Tres Locos comedy tour has broad appeal

There are three things you need to know about Rudy Moreno's Tres Locos comedy tour:

1. It's in English.

2. You don't have to be Latino to see it and,

3. It's hilarious.

Tres Locos, or three crazy comedians, will bring their individual styles together in one show Saturday at the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio. The number is a little misleading, because there are actually four comedians including the host Moreno, but the show features Gilbert Esquivel, Charles Sanchez and Felipe Esparza.

Moreno, who also is the producer, put the show together in 2000 because, while there were Latin comics performing, none were doing this kind of show, he says. All four comedians have television credits, including "The George Lopez Show," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Comedy Central's Premium Blend" and "MADtv."

Tres Locos has toured at least 40 cities, but this is its first stop in Las Vegas. It's a big hit in the Southwest, but has crossover appeal, Moreno says. Still, people think the show is performed in Spanish. It's not.

"Our show crosses over because we're from different regions," he explains. "It's not like (audiences) don't know we're Latino. But everybody's got their own style. Bottom line, it's pretty hysterical."

When Moreno started in comedy in 1991, Hispanic comedians were relegated to performing on "Latin night."

"In the early '90s, clubs weren't booking a lot of Latin comics other than George Lopez and Paul Rodriguez," Moreno says. "I think the doors are pretty much open now."

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.