Rita Rudner, Bobby Slayton: Las Vegas Just Got Funnier

There are always lots of things you can do for fun in Las Vegas but,starting  this week, there are two special things you could do for funny in Las Vegas. That's because Rita Rudner is back with her own show at the Venetian and Bobby Slayton is back for a limited run at Hooters.

Each of them does comedy in a very different way from the other.

Rudner, whose new show is called, Rita Rudner: Now Funny At The Venetian, is a gentle soul, quite ladylike. No Joan Rivers or Chelsea Handler is she. Her comedy, mostly one-liners, is about domestic matters and her main target is herself. She talks about the stuff of everyday life - grocery scanners, the differences between men and women, living here in Las Vegas. She may be pointed, but never, ever is mean-spirited. She is soft-spoken and seems to be very, well, nice.

In today's comedy arena Rudner is an anomaly. She's got no ax to grind, isn't angry at anyone. She is simply a keen observer of everyday life and a fine reporter about what she observes.

 Bobby Slayton, on the other hand, is not quiet nor gentle nor, of course, is he in any way "ladylike." The polar opposite of Rudner, like her, he does comment on the stuff of everyday life, but it sure ain't the stuff Rudner discusses.

 Now, it would be easy to say that Bobby Slayton is all anger and vitriol. And, yes, there's a lot of that. But he is very, very funny. Everyone and everything can be a target of his humor. People often listen to his material, gasp and then laugh until the tears come. This is, if you can take the type of humor, a very, very funny guy.

No one - Asians, Jews, gay people, his wife and/or selected audience members - is immune. So, clearly, this guy is a staunch believer in the American credo of equal opportunity. But, while he is skewering an individual, an ethnic group or those with a particular sexual preference, he is just out-and-out funny. Every time I've ssen Slayton perform, people walk out of the show laughing.

 Robert Duchaine opens for Slayton and his half-hour set is funny. He's topical, sarcsastic and at times cranky. Like Slayton, he pokes fun at sex, women, race - all the usual suspects. But, compared to Slayton (which is inevitable, since they're on the same stage) he's downright beingn.

 Together, they're a terrific comedy show, well-worth seeing. So, you should see them.

Rita Rudner at the Venetian Showroom: Mondays & Wednesdays at  8:30pm; Saturday, 6 pm.
Tickets: $53.90, $ 75.90, $108.90

Box Office: (702) 414-9000 or (866) 641-7469; online at: https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/pack_planlist.htmI?l=EN&team=venetian&selID=63

Bobby Slayton at Hooters Hotel and Casino;; Thursday-Saturday 8:30 pm; Through April 2.

1-866-584-6687; $39.95

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