Ruel is accustomed to shattering stereotypes. Originally hailing from Milwaukee, he's a Stanford grad who worked his way up through the comedy-club circuit, where few Native Americans have been given a chance to tread. "They might have a Native American on the roster once a year," he says. So Ruel joined forces with a trio of fellow Native American funnymen: Vaughn Eaglebear, JR Redwater and Marc Yaffee, who describes himself as a "Mex-i-jo" — Mexican, Irish and Navajo. Ruel notes that all four comedians have a distinctive style marked by more than a few surprises. For instance, he mixes impressions of typical targets such as Arnold Schwarzenegger with skewed takes on Native American actors like Wes Studi and Graham Greene. "I'm not out there saying, 'You crazy white man! Look at what you did!'" he maintains. "My main purpose is to make people laugh."
The Pow Wow Comedy Jam gets under way at 7 p.m. at Comedy Works, 1226 15th Street. Tickets are $14.50. For more information, call 303-595-3637 or visit www.comedyworks.com.
Sun., June 10
