Comedians Robles and Moreno tonight at the DC Improv
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Tonight comedians Alfred Robles and Martin Moreno perform at the DC Improv, bringing what Robles likens to their comedy “therapy” to a District audience.
“Comedy is very uniting. Everyone loves to laugh. It is something we can all agree on,” says Robles, who sees stand-up comedy as a type of therapy for audience members, “a way to talk about things that most people keep deep down inside.”
The comedy duo that has performed on Comedy Central and around the world has seen first hand how standup comedians have the ability to dissect society’s deep-rooted problems, breaking down barriers through laughter. While sharing culture and perspective can be hard, especially in this political environment, Robles says he finds fun ways to share distinct perspectives and open audiences’ eyes to struggles different from their own.
“People like to laugh and people like to laugh at peoples’ pain. People definitely laugh at the stories about my pain,” he adds wryly.
Don’t expect too many jokes about the current state of the nation, however. Robles hinted that politics won’t be the focus of the evening. “I want to make the audience laugh and get a break from politics.”
Tonight’s show is the last of three rising Latino comedy acts that have headlined at the Improv over the last few weeks, part of its Next Wave comedy series celebrating the downtown comedy club’s 25th anniversary. Each of the New Wave acts were recommended by big stars in the world of comedy. Robles and Moreno, for instance, got the thumbs-up from the Gabriel Iglesias, who has his own Netflix show an is best know as his comic alter-ego “Fluffy”. Robles counts Iglesias, with whom he’s currently touring, among his comic idols, along with Mitch Hedberg and Richard Pryor.
Chris White, the director of creative marketing for DC Improv, says the New Wave series reflect the comedy world’s growing diversity, which is why the theater sought recommendations from Iglesias and other celebrated Latino, African American and female comedians.
“We wanted to make sure that we had a wide variety and we are thrilled that Gabriel gave us his recommendations,” White says.
Diverse stand up comedy acts have been a part of Washington D.C.’s cultural landscape for years, according to White, who says the previous New Wave performances have been so successful that they’ve filled the entire Connecticut Avenue NW theater.
“D.C. is a fascinating place for comedy because we have a huge amount of diversity,” White says. “D.C. is known for it’s diverse and fun audiences that love going to comedy shows.”
White agrees with Robles that “a live standup comedy show is exactly like therapy for D.C. locals. It is such a uniting force. The person next to you can be completely different and have opposite political views than you, but you will both still laugh at the same jokes and experience the inevitability of laughter being contagious.”
To find out more at the DC Improv’s website.
—Quincey Tickner
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