.JPG)
“The Fantastic
Frankie Lapaglia,”
Friday, Feb. 5, 7 p.m.,
and throughout February,
The Bog (341 Adams Ave., Scranton) Info: www.prunejuice.net, 570.341.6761
Upon meeting the self-proclaimed entertainer Frankie Lapaglia, photographer Zak Zavada knew that there was something visually unique about the 63-year-old Scrantonian worth capturing on camera.
“He’s got a lot of character in his face, I mean, he’s definitely seen a lot,” Zavada said. “There is a lot of history there.”
Apart from his photography, Zavada, 26, a graduate of Marywood University, is also an intenerate adventurer. As part of a study abroad program he studied photography in Florence, Italy, and in October 2008, completed a backpacking trip across Asia, leading him to the mountainous countryside of Nepal where he used his camera to capture images of Buddhist architecture and Tibetan refugees.
But between refining his photographic approach and traveling overseas, Zavada always found himself back in his Scranton hometown searching for new angles to highlight in his work. The inspiration for his latest work, however, came from an unlikely source.
After a car ride home one evening, the aforementioned Lapaglia, an acquaintance of Zavada’s, invited the young photographer up to his apartment on Capouse Avenue to show him around. According to Zavada, within minutes, Lapaglia was wearing a cape and running around the room.
“I asked him if he wouldn’t mind if I took a few photos,” Zavada recalls. “And he was just really having a good time, and playing it up for the camera.”
At first, Zavada did not think much about his encounter with Lapaglia. He put his camera down for a few days, and when he went back to look at the pictures, he was pleasantly surprised.
“I thought the photos I took were gold,” said Zavada. “After I showed them to a few friends downtown, there was an immediate and tremendous response. I thought, ‘I got to do more,’ so I asked Frankie if he would be interested in posing for more photos.”
Zavada’s photos of Lapaglia can be seen this Friday at The Bog in Scranton as part of the city’s monthly First Friday event and will be on display at the bar throughout February.
The pictures tell a visual story of a man who many see around town but do not know, a man who, according to Zavada, is misunderstood.
“He’s been a part of the downtown community for, as far as I could gather, the past 30 years,” Zavada explained. “He has just kinda been a staple of the community, and so many people just know him from passing by on the street. He’ll bum a smoke off of you and chat with you for five minutes and tell you how he is an entertainer.”
Although Lapaglia has an apartment, he is, according to Zavada, not well-off. All of the proceeds from the show will be donated to a local agency which oversees Lapaglia’s care. Moreover, Zavada’s intentions are innocent, but he still insists on clarifying his decision to do a show featuring a 63-year-old indigent man.
“I had some hesitation at first about doing a show because I never wanted for a second anyone to think that I was taking advantage of him,” Zavada said. “I think a lot of people who may pass him by on the street might think, ‘Oh, he’s some homeless guy, and here’s some punk kid with a camera that is going to dress him up in silly outfits and poke fun at him’ — but that was never my intention with any of this.”
With that in mind, the question remains: What is the purpose of doing a show called “The Fantastic Frankie Lapaglia”?
“I want to show what a multifaceted guy he really his. That there is a person behind this character we all know,” Zavada insisted. “He likes to make people smile, and he likes to entertain.”
Entertaining others is Lapaglia’s forte. While sitting a caf�, dressed in a powdered blue vintage shirt with a black brimmed hat, looking like the showman that he wants to be, Lapaglia expressed pure excitement about being featured in Zavada’s upcoming show.
“Whatever helps get me into the big time, I’ll do it,” Lapaglia joked. “I think when people see the pictures they will really like them.”
By highlighting Lapaglia in his work, Zavada hopes to clear up the many misconceptions people may have about this elderly man who, in his opinion, is often shunned or ignored.
“I think if anything, I want people to come away from this show realizing that there is a real person there,” Zavada explained. “He is a really amazing guy.”
w
