One of HBO’s Women of the Night in 1988—a groundbreaking special that also introduced the world to Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone and Judy Tenuta—Rita Rudner and her gal pals ushered in a new wave of female standup comedy unlike any that has come before or since. The following year, HBO gave Rudner her own special, and by 1990 Johnny Carson came a-knocking. Since those early days, which included a 1992 hit film, Peter’s Friends that she co-wrote with husband Martin Bergman and starred alongside Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branaugh, Rudner’s sweet, self-deprecating style and understated jabs have kept the comedian in steady demand and with a regular Las Vegas act. Catch her this weekend when she makes a rare appearance in her SoCal home, and relive the glory days of women’s comedy.
Sat., May 29, 8 p.m.; Sun., May 30, 8 p.m., 2010
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