Michele Traina and Divorce Diaries provided an evening of laughs Saturday night at the Lincoln Lodge in Chicago. The packed house enjoyed Michele’s tales from her divorce and subsequent dating life, mixed with stories about her New Jersey Italian family.

Already an established performer, Michele turned her divorce into a one-woman show as a way of “healing through humor.” That’s a clever slogan for the production but, more importantly, the way she lives her life. Michele is a positive person, and her show reflects that.

Divorce Diaries is pure entertainment. Refreshingly honest, Michele exposes her life and explores her emotions, healing herself and hopefully others in the process. Despite divorce being a featured topic, her humor is light-hearted. She also isn’t shy about poking at herself a bit, too.

With Divorce Diaries already a television show in development, this night was also recorded for an Amazon Prime special. My entertainer friend David Vox Mullen is the show’s producer and also served as the night’s emcee.

Prior to the show, I chatted backstage with Michele, David and Alydar Skyy, a writer on the Divorce Diaries television show. I recently met Alydar at another comedy show featuring David. With this hilarious trio, the show has a lot of promise.

Alydar greeted the crowd to start the night. David followed with a short but highly entertaining set. Like a ball of energy, Michele took the stage and dove into her act.

As Michele wove through stories, I never felt like I was in a comedy club. I’m sure it was honed and well-rehearsed, but it always felt like Michele was sitting across the table regaling me with funny stories of her life. She reminded me of my Italian cousins at family gatherings.

Last week, I Zoom-interviewed Michele and then watched some clips online. I knew Michele was talented and funny, but her live show took it to another level.

Michele has more stops on her Divorce Diaries tour, including New York, New Jersey and a late-year return to the Chicago area. I look forward to watching her Amazon Prime special and following the progress of the television show.

— John Wroblewski, online writer