Arts & Entertainment
 

Alley audience laughs and learns

Politically incorrect comic plays stereotypes to teach humor

By Bridget Brown
The Daily Cougar

When the lights began to flash in the lobby at the Alley Theatre on Saturday night members of the small audience flooded into the Neuhaus Stage uncertain of what to expect from the one-man show Buford Gomez: Tales of the Right-Wing Border Patrol Officer. The title conjures up images that had patrons wondering how a writer for Mad TV would present an ultra-conservative Mexican officer who watches the border for illegal immigrants.

Growing up 15 minutes away from the U.S./Mexico border, Rick Najera knows a thing or two about cultural stereotypes, and finds humor in serious topics as he became Buford Gomez for a three-day stint in Houston.

Gomez, a "lean, mean deporting machine," transformed the small venue into a seminar about border patrol tactics. Those expecting the slapstick insanity of Najera's other projects may have not been disappointed. While the mostly light-hearted jokes about border patrol life weren't hilarious, running gags and thought-provoking skits carried the performance.

The "seminar" began with Gomez asking how many Hispanics were in the attendance. When they clapped in response, he poked fun at the differences between the Hispanic cultures --never sparing a four-letter word.

Gomez explained that his therapist encouraged him to talk about the time he was captured by the Tijuana drug cartel. With simple costume changes, the audience met Gomez's emotional Mexican mother, the ruthless Tijuana drug lord, his vaquero father and a gay Hollywood film director looking to gain the rights to Gomez's story.

During a more dramatic moment, Najera expressed his views about the horror Mexicans endure trying to cross the border. After the show, the audience participated in a Q-and-A session with the actor.

Buford Gomez: Tales of the Right-Wing Border Patrol Officer

Alley Theater, 615 Texas Ave.

The verdict: As informative as it was funny.

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