It’s tough being a king.
After the first Latin Kings of Comedy Tour — the one featuring Paul Rodriguez, George Lopez and Cheech Marin — lawsuits came flying. Litigants claimed to own the rights to the name. Others claimed to be the producers of the show. Representatives from the Latin Kings gang contacted them.
“We were at a stage where even the gangs were circling us,” sighs Rodriguez, who is happy to report all claims have been settled and a new group of comedians is ready to replace litigation with laughs.
So what makes comedy Latino? When you’re playing to your own audience, it makes them feel like they’re on the inside of a joke, replies Rodriguez, who is Mexican-American.
While that inclusive feeling is key, diversity is also necessary, he adds. Not only diversity within a lineup of Latino comedians but also among different tours playing to different audiences.
“The Blue Collar tour has a certain crowd. You even have the Kims of Comedy, which is an Asian group. Comedy is being broken down into niche groups.”
At Latin Kings of Comedy shows, the artists (speaking English) pepper their sets with topics and words that might not be familiar to a wider, whiter audience.
“Some of these words are familiar thanks to Taco Bell,” jokes Rodriguez. “Take ‘gordita,’ which in Spanish means a woman who is gaining weight. When Taco Bell asks if you’ve eaten a gordita lately, that’s pornographic to us.”
So who are the current Kings? “I picked guys that I consider the up-and-coming Latino comedians,” says the 30-year veteran of the stand-up circuit. Rodriguez, 53, shares the stage with stand-ups Frank Lucero, Gene Pompa and Manny Maldonado, who according to Rodriguez is everything you’d want behind the mic.
“But he’s young — 26. He talks about things I am too old and un-hip to know about, like the Teletubbies.”
Grub Before Yucks
“Drop me off anywhere around 26th Street and I am home,” the Los Angeleno replies when asked where he eats when in town. “Chicago is one of those places I try to stay away from if I’m looking to lose weight.”
Rodriguez ain’t picky. He eats whatever the taquerias are serving, washing it down with what he labels a poor-man’s Manischewitz — grape Jarritos (soda) with a shot of tequila.
There are myriad dining choices on 26th Street in the Little Village/Pilsen neighborhoods. There is the satellite location of the legendary Nuevo Leon (3657 W. 26th St.; 773-522-1515) and the carnival atmosphere at Mi Tierra (2528 S. Kedzie Ave., just north of 26th; 773-254-7722).
But I found a quiet — and quite odd — meal at La Justicia Restaurante (3901 W. 26th St.; 773-522-0041). In addition to chips, salad, beans and rice, my plate of steak quesadillas came with a bowl of alphabet soup, which I didn’t know is a Mexican staple.
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And if you can’t hit the 26th Street corridor before the show, don’t worry. Salvador’s Barro (73 E. Lake St.; 312-346-8457) is within walking distance of The Chicago Theatre.
LATIN KINGS OF COMEDY
Hungry for laughs? Try the Latin Kings.
Where: The Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St.
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Price: $38-$65; 312-462-6300 or 312-559-1212
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