Stand-up comedy is a difficult business but even harder for female comedians. Unless they put together a theme show, i.e. “Ladies Night Out”, most comedy shows will feature four comics, with maybe one woman on the show. This creates a level of competition among the female set that borders on seething hatred.
However, those negative vibes never stopped East Northport veteran comedian, Peaches Rodriguez. Having risen from the club circuit all the way to Vegas hot spots such as, the Riviera, The Sahara and celebrity Brad Garrett’s Vegas comedy showroom, Peaches has smashed that glass ceiling to bits. How does she do it? She is very good at what she does. Not only a great comedian, she brings her skills as a world renowned dancer into her act. As one of the dancers in the movie Beat Street, her “popping” style of dance, combined with her rapid fire delivery of comedic material makes her a full on entertainer. She cites “In the old days of the Rat Pack, guys like Sammy Davis Jr. would sing, dance and do comedy”
Influenced by comedy legends such as Freddie Prinze and Franklin Ajaye, Peaches is a pioneer of the Latina comedienne explosion and remains today as the leader in the category. But categories don’t appeal to her. She breaks barriers through her constant writing, and no-fear approach in her performances.
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Peaches loves the big theater venues as much as she does the urban rooms of New York City. Her greatest comedy experiences came from performing for the troops on a tour of the Middle East in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, etc. Imagine being on a truck that serves as a stage, with only a battery pack, in a dusty camp with guys and gals looking on with rifles on their shoulders. As intimidating as that sounds , the satisfaction comes at the end of the show when those soldiers came to her with tears in their eyes saying “thank you for bringing a piece of home to us”. A far cry from going through the hell in her early days doing stand-up at the Levittown Bowling Alley and having to follow a comedian who started a bar fight before introducing her. She practically had to duck chairs for that gig. Proof that Peaches is a survivor.
These days, Peaches is working on her solid hour set of comedy for a professional comedy album on a worldwide label. She also serves as a mentor for new talent and assists in casting for the NBC hit America’s Got Talent.
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On a personal note, I have always been a fan of Peaches. She is a hard worker and a tough cookie, and one of the funniest and most talented entertainers I have ever worked with, male and female.
Find out what she is up to and go see her by going to www.gopeaches.com
More about the author at www.steviegb.com
