“As a woman I wanted to break that glass ceiling, but as a Mexican, I wanted to clean that sh*t, too,” Cristela Alonzo said within the first 15 minutes of her hilarious new Netflix special, Lower Classy. This type of smart and surprising delivery defined the masterfully-crafted hour-long show, as the comedian dared – and succeeded with flying colors – to find the funny in some of the most polarizing political topics facing America today.
Through the above mentioned joke, Alonzo not only had the crowd – both at the Empire Theater in San Antonio (where the special was taped) as well as the folks watching at home – in hysterics, but she also provoked them to think about the systemic oppression that exists in this country, the type of inequitable hardship that would make a 12-year-old girl imagine being a maid in her own fantasy. This fearless examination of such issues as immigration, women’s rights and poverty may sound heavy for a comedy special, but in Alonzo’s expert hands, these topics felt light, fresh, playful and utterly inviting.
From the moment Alonzo stepped onto the stage at the beginning of Lower Classy, her sparkling personality made it hard not to smile. Bits on voting rights, the good old days, and then-candidate Trump’s promise to build a border wall – “doesn’t he know we use tunnels now” – provided much needed catharsis, and her thoughts on tanning booths Catholicism and the reunion of New Kids on the Block were downright hilarious.
Much of Lower Classy was dedicated to Alonzo’s experience as a first generation immigrant and how, with that, she was also responsible for teaching her mother about American culture. Everything from the concept of an allowance to her mother’s take on Santa Clause served as inspiration for this incredibly funny long-form segment.
While Alonzo found a lot of humor in her childhood – which was also the muse for her all too short-lived TV series, Cristela – she also took time out to share a tender mother/daughter moment near the end of the special. You could hear a pin drop as the comedian detailed a conversation she had with her mother near the end of her life. That is until Alonzo once again pulled a rabbit out of her comedy hat and converted tears of sorrow into cry-inducing laughter.
Lower Classy is a fun, funny, smart and secretly subversive viewing experience from start to finish. Check it out on Netflix today and head over to CristelaAlonzo.com to stay up-to-date on the comedian’s tour dates and other news.