THE BRONX — Roman Suarez snuck into his first New York comedy show when he was 17, crediting his sophisticated demeanor with helping him bypass the 21 and over age requirement.
"I always carried myself in a mature manner," he said, "and they didn’t ID me or anything."
The show featured the comedian Mike Epps, and Suarez was blown away by the positive reaction he received, describing the audience as "becoming electrified through laughter."
However, Suarez was still years away from entering the comedy world himself, as he first took some time to study law and work in the music industry.
It was not until about five years ago that the 38-year-old decided to try standup while in the midst of what he referred to as an "emotional drought."
Suarez had lost his job in the music industry and gotten divorced from his wife, and comedy seemed like an effective way to channel the anger he was feeling at the time, he said.
"Rather than seeking therapy, what I chose to do was to do reverse therapy," he said. "Instead of sitting down with one person and basically emptying out everything that I was experiencing or had experienced, I chose to visit open mics."
One of his big breaks early on came at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, when he begged a producer to let him onstage during a night when the other comedians were running late.
Eventually, the producer said that he could have five minutes to perform but would be taken off earlier if the set was not going well, according to Suarez.
"I did exactly 17 and a half minutes, crushing it," he said. "Everything was just hitting its mark, and the people were just roaring, and I felt amazing."
Suarez, also known as the Funny Latino, was born and raised in The Bronx and uses his act to simultaneously make fun of and promote his home.
He is not above mocking his borough's infamous history with crime, for instance.
"I'll say stuff like, the parking has gotten worse in The Bronx," he said. "Ever since gas prices have gone up, thieves have stopped stealing cars. God forbid they steal your car and you run out of gas."
However, he makes sure that people don't take jokes like this as an excuse to continue associating the borough solely with danger by urging audience members to go visit the borough themselves at the end of his shows.
"Take the 4 train. Go a little past Yankee Stadium," he said. "Check out the beauty that Riverdale is, Woodlawn, and then spend some time in the South Bronx."
Bharati Kemraj, who works for the Bronx Borough President's office and is a fan of Suarez's comedy, said this is characteristic of how he mines The Bronx for material, combining humor about the borough's rocky past with an acknowledgment that it is changing.
"He’s mixing that whole, hey, 'The Bronx' is burning, but you know what, we’re moving forward. We’re somewhere else," she said.
Being from the borough also makes it easier to perform comedy, as it helps people become tough and less afraid of facing down hecklers or unfriendly crowds, Suarez said.
One of his regular venues is the Raine Lounge in Kingsbridge, where he has been performing for years.
Andy Raine, who owns the bar, said he has enjoyed seeing Suarez grow since his earlier days as a performer and appreciates that his material can appeal to multiple generations.
"I’m 40 and older," he said, "so he kind of knows stuff that went on back when we were young kids."
Suarez, who counts among his favorite people Bruce Lee, Albert Einstein and Socrates, is still relatively new to the comedy scene and works as a host and bartender at the New York Yacht Club in Midtown to help pay the bills.
Although he prefers to focus on his upbringing rather than his job for comedic material, he has had some funny experiences at work, including dealing with a person who did not know very much about Mexican food.
"He wanted me to explain to him what a taco was," Suarez said, "and I was like, 'You’ve never seen a taco?' He goes, 'No. Is that French?'"
Suarez recently recorded his first album, "Enter the Funny Latino," which should be available in September.
He acknowledged that many of New York's premier comedy clubs are still in Manhattan but maintained a strong sense of pride in The Bronx, jokes about auto theft notwithstanding.
"I don’t jab my borough in the eye," he said. "What I basically do is I’ll make fun of it, but I’ll lift it."
