Nick Arellano never thought he’d share a stage with Joan Rivers, mostly because she’s an untouchable legend he grew up watching on TV. There’s also the fact that she died in 2014.
But at a recent Don’t Tell Comedy show at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, comedian and Fashion Police co-executive producer Tony Tripoli made the impossible happen.
“I was raised in a traditional religious household, a bit more conservative. E! News was my comedy. Joan was a comedy pioneer. I was watching her on TV in my home at 14. The little closeted gay boy was trying to imitate Joan Rivers,” says Arellano, lead producer for Don’t Tell Comedy Vegas. “Fast-forward to November 15. [Tony] comes to the green room, reaches into his backpack and brings out the urn of Joan Rivers. ... So, Joan had a spot on the Fontainebleau stage.”
It was one of those full-circle moments that make you feel like you’re at the right place at the right time. And on a larger scale, that reflects the state of Don’t Tell Comedy.
The Vegas chapter of the national franchise launched in 2019 in an Inspirada living room, and over the past seven years it’s grown into a local comedy staple. If you’re not in on the joke, Don’t Tell Comedy is a secret comedy show that pops up at unconventional venues. The location and comedian lineup are always revealed on the day of the show.
Don’t Tell Comedy has put on more than 100 shows locally at nightclubs, gyms, hair salons, coffee shops, museums and now, on the Strip. This year, they popped up at On the Record speakeasy at Park MGM as well as Nowhere Lounge at Fontainebleau. Next thing you know, they’ll be launching a full-scale comedy invasion and taking over the entire city.
The Weekly recently sat down with Arellano to talk about building the Don’t Tell Comedy empire in Vegas and where he’ll be popping up next.
You had a show at Park MGM in July, the Punk Rock Museum in October and Fontainebleau in November. Don’t Tell Comedy has come a long way since that first show in an Inspirada living room. It’s literally going places.
At the beginning, the way the brand worked was secret locations, secret comedians and typically BYOB. There was a bring-your-own-beer factor that really drove ticket sales.
Yes, we are doing shows on the Strip now. But that is also not our bread and butter. It can’t be because there’s that local element that people just love so much. A Henderson local loves to see that there’s a show happening in Henderson or Summerlin.
It has taken seven years for you to build up Don’t Tell Comedy Vegas. Have you had anyone helping you?
I launched a [volunteer] show helper program a couple of years ago and built it for the Las Vegas scene. This was a call to action ... to be behind the scenes at these comedy shows they’ve really been enjoying. For the past couple of years, I’ve developed a team of six.
My associate producer Jordan Martinez, who has been such an incredible asset to this team for the past couple of years, is becoming regional producer of the Henderson area. Whether it be breweries or backyard shows, [we’ll be] bringing back those really fun, unique, quirky shows that we did at the beginning.
Henderson is such a vault of comedy fans. I’m so excited to really make it shine there next year.
You’re not just lead producer for Don’t Tell Comedy Vegas. You also work in communications and public affairs for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. How do you balance those disparate roles?
It is the Hannah Montana life that I try to balance. In my normal 9 to 5, I’m Miley. I’m on a Zoom, wearing a suit. I’m working for the legislative session. And by night, I’m putting on my blonde wig, and I have to be Hannah [for Don’t Tell Comedy]. A lot of what I did in political work was field organizing and volunteering. I was training organizers, and it’s something that is a bit full circle with Don’t Tell Comedy, because I’m [acting] like a field organizer would. They make this event. They organize for the event. They bring in volunteers.
Had I not been actively participating in the political side, I wouldn’t have been able to blend that into the work that I do with Don’t Tell. It’s a comedy show, but it’s also a business.
Do you have any New Year’s resolutions for Don’t Tell Comedy or for yourself?
I recently did accept an executive producer role at the Doberman Downtown. We’re going to be navigating a new lecture on a tap-esque series called the Doberman Dialogues, which will be launching soon. ... I’m going to be extending my roots a bit differently within the community. I’m excited to do something really interesting and cool at the Doberman soon.
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