfully, Perman says, he didn’t have to rely on his act to earn a living.

To stay sharp in between shows, he posts short videos to the funeral home’s Facebook page. Each Monday Mortuary Moment features Perman approaching a mic stand, delivering a groaner (“When I got my first universal remote, I thought to myself, ‘This changes everything!’”) and walking off camera to the sound of a drum beat and cymbal crash.

(Video courtesy of Ten Four Social)

The 20-second spots went viral, catching the attention of veteran Pittsburgh comics such as Jim Krenn, who encouraged him to embrace his creativity and Internet fame.

His lighthearted public service announcement about funeral etiquette has more than 3,000 views, to which he admits, “most of them are by me.”

All joking aside, Perman is a busy guy. When he isn’t organizing funerals, he’s raising kids, volunteering for various charitable organizations, writing a book entitled “Life Lessons Learned in the Death Business,” and preparing for his next performance.

Although he considers himself a clean comic – his mother saw one of his early, obscenity-laced sets and gave him heck for it – he knows there will be folks who are offended by his content.

“When people call us at the funeral home, they want to be assured that someone understands where they’re coming from. I, under no circumstances, make fun of that,” he says. “We’re dealing with high emotions, time constraints, financial considerations. At times, I just sit down at the end of the day and say, ‘How did you get through this?’”

Gallows humor, it turns out, is a real lifesaver.