It’s been three years since Gabriel Iglesias last visited the greater Boston area. But he’s still as funny and “Fluffy” as ever, and he’s set to bring a new hour of material, dubbed the One Show Fits All World Tour, to Medford’s Chevalier Theatre for a five-show stint this weekend (February 9 to 11), Hawaiian shirts in tow.
Iglesias will be one of the first comedians to work the room at the newly renovated Chevalier, and while he’s performed in venues ranging from clubs to stadiums throughout a comedy career that has spanned more than 20 years, he’s looking forward to bringing his new material to Medford Square, and being able to stick around for a bit.
“It’s a different way to perform, for sure, when you’re playing a smaller venue compared to a larger one,” an affable Iglesias tells Vanyaland. “I kinda feel like smaller venues are more fun for the artist, because they’re more intimate, and we get to spend a little more time somewhere, instead of just a quick in and out, which is how it usually is when you’re playing stadiums, where you’ll get off the stage, into the bus, and just move on to the next city that same night.”
Another reason the former All That actor is excited to be back in the area is a bit more personal, because as it turns out, it isn’t just the Fluff of a marshmallow persuasion that has New England roots. Iglesias has family in New Hampshire, and while he’s excited to have them come out to these shows, he sees the show as a whole as a family reunion of sorts, as he continues to work to make his time on stage an all-inclusive journey through his ever-entertaining stories of life events, and the absurdity he’s experienced with his family and friends.
And while he is a major representative of the Latino community in entertainment, the Hawaiian shirt-clad funny man aims to attract fans of all races to his shows, and steers clear of divisive topics like politics in his set, as he’d rather update people on stuff going on in his life, without dividing the room.
“I enjoy the notoriety, because I like attention, but because of that level of notoriety and the many different places I perform, some where there are no Latinos, sometimes I have to rely on white people, black people, Asian people, and middle eastern people to laugh,” he says. “This weekend will be like a homecoming show, but I keep working to make it so everyone can come out and have a good time. Now, whether I’m looked at that way through the Latino community or any other community for that matter, I’m just doing what I do.”
For an entertainer who never thought his career would grow beyond a skit show on Nickelodeon, Iglesias never passes up a moment to acknowledge that he is blessed beyond his largest — err, fluffiest — expectations.
“I was 22 years old at the time of All That, and didn’t think it could get any better than that,” Iglesias admits. “I never expected it to become this. It feels incredible when I run into people on the street, and people recognize me, and then they smile, because it’s almost like they ran into a relative, or at least a relative that they like. That kind of thing happens daily now, and I still enjoy it.”
GABRIEL “FLUFFY” IGLESIAS: ONE SHOW FITS ALL WORLD TOUR :: Saturday, February 9 to Sunday, February 11 at The Chevalier Theatre, 30 Forest St. in Medford :: 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., all ages, $43 to $86 :: Chevalier event page and ticket info :: Featured image courtesy of the artist