Two comedians make their Reno-Tahoe debuts this weekend, one a veteran returning to his stand-up roots after an extensive movie and television career, the other a relative newcomer to the comedy scene.
Rob Schneider appears at the MontBleu and Gabriel Iglesias at the Silver Legacy.
Actually, Rob Schneider has appeared in Reno before, but it was a quick in-and-out at a comedy club in 1985.
"I was on the bill with Will Durst, and Will and I stayed up until 3 a.m., I remember," Schneider said. "Will Durst also taught me how to lose money."
Schneider is in the midst of an international comedy tour, which he's been on since 2009. He's just returned from Australia and Singapore and will be heading to Northern Europe this spring.
"It's been going big. I did two shows a night in Australia, before big crowds," he said. "Actually, though, I prefer the smaller nightclubs. You better be on top of it because when they get the bill for the booze, it's 'What the hell?' You've got to be worth it."
Schneider is one of those comedians who managed to parlay a career out of stand-up, having begun in high school, opening for a band his brother managed. He played the Bay Area clubs, opened for Dennis Miller, got on HBO's Annual Young Comedians Special, and became a writer for "Saturday Night Live."
He then became a performer on the show, creating Richard Laymer, the annoying office worker with an obsession with nicknames; Carlo of the Il Cantore Restaurant; and The Sensitive Naked Man, proffering advice.
Schneider's movie career has included bit parts, lead roles ("Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo," "The Animal"), and multiple appearances with fellow comedian Adam Sandler (from "The Waterboy" to "Grown Ups").
His next movie, however, is a bit different.
"It's called 'Norm of the North,' and it's animated. I'm doing the voice of Norm, a polar bear. He's got to change his life because of what's happening to the ice. It's a good way to get what's happening to the planet across to kids, but it's not a message movie. It's entertainment."
It's a good fit for Schneider, a known environmentalist.
Recording for the film begins "in a few weeks and I don't know yet even what other voice actors are in the cast," he said.
Briefly, he pondered aloud the idea of doing Norm Macdonald's voice for the character, going into a spot-on accurate impression, but rejects the idea.
One major change in animated features over the decades has been the casting of major stars to do voices. Johnny Depp gets his name above the title in "Rango." It's a long way from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" or "Cinderella."
"Now they need movie stars," Schneider said. "There's nothing wrong with putting Johnny Depp's name up there. I don't know where my name will be in the promotions, but I know that after 25 years I've stopped worrying about billing."
There will be little doubt about his billing on CBS if it airs his new sitcom. It seems likely because the network has picked up the pilot and so far placed it on its fall schedule. It will be his second regular prime-time series, the first being the two-year run of "Men Behaving Badly" 15 years ago.
"So far this one is called 'Untitled Rob Schneider Comedy.' I play a man who marries into a large Latino family. Part of it is based on my real life since I married a Mexican woman."
Until then, there's the movie – and the completion of the tour, of course.
"I am really enjoying being back doing stand-up."
'Fluffy Shop Tour'
Much younger, and considerably wider, is Gabriel Iglesias who brings his "Fluffy Shop Tour" to the Silver Legacy.
"Fluffy" is how Iglesias describes his build when he riffs on his girth. It's one of his favorite topics, talking about how little dancing it takes for him to work up a sweat, for instance, or how the words "chocolate cake" cooed over the telephone work on him.
Iglesias has found an audience on Comedy Central with his stories, his parodies and his characters. He has a reputation for working clean (although attendance at his show is restricted to those 18 and over) and is working on a third special for the network (the first two being "Hot & Fluffy" and "I'm Not Fat, I'm Fluffy") and will be trying some material out while on stage in Reno. The new one is as yet untitled.
"Fluffy" so permeates the Iglesias identity, it's clearly become his hook. It's a successful one, too. He sells "Fluffy" items, like hoodies, at his concerts and at his online site, "The Fluffy Shop."
He himself is known to wear Hawaiian shirts on stage and sports his humor with other shirts that say things like "Real Men Have Stretch Marks."
GABRIEL IGLESIAS
Like other heavyweight comedians before him, this stand-up comic uses his girth as a big source of his humor.
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Silver Legacy, 407 N. Virginia St., Reno
Cost: $40, $55
Information: (800) 687-8733, silverlegacy.com
ROB SCHNEIDER
The former cast member of "Saturday Night Live" is on a world tour.
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: MontBleu, 55 Highway 50, Stateline, Nev.
Cost: $33
Information: (775) 588-3515, www.ticketmaster.com
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