LAS VEGAS, 11:42 a.m. EDT June 25, 2001 -- Stand-up comic Rita Rudner has been a favorite of mine for years, to the point where I have memorized several of her routines just because I've watched the videos so often. Her new show at New York-New York didn't disappoint a diehard fan like myself and handily won over the "let's get back to the slot machines" crowd that joined me.
Rudner's shtick is primarily based these days on the differences between men and women and the trials and tribulations of marriage. Certainly not ground-breaking territory, but her take on everything from shopping to getting directions to the number of pillows on the bed is fresh, funny and slightly off-kilter.
On growing up with over-protective parents: "My parents wouldn't even let me go on the swings. Well, they'd let me sit on it and then they'd just run back and forth beside me while saying, 'This is what it would look like.'"
On cooking: "I read recipes like I read science fiction. I get to the end and think, 'Well, that's not going to happen.'"
Her Vegas-specific material is especially funny. About the city in general, she says, "People like Las Vegas because it's the exact opposite of everywhere else. And everything is legal here. Gambling ... prostitution. I figure the jails are filled with lots of people who littered."
About the new Desert Passage shopping mall, she says, "It's wonderful because it's shopping in a circle. It never ends. In fact, there are some women who have gone in and never been heard from again. The shopping bags have pictures of their faces on them with the phrase, 'Have you seen this woman?'"
She even pokes fun at the guys who pass out the pornographic brochures on the street. "They never pay attention. One guy tried to hand me one of those things with two nearly naked women in bed on the cover while saying, 'How about showing them a good time?' And I said, 'How? Would you like me take them shopping? Because it looks like they need some clothes.'"
Rudner's dog Bonkers makes a special appearance at the end with the world's worst-trained dog act. It sounds kind of silly but she had the audience practically rolling on the floor.
Throughout the 90-minute set, Rudner's infectious good humor and charm shine through, offering a delightful break from the general Vegas mayhem happening right outside.
My one and only complaint lies not with Rudner but with New York-New York, which built this new "showroom" right under the roller-coaster track. Every five minutes or so, the room rumbles and shakes like you're living in basement apartment just above the subway. That's taking New York realism just a bit too far, if you ask me.
Rudner is currently booked to perform through early November at New York-New York's cabaret theater. Make a point of seeing her while you have the chance.
Vegas4Visitors Rating: A
Rita Rudner at New York-New York
3790 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Monday through Saturday at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $46-$55
(800) 693-6763
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