Reyes of Comedy Night One to Remember

Hispanic life in the United States was the undeniable theme of CHCI’s Seventh Annual Reyes of Comedy Night, as nationally renowned comedians targeted the Latino experience in America for much of their material.

And while Congressman Silvestre Reyes, of whom Reyes of Comedy Night is named after, wasn’t scheduled to perform, he took the opportunity in his “brief remarks” to poke fun at some of his colleagues and tell a few jokes.

The event was hosted by national Latino icon Cheech Marin, best known as one half of the hilariously irreverent, no-holds-barred duo Cheech and Chong. He is truly a multi-generational star—or as Cheech jests, “People know me from the womb to the tomb.” As host, Marin took every opportunity to slide a few jokes in between comics.

The evening’s headliner was superstar stand-up comedian Carlos Mencia, undoubtedly one of today’s most lauded entertainers and feared comics. He is the host of Comedy Central’s Mind of Mencia, currently in its third season and one of the most popular shows in the network’s history. His routine touched on many of the nuances of Latino life in America and the difference dialects of Spanish spoken by Latino of different ethnicities.

Alex Reymundo, best known as one of the “Original Latin Kings of Comedy,” also brought down the house with his tales of life in Kentucky and having “Hick-Spanic” kids. He recently inked a development deal with Showtime, where he will star in a comedy series project, “Hick-Spanic,” as well as headline his own one-hour stand-up comedy special of the same name.

Lisa Alvarado’s hilarious routine focused on what it’s like to be a Latina single mom. She currently performs in the top clubs nationally, colleges, and corporate shows.

Kiki Melendez provided a high energy act as she made use of the entire stage and touched on the hot-button issue of immigration. Commenting on the packed crowd of over 1,200 people (mostly Latinos), she noted that “Lou Dobbs is outside waiting to deport us.”

The event at the Warner Theater — sponsored by the Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. and co-produced by SíTV, the first English-language, Latino-themed network — benefited CHCI’s nationally recognized leadership development and educational service programs.

7th Annual Reyes of Comedy Night Photos