HUMOR FESTIVAL

Submitted by ub on

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is happy to celebrate Thanksgiving Day weekend by presenting FESTIVAL DEL HUMOR, A Night of Laughter to Remember, featuring Paul Rodriguez, Ruperto Vanderpool, Cuquín Victoria & Jochy Santos with Special Guest Anthony Ríos on Saturday, November 30th, 2013 at 8pm.

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts is on the campus of Lehman College/CUNY at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY 10468. Tickets for FESTIVAL DEL HUMOR on Saturday, November 30th, at 8pm are $50, $45, and $35 and can be purchased by calling the Lehman Center box office at 718-960-8833 (Monday through Friday, 10am–5pm, and beginning at 12 noon on the day of the concert), or through online access at www.LehmanCenter.org. Lehman Center is accessible by #4 or D train to Bedford Park Blvd. and is off the Saw Mill River Parkway and the Major Deegan Expressway. Low cost on-site parking available for $5.

PAUL RODRIGUEZ, revered as one of the first Latin Kings of Comedy, was born in Mexico in 1955 and grew up in the east L.A. community of Compton, California. Added to the Comedy Central list of the “100 Greatest Standups of All Time” in 2004, he got his first big break in 1984 as the star of the Norman Lear produced ABC comedy a.k.a. Pablo. As an actor and comedian, his multi-faceted career has included starring roles and featured appearances in over 45 films and countless television series and specials. A part-owner of the famous Hollywood comedy venue the Laugh Factory, Rodriguez hosted The Newlywed Game for one year (1988), the international talk show El Show de Paul Rodriguez (1990-94), six comedy specials for HBO, the comedy concert film The Original Kings of Latin Comedy (’02) and most recently MTV’s Tr3 comedy home-video series Mis Videos Locos (2010-12). As an actor, his film credits include major roles in Crocodile Dundee in LA (’01), Clint Eastwood’s Blood Work (’02), The World’s Fastest Indian (’05) and The Deported (’09). He has also lent his voice to several popular animated television series including King of the Hill and Dora the Explorer and can be heard as Chico in Beverly Hills Chihuahua (’08) and Crazy Carlito in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (’10). Rodriguez has been nominated for two American Latino Media Arts Awards, one Imagen Award and his latest major motion picture, the comedy Gravy, will have its’ theatrical release in December 2013.

RUPERTO VANDERPOOL, a Bronx native of Dominican descent, is a natural-born comedian who’s best known for his pantomiming humor, his many characters and accents, and his endless variety of facial expressions. The boisterous stand-up made his national television debut on It’s Showtime at the Apollo and since then has had guest appearances on Comic View (BET), Comics Unleashed (CBS), Latino 101 (SiTv), The First Amendment Stand Up (STARZ) and HBO’s Bad Boys of Comedy Season 2. His acting credits include starring roles in the Award-winning Off-Broadway play La Barberia and in the Queen Latifah film The Cookout. Vanderpool was honored with the 1st Annual American Latino Award for Favorite American Latino Comedian and also the El Diario La Prensa El Award.

ANTHONY RÍOS started singing and playing guitar as a child, becoming popular in 1970 as a meringue and boleros singer in Johnny Ventura’s Combo Show Band performing the (now) classics “Viejo Amigo”, “Una Noche No Es Bastante”, “Pudiera Ser” and “Morir De Amor”. His first album with Ventura, El Sentimental, was an instant hit and he has regularly recorded albums, many of which feature his popular original compositions. An all around entertainer, Rios is also a television host, actor and comedian in the Dominican television shows El Show de Luisito y Anthony, the hit comedy show El Show del Mediodía (The Noon Show) and Cuentos y Cantas (Stories and Songs.)

JOCHY SANTOS, comedian, actor and radio & TV variety show host, was a member of the comedic cast of El Show del Mediodía, before launching his own humorous variety TV show Divertido con Jochy 14 years ago and his popular radio program El Mismo Golpe con Jochy in 2001. As a comedian, he is known for his jokes and his distinctive laugh.

CUQUÍN VICTORIA began his comedic career in the mid 1970’s parody program In the Press before joining the cast of El Show del Mediodía. Considered by many as one of the best comedians of the Dominican Republic, Victoria is now celebrating 35 years of being funny and is currently starring in the television show Chévere Nights.

Lehman Center is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council. The 2013-2014 season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, JPMorgan Chase, Con Edison and through corporations, foundations and private donations.