Celebrating ten years of Comedy at El Rio

It's been ten years since comic extraordinaire and hostess with the mostess Lisa Geduldig began doing her monthly comedy shows at El Rio, and on Friday May 17 at 7pm, Geduldig will host a special show to celebrate this milestone year for Comedy Returns To El Rio. Geduldig has put together quite a lineup of seasoned comics, including Bernadette Luckette, a veteran of NBC, Comedy Central, A & E and MTV.

Also appearing are Bay Area comics Ian Williams, Arjun Banerjee (whose therapist describes his style as "warm, inviting, yet witty") and Justin Lucas, who recalls his early days in the business.

"In March of 2011, after realizing that being a registered nurse was not quite for me, I thought I'd try something that my close friends had always encouraged me to do: Wear deodorant, and perform stand-up comedy," said Lucas. "Sooner than expected, comedy producers invited me to their showcases; stand-up competition judges advanced me to being a finalist, or the winner; and a certain amazing newspaper [this one] credited me with being Best Male Comedian in 2015. I had found my path to fulfilling my destiny, showbiz, and Tom's Original Unscented."

Lucas, who played Jonathan Groff's HIV tester in HBO's gay soap opera Looking, describes his comedy as "very family-impersonation and strange-character based."

"I also try to incorporate as much crowd work as possible to keep things fresh and interesting, at least for me," he said. "Through my comedy, I try to convey the hilariosity in simple real life situations."

Lucas' goal in performing comedy is simple; to change people's moods to one that is relaxed and worry-free.