Las Vegas Weekly

Come to Papa: Comedian Tom Papa headlines at the Orleans

Photo: Beverly Poppe

After gigs up and down the Strip, comedian Tom Papa has been given the helm at the Orleans' Summer Comedy Series. Catch him next on stage with comedian Maz Jobrani. A frequent touring partner of Jerry Seinfeld, Papa has spent his share of time in Las Vegas. Despite being The Marriage Ref on TV, Papa has yet to visit a Vegas wedding chapel. However, he did recently become an ordained minister online so he can officiate his friends' marriage ceremony. Papa stepped away from the altar for a minute to share some of his favorite things about Las Vegas.

When you're performing in Las Vegas, where do you like to eat?

I'm kind of addicted to The Palm in (the Forum Shops at) Caesars Palace. It's like a ritual. Whenever I perform with Seinfeld, I go right to The Palm and they treat you nice because you're with Jerry. What I really like there are those gigantic king crab claws. They're like the biggest ones I've ever seen. They're like mutant crab legs.

Where do you like to head after you're done performing your own shows?

What I like to do is go see where my other friends are performing. I'll buzz over and try to catch George Wallace doing his thing or if my friend Daniel Tosh is in. Whenever you get here, you see where your friends are and you try to hook up with them. George Wallace doesn't seem to be operating off of any set script. Anytime you walk in there, he's giving away a car or he's giving away a keychain or he's bringing strangers up on stage. I really like to see him a lot. Also, if Don Rickles is in town or those kind of classic guys that kind of seem more like Vegas, like the old Vegas.

I read that Steve Soderbergh is directing your next comedy special. Did this come naturally after your work with him on The Informant?

Yes, we hooked up on The Informant, and then he came to New York and saw me do my full stand-up set at Gotham Comedy Club in New York. When we left the show he said, "I've got to film it." I told him he couldn't just say that because I wouldn't let him take it back. He said he really wanted to do it and that when he's done with his next project, we're going to do it. We're playing around with the idea of shooting my act and then doing some scene work that kind of represents it. We'll be doing little movie vignette kinds of things. When a guy like that says he has an idea you just say, "OK."

How do you deal with hecklers?

It doesn't really happen all that often now and when it does, you have so many years of experience; you're funny; you've got a microphone and it's really an unfair fight.

What are your thoughts on comedy contests like the newly resurrected Last Comic Standing?

I think they're really awful. It's like a painting contest or an opera contest. It's an art form. I do think it's good for young comics to be seen. They really shouldn't call it a contest because they're producing it, and it's not really that legit anyway. I like what it does for people who are just starting out who don't have exposure, but to call it a contest, that's not fair. It's hard to watch it and hear them say these people are the funniest people in America.

I noted your acting credits included work on a Rob Zombie film. Are you a fan of his music and movies? How did that relationship come about?

People who are fans of him realize he is really smart and has a really funny sense of humor. We became friends through mutual friends in LA and then he came up with this idea of doing this animated film off of his comic book and I am El Superbeasto. It's hilarious, but it's also filthy. Most of his things are, and my act is not. It was great to just be a madman, to come out all sweaty, yelling and screaming.