Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif. -- Three reputable comics gave the Combat Center community free laughs Sept.14, at the base’s Sunset Cinema sponsored by Marine Corps Community Services.
At 7 p.m. service members and their families piled in the theater for a free comedy show with the comic talents of Dan Smith, Mariano Rodriguez and headliner Mike Marino.
Rodriguez, host of the evening, kicked it off with jokes about his Latin heritage and references to the audience. The comic was born in Chile and moved to Tucson, Ariz., at the age of five after his mom was accepted to the University of Arizona.
He moved to Los Angeles in 2000, where his comedy career was born. He performs skits and stand-up routines regularly on SiTV’s Latino Laugh Festival. His Web site, http://www.comedytime.com, has upcoming dates for his shows and video clips.
Rodriguez warmed-up the audience for Smith, who was next to keep the packed theater rolling with laughter. Smith joked about how he would successfully defeat any animal in a fight and talked with audience members about their military occupational specialties.
Smith is from Massachusetts, where he earned a degree and started his comedy career. He has done comedy shows for American troops in 21 countries around the world, including Bosnia, Kosovo, Korea, Japan, Iceland, Afghanistan and Iraq. He has a CD available of his comedy called “Speak When Spoken To.”
After the crowd laughed to the verge of tears, Rodriguez introduced Marino, the headliner of the show. Marino compared coasts and the outcomes of situations if it were in the hands of an Italian. Marino, referred to as “New Jersey’s Bad Boy of Comedy,” was born in Jersey City, N.J. With a degree from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts Marino has appeared on a variety of television shows and films, and has headlined comedy shows at clubs nationwide.
Lance Corporals John Morales, Anthony Moreno and Jason Rosario, field radio operators with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, all enjoyed the show, they said. They particularly related to the East Coast references made by Marino, but also enjoyed the comic views of Rodriguez. They thought the show was better than last year’s and hope they see more entertainment just as good or better here at the Combat Center.