Latins Anonymous Pokes Fun at Cultural Stereotypes

The list of Latino comedians who have made it big is short. Only a few names--maybe Freddie Prinze and Paul Rodriguez--come immediately to mind.

Even in Los Angeles, where Latino art and theater are blossoming, comedy has lagged behind.

But that is starting to change. Comedians like Taylor Negron, El Vez and Culture Clash are making a name for themselves in the city. And a new group, Latins Anonymous, is offering ensemble comedy with a Latino flavor.

The quartet is made up of veteran television actors who kept running into each other at auditions.

“We got tired of doing the same stuff,” said Diane Rodriguez, a member of Latins Anonymous. “Getting type-cast as a pregnant woman, a maid, a drug dealer . . . it became comical to us.”

So Rodriguez, Luisa Leschin, Armando Molina and Rick Najera banded together a year and a half ago. They spent eight months practicing and polishing their work before taking the live show on the local college circuit. Friday, at Los Angeles Valley College’s Cinco de Mayo celebration, Latins Anonymous will make its first Valley appearance.

The show is patterned on an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, with the characters sharing their problems. One women has “Chicano burnout” after a decade in the cultural movement. Another has “pinata-phobia.” There are discussions of heritage denial and the dilemma of sex with Anglos.

“It’s irreverent in the sense that it’s not a pejorative sense of humor that is at the expense of Hispanics,” said Tomas Benitez, the director of programs and development for La Plaza de la Raza Cultural Center, which has provided Latins Anonymous with a rehearsal room for the last year.

“There are some stand-up comics who are Hispanic and are still doing flat tortilla jokes. There’s a lot of exploitation,” Benitez said. “Latins Anonymous are not only unique, they are on the forefront. Rather than perpetuate the stereotypes, they are creating humor with a greater sense of challenge.”

Said Rodriguez: “We use stereotypes to make our point, to show how stupid they are.”

Predictably, the group’s act includes a jab at Hollywood. The skit involves two gangs facing off: on one side are Puerto Ricans from New York, on the other side are Mexican-Americans from Los Angeles. The gangs are fighting over a few, stereotypical bit parts that are available to Latinos in television and movies.

Rodriguez is familiar with such roles, having appeared as such in shows like “Hill Street Blues” and “Our House.” Leschin just finished a television pilot with Julie Brown, Molina has worked in both theater and episodic television, and Najera has film and soap opera credits.

“This is more fun,” Rodriguez said. “In television, the four of us have had to play some shallow roles. With Latins Anonymous, we’re in control of what we do.”

Latins Anonymous will be part of a Cinco de Mayo show that will also include performances by Polytechnic High School’s Folklorico Dancers and the Poly “Ritmo” Band. The show begins at 6 p.m. in Monarch Hall at Los Angeles Valley College, 5800 Fulton Ave., Van Nuys. Admission is free.