The timely and topical Comedy Get Down features an all-star lineup

Turn on the nightly news, click on a news site or log into Twitter and you’ll likely find racial tensions in the United States are higher than any time in recent memory. In the wake of Ferguson and Charleston, anti-immigration rhetoric, mass shootings, the fall of the Confederate flag and a mounting number of police-related deaths, 2015 seems like a hard time to laugh.

But five top African-American and Latino comedians are out to do just that – make audiences laugh in the face of bigotry, stress and fear while giving people of color representation on a different kind of national stage. Even if that’s an arena stage, not a pulpit or a podium.

“At no time, the whole time I’ve been doing stand-up since 1979, has there been more of a sensitive time where people are sensitive about words,” says comedian George Lopez from his hotel in Rhode Island Monday.

Lopez joins Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, Eddie Griffin and Charlie Murphy at Time Warner Cable Arena Saturday for the Black and Brown Comedy Get Down Tour.

“It’s an interesting time,” says Lopez. “We cover everything – politics, race, the police, personalities, situations, relationships. It’s all in the show. As turbulent as times are, it’s good for business. It’s almost like ski season.”

Lopez is no stranger to creating projects with an underlying topical slant and aim at challenging stereotypes. Earlier this year he produced and appeared in the feature film “Spare Parts,” an inspirational drama about four undocumented Hispanic teens who form a robotics club and compete with MIT’s top robotics team. Lopez plays their teacher.

“I liked doing the more serious thing,” says Lopez. “The waiting around (on films) is tough for me. I’m more of a TV guy.”

The seed of Comedy Get Down – which Lopez says is attracting a diverse audience – wasn’t about showcasing black and Latino comedians, though. In October Lopez put together an all-star lineup to raise money for Richard Pryor’s long-incomplete statue in Pryor’s hometown of Peoria, Ill. He invited friends who, like Lopez, were influenced by the comedic legend.

It went so well, he decided to take it on the road. Lopez hosts and each performer does 25 minutes solo, then the group teams up for the finale.

He’s now toying with the idea of plugging in other Latino comedians, filming it as a special a la “The Kings of Comedy,” or a reality series. He notes that like Pryor, who starred in kid-friendly films like “The Toy,” the Get Down crew may have some G-rated credits to their names but the live show isn’t for children.

“I don’t think I’ve been as topical and political, especially political, as I am right now,” says Lopez, who keeps his hotel television tuned to the “Situation Room” and wherever Donald Trump’s holding court. While he may not agree with Trump, he understands his appeal, to a degree.

“He doesn’t seem to have a platform yet. He doesn’t apologize for anything. It’s almost like the school we came from. We don’t apologize for anything. (That appeals) to people in this country who are fed up with politics as usual. It’s almost like ‘Bullworth.’ There’s this guy saying stream of consciousness.… I think people are tired of rhetoric and being given the runaround, so the crazier, the more outlandish he is.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 10:13 AM with the headline "The timely and topical Comedy Get Down features an all-star lineup."