DANIA BEACH – Lives change when men meet the woman of their dreams.
In the case of Steve Trevino, so does comedy.
A self-described wild man who early in his career drank on stage and used his comedy bits to meet women, Trevino admits to struggling with his routine once his relationship with now-wife Ranae grew serious.
“I remember walking on stage and hating that I had fallen in love with this girl,” Trevino said. “The material was really about that I hate the fact that I now have to change my entire life so that this girl doesn’t go away. The comedy came out very angry and very frustrated – and almost anti-female.”
After much internal deliberation, Trevino finally grew comfortable leaving his party animal lifestyle behind. Adulthood – and the maturity that accompanies it – has its benefits.
“That’s when things really turned for me,” Trevino said. “The more I got involved with my wife, and the more I wanted to be a good husband, and the more I wanted to be a good dad, then it really started to resonate with people because I think I kind of show the evolution of a man.”
As so often happens, the woman helped shape the man.
A storytelling comic who builds his bits around life experiences, Trevino began incorporating the humorous aspects of marriage into his act. Fatherhood followed, providing an additional joke source to be mined.
Now 43 years old, the wild man has morphed into “America’s Favorite Husband.” Trevino couldn’t be happier.
“I think there is something really cool about my stand-up,” said Trevino, who’s comedy resume includes specials on Showtime and Netflix. “It’s kind of old-school storytelling and me trying to be a good man.”
Trevino’s comedic stock continues to rise because his jokes and stories are so relatable to modern husbands and wives. That doesn’t surprise Trevino.
What is a bit surprising – and pleasing – to Trevino is that many of the fans who enjoyed his early stand-up years are still following him. Like Trevino, many of those former partiers now have wives and children of their own.
“It’s just really cool that we’ve had these fans evolve with me,” Trevino said.
Trevino and family are in South Florida this weekend for six shows at the Dania Improv, beginning Thursday night at 8 p.m.
It’s not unusual for wife Renae, six-year-old son Garrett and their 11-month-old daughter to travel with Trevino for weekend shows.
Over the past year, including a February performance at the Palm Beach Improv, Trevino began inviting Garrett on stage with him to tell a few jokes. In recent months, Garrett added a song or two to his routine.
“He has learned that if he sings a song the crowd goes crazy and then they give him money,” Trevino said, laughing.
The Trevinos won’t be the only ones telling jokes in Dania.
A headliner on most nights, Flip Schultz will serve as Trevino’s feature comic. Schultz and Trevino are friends who have toured together in the past. Trevino credits Schultz with helping refine bits for Trevino’s upcoming special.
“To have a headliner like him on the road helping me look at my act, helping me change it, adding tags, has been such a valuable thing,” Trevino said.
A quartet of local comics will serve as hosts for Trevino’s shows. Phil Isme performs on Thursday, Jackie Sanchez hosts one show each on Friday and Saturday, with Stephanie Wood taking the other shows on those nights. Nadeem Awad hosts Sunday’s show.
