Thursday, January 01, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Stage: The last laugh

By Newt Briggs

There are things that bother Bobby Kelly. At the moment, however, he cannot recall these things because he's been "stoned since Tuesday." Fortunately, somewhere in the pockets of his cutoff cargo pants is a crumpled piece of notebook paper on which he has chronicled his irritation. After a moment of fumbling, he retrieves the paper, flattens it against his chest and airs his frustrations. They are as follows: the lack of drainage in Las Vegas, falling asleep with the remote control, strippers who won't buy him dinner and Idaho. "Idaho?" he says. "I mean, does anyone ever go there?"

Let the laughter begin.

And don't stop for Vaughn Bachman, who tells of a recent drinking binge during which he drank "six bottles of Jagermeister" and stumbled home "to blow chunks"--a relatively unremarkable outcome until he reveals that "Chunks" is actually his dog's name.

Although it's not always because of the jokes, there's definitely a lot to laugh about at Boomer's Humors--a weekly open-mic comedy showcase where gross-out humor reigns and the comics' best quips are frequently leveled at each other. Hosted by local funnyman Markus Kublin, the show, now in its 18th month, has garnered a small but devoted following by providing a forum for wannabe yucksters to crack wise in front of a live audience.

This, of course, is a hit-or-miss proposition. While Kelly, Bachman and several other performers have to settle for sporadic sympathy laughter, Schuli--a Boomer's Humors regular--wins over the crowd (clearly, a less-than-discriminating group) by wrapping his T-shirt into a quasi-bra and delivering a masturbation seminar in the voice of Bobcat Goldthwait. Likewise, Greg Wilson--a professional tuning up his act for the debut of Beecher's Comedy Madhouse at the Hard Rock Hotel--slays with observations about side burps and his own resemblance to a lesbian.

The evening's most interesting act, though, comes in the form of Maku and Paku, a comedy duo that performs a traditional Japanese comedy sketch called a manzai. Essentially an updated Abbott and Costello routine, the performance casts the English-speaking Paku as the straight man while Maku quotes gangster rap lyrics and mispronounces words like "election" ("ee-wreck-shun"). Ultimately--like all things at Boomer's Humors--it's more fascinating than it is funny, but it's definitely worth the price of admission.
Boomer's Humors

Sundays, 8 p.m.

Boomer's After Hours, 3200 Sirius Ave.

No cover; one-drink minimum

217-1679