CEDAR FALLS -- Ask Bob Stromberg what kind of jokes he uses in his act, and the comedian lets out a hearty laugh.

"It sounds kinda weird, but I'm not a joke-teller," said the Minneapolis man. "I'm a storyteller."

Instead of barraging audience members with a rat-a-tat-tat of one-liners, Stromberg weaves a narrative, earning chuckles and nods of recognition as he nears the tale's side-splitting climax.

"It's not the observational stuff that you hear a lot about with stand-up," he explained. "I tell funny stories from my life. Stories everyone can relate to."

Comedy's everyman will perform Saturday at the Riverview Conference Center in Cedar Falls. The family-friendly show kicks off at 7 p.m. Also included in the performance are shadow puppets and other traces of his vaudeville roots.

"Very early on I promised my wife that our marriage would not be part of my act, so I had to do something to fill the time," he quipped.

But even if jokes about his spouse, Judy, are off-limits, the rest of Stromberg's routine relies heavily on stories of family life and of growing up in the '50s and '60s. The performer often contrasts the past and present in his act.

Seat belts were a luxury when Stromberg came of age in the Allegheny Mountains of northern Pennsylvania. Today, his grandson rides in a high-tech car seat.

"I put him in there and I can hardly see him," laughed Stromberg. "He's covered with buckles, just like a tiny astronaut in an escape pod."

Other bits in the comedian's act focus on his relationship with his father, as well as being (and rearing) a teenager.

"What I find interesting is that kids end up laughing at the same things their parents and grandparents laugh at," Stromberg said. "Some things are universal."

Stromberg made a name for himself in the early '90s, when he co-wrote and starred in "Triple Espresso" alongside two fellow comedians. The play, a story about three friends whose showbiz dreams have been cut short, enjoyed a 13-year run in Minneapolis and opened in dozens of other cities across the globe, including Dublin and London. "Triple Espresso" continues to be in high demand on the theater circuit and will return to the stage in Phoenix next month.

"It was really, really exciting to have this three-man play we created become a phenomenon in the theater world," Stromberg said. "Anywhere in the country, if you talk to theater people ¦ everybody knows about 'Triple Espresso' because it was successful for so long."

Stromberg occasionally revisits his "Espresso" role as Bobby Bean, but most of his time these days is spent touring as a solo performer. The comic promises to provide Cedar Valley audience members "with one of the biggest laughs they will have all year."

"People leave my program feeling good and encouraged," he said. "My comedy is squeaky clean, it offends almost nobody ¦ You never leave my show feeling bad about what you've been laughing about. You feel good."