Laughter lights up Vegas

Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006 | 7:15 a.m.

What: Craig Ferguson

When: 8 p.m. Nov. 17-19

Where: Orleans Showroom

Tickets: $49.95 and up; 365-7075

Grade: 5 stars

What: "Redneck Comedy Live!"

When: 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Where: Sahara

Tickets: $44.50; 737-2515

Grade: 4 stars

What: Vinnie Favorito

When: 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 8:30 p.m. Sundays

Where: O'Shea's Comedy Theatre

Tickets: $45.60-$56.60; 697-2711

Grade: 5 stars

Just for laughs, I checked out a few comics who are performing in Vegas, or soon will be.

I experienced a wide range of humor: earthy Vinnie Favorito, family-friendly "Redneck Comedy Live!" and hilarious stand-up comic Craig Ferguson.

The host of CBS' "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson" will be at the Orleans in November. The Glasgow, Scotland, native made his Las Vegas debut in March at the Tropicana, and he sold out three shows at the Orleans in the summer. I caught the final performance and understood why.

He becomes an unleashed madman onstage. The audience has no idea where his twisted mind is going to take it during the evening. Ferguson doesn't know either.

"I can never tell you what my act is going to be," Ferguson said during a recent telephone interview from his office in Los Angeles. "The way I work is I respond to the audience. If the audience is naughty, I'll be naughty. It sets itself up.

"I don't go out and recite a bunch of gags, it's not my thing."

But there is a structure to the show.

For example, at one point early on he expresses a dislike for Belgians. "Who do they think they are with the waffles and the delicious chocolates I can't take the Belgians."

He returns to that theme several times, such as when he talks about the Scottish actor Sean Connery playing the part of a Spaniard in the movie "The Highlander." "It's hilarious," Ferguson says. "He plays the part of the Spaniard, and the part of the Scottish warrior is played by Christopher Lambert - who is from (expletive deleted) Belgium, and so I rest my case your honor."

When Ferguson gets on a roll it's hard to stop him. You leave the theater with your sides aching.

Mostly he talks about his life, his family and his observations about the odd world in which he lives.

"When someone cuts you off in traffic in Glasgow, you get out of the car and yell, but you can't get into road rage conflicts when you live in Los Angeles," he said. "You shouldn't get into fights in traffic in a town which has absolutely no care for the mentally ill and a lax gun-control policy."

More than a comedian, talk-show host and actor ("The Drew Carey Show"), Ferguson found time to write a novel, "Between the Bridge and the River," which was released in April, and is working on another, when time permits.

But his first love seems to be the stage.

"I'd play Vegas full time if they'd have me," Ferguson said.

When he isn't talking in front of the cameras late at night, he performs a lot of stand-up gigs around the country. "I'm starting to rein that in a little bit," he said. "But Vegas is easy for me to do. I can get up there in an hour and half."

You will be seeing more of him at the Orleans. He's booked there for several engagements through next year. "I like the Orleans' stage, and I like the size of the room, about 700 seats," Ferguson said.

Boston-born comedian Vinnie Favorito performs in a much smaller venue, the 100-plus seat showroom at O'Sheas.

But he is another one who will leave you limp from laughter at the end of a show.

If you are easily offended by four letter words and politically incorrect statements, this show is not for you. If all of the curse words were deleted from Favorito's act, he would be a mime.

He usually starts out with a set routine, telling a few jokes, warming up the audience, gaining its confidence, and then turning on it.

When he touches on some sensitive topic, he points at the sign on the wall that says "comedy."

"This is a comedy show," he reminds those who might be offended.

But even his targets are laughing.

"Any Mexicans in the room?" is a common question. "Where you from, California or Texas?"

No one escapes his rapier wit. Not the elderly or the handicapped or persons of color.

"I like the older crowd," he says. "They don't get up in the middle of my show to go to the bathroom. They're wearing diapers.

"Little old ladies who play the slot machine don't tell me they don't say (expletive deleted) once in a while."

Favorito scans the room.

"What's your name?" "Where you from?" "What do you do?"

Those three questions usually end up providing a solid hour or more of humor.

"Any Native Americans here by any chance?" he asks. "I used to go out with a Native American girl. Every time we (expletive deleted) it rained. Sorry about last weekend."

"Any black people here? No. Well, they're usually late."

"You're a Mexican? What's your name? Gilbert? That's the uncoolest name I've ever heard for a Mexican. I bet you weren't in any street gangs, were you."

A group of police officers from the Midwest didn't phase him.

"You ever been shot?" he asks one. "Have you ever gotten out of the (expletive deleted) car?

"I tell you what, the next time you pull us over to give us a ticket, give us the ticket. Don't go back to your car for 20 minutes while we're sweating our (expletive deleted) off. Just give me the ticket. I'm Italian, I'll get it fixed later."

A 180-degree turn from Favorito is "Redneck Comedy Live!" at the Sahara.

The new comedy show's cast includes comedian and host Dick Hardwick, T. Bubba Bechtol, Sam Griesbaum (pronounced "grease-bomb") and Killer Beaz.

Hardwick opens the show and sets the tone, generally clean and down-to-earth.

"Grandpa and grandma celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary and grandpa gave grandma a present," Hardwick says. " 'What do you want to do now,' grandpa asks grandma. 'Go upstairs and make love,' grandma says. 'Well, we can't do both,' grandpa says.' "

Topics are generally safe.

"There's so much plastic surgery in California, you can't tell if the men and women are ugly or not anymore," Hardwick says. "You have to look at their kids."

Griesbaum, a native of Houston, sports a Hoss Cartwright-sized hat as he talks about himself and life.

"A fan said I looked like a fat Tim McGraw. Ooh, thank you. And you look like a skanky Faith Hill," Griesbaum said. "So we dated for awhile."

Beaz, noted for his thick Southern accent and colorful clothes, also works clean, at least for the Sahara show.

"I've got a young wife - so young her baby pictures are in color," he says. "I got to tell you, I'm married as hell. I'm married to within an inch of my life."

The closest he got to being off-color was talking about his wife's tattoo.

"She has a tattoo of a hickie on her neck," he said. "It's expensive, one of those that move around. I come in from a road trip, and it's moved to the other side of her neck."

Family seems to be his favorite subject.

"Children are a blessing," he said. "They will change your life for the better. If you don't have kids, go get some. But first build yourself a concrete house and then bust up all your good stuff."

Bechtol, who appears to be about 100 pounds overweight, was a highlight of the evening.

"I'm a Southern Baptist," he said. "We don't believe in premarital sex or dancing. We don't even believe in synchronized swimming."

And he spent the first 23 years of his life in Mississippi.

"I know it was a long time to live in Mississippi," he said, "but I didn't know we were free to leave."

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