Cristela Alonzo plays the Rio Theatre Friday
In her 2025 Netflix stand-up special, comedian Cristela Alonzo riffed on everything from family vacations to getting into shape to the sadness she felt after the closure of the 99 Cents Only stores. She also touched on the ICE raids that had begun sweeping through the country. “We live in a time where there are people wearing crucifixes around their necks and talking about how much they love Jesus, while at the same time trying to separate Jesus from his family,” Alonzo joked.
A year later and the backlash over President Trump’s immigration policies has only intensified. It’s a subject Alonzo revisits in her new The Midlife Mixtape tour, which includes a stop at the Rio Theatre on March 27.
“I get pretty political,” says Alonzo. “People that follow me online know where I stand on everything. You have to talk about the elephant in the room. We can’t pretend that it doesn’t exist. This is our new reality. But the shows have been amazing, because you realize that even in times that feel rough, people need a break.”
Alonzo was raised in San Juan, Texas, by a single mother who was an undocumented immigrant when she moved to America from Mexico. She has described growing up in poverty with her siblings, including the seven years they spent living in an abandoned diner. Family and her Mexican-American heritage have always been a part of Alonzo’s comedy, which includes her semiautobiographical sitcom, Cristela, that aired on ABC for a season in 2014, and her Netflix stand-up specials Lower Classy, Middle Classy and Upper Classy. She’s also written a book, 2019’s Music to My Ears: A Mixtape-Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up, which inspired the name of her new tour.
“I’m talking about what’s been happening to me in my midlife,” says Alonzo. “I turned 47 in January, and I realized that we don’t talk about the middle part being the longest. You’re kind of left to your own devices. You realize you still have a long time to go, hopefully. I’m Gen X, so I’m seeing the evolution of when I was born in 1979 to now. I just wanted to do a playlist of things that I’m dealing with right now.”
Earlier in her tour, Alonzo had to postpone a January date in Minneapolis following protests over the ICE-related shooting of Renee Good. She also postponed an April event in San Antonio after learning that the venue next door had scheduled her gig on the same night as the Killers of Kill Tony, a touring show featuring comedians from Tony Hinchcliffe’s podcast, Killy Tony. Hinchcliffe was among the speakers at a 2024 Trump rally, where he referred to Puerto Rico as an “island of garbage.”
“The people who come to my shows are the most important people to me,” says Alonzo. “I want to ensure that they have the best time possible and feel as safe as possible. A lot of those people come with their parents and they used to watch my sitcom. They used to bond over my show. When I see them, I think of my mom. I always think about what my mom’s experience would be at an event. I didn’t want anybody feeling like they have to worry and watch their backs.”
Performing in the age of Trump is a paradox for comedians: He’s comedy gold, but also a constant source of anger and worry. But Alonzo has never shied away from talking politics in her stand-up.
“I shot my first special in 2016,” says Alonzo. “I didn’t think Trump was gonna win. But he did. I’ve been very open about my struggle with anxiety and depression, and his win really depressed the hell out of me. I stopped doing stand-up for a year-and-a-half or so. I didn’t feel like being funny. When his second term started, we had a blueprint for his actions and how he behaves. I also had a blueprint for how I wanted to react, which is why I’m on the road. I didn’t want to shut down like I did during the first term.”
Alonzo hosts meet-and-greets after every appearance, and there she not only gets to momentarily connect with fans, but also hear their frustrations.
“A lot of fans talk to me in Spanish,” says Alonzo. “There’s a comfort level that happens. It’s a nice, little-understood nod. It’s a shorthand. They thank me for being vocal. They thank me for saying something, because for the most part, everybody’s feeling confused and lost. They feel hopeless. They didn’t realize they needed these shows until after they saw me.”
Cristela Alonzo performs Fri, March 27, 7:30 pm, at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. Tickets $24 at riotheatre.com.
