(Hard Rock Live, Orlando FL) There are jokesters who claim to be comedians and then there are wonderful story-tellers who paint a picture so well that you can't help but laugh. Comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes packed a sold-out Hard Rock Live venue in Orlando Thursday 4/10/25, and had the room rolling with laughter for over an hour. This story-telling funny woman demonstrated a very keen masterclass on comedic timing, delivery, and pace.
Anjelah's "Family Reunion" 43-city 2025 US Tour had Orlando almost at the very center of its schedule, with the City Beautiful being one of five Florida stops to catch this routine made up almost entirely of brand new material!
I've watched much of her material on Youtube, and have enjoyed her infamously funny 'Nail Salon' routine, her Bon Qui Qui character, and other gems buried within the internet spanning her close-to 20 year career in comedy.
"Family Reunion" is the perfect name for this performance, as she tapped into some of the personal elements associated with aging amongst her relatives. Although some of these jokes were about her Latina culture, the jokes and scenarios were relatable across the different ethnic groups who came out to support her show. Keen to the area, she had the entire crowd roaring with laughter as she opened up her show by saying hello to 'Puert-Orlando', referencing central Florida's massive Puerto Rican population. Even with her making specific points about Latinos and her own Mexican background, the jokes were amusing and not offensive.
Anjelah was cute also. There's something about the confidence that she projects when you just look at her. But then, when she introduces one of her 'pauses' and makes a 'confused face' or issues out one of her trademarked 'whaaaaat's', there's something magical about seeing the confident one in the room displaying their vulnerability and imperfections.
Going back to her earlier days of being a cheerleader, she did display some of her athleticism during part of her bit when she proudly showed off some of her dance moves that she puts on display 'at the club'. But after clubbing all of these years, Anjelah also called out the unescapable fact that she (as with all the rest of us) was getting older, and that it was getting more and more difficult to understand some of the language in today's conversational English. But as displayed throughout the rest of her set, her pacing was immaculate in that she would take moments to draw the audience in more closely. For instance, she evoked crowd participation when she was asking for some of the 'slang' that many of used back from our younger days, and various audience members began shouting out to share their proud slang word. She didn't just poke fun at keeping up with today's English, but she also had a part during her show when she took a jab at her own ability to (not) speak (so well) in Spanish, and the audience was dying with laughter during this portion.
She spoke about her 2-year old daughter, and her husband, and made references as both 'mother' and 'wife' which immediately garnered the applause and cheers from pretty much every female in attendance.
Just as I thought we were wrapping things up for the night, she mentioned her 'nail salon' viral moment, and suddenly the audience knew what was coming. As she relived and performed live for us this comedic awesomeness that originally put her on the map, the audience was deafening with its thunderous approval and adoration. She was only able to tell a short line at a time during this section, because the sold-out room was hysterical in anticipation of each passing line that she delivered.
I have watched Anjelah so many times online, but NONE of those bits (aside from the 'nail salon') were duplicated during this show. She came in with brand new material, and had nailed her pauses and delivery to perfection. I was already a fan, but she drew me in even closer, and with as many comedians as I've been blessed to watch: with this performance, Anjelah has put herself toward 'one of the best' I've ever watched. She may speak slowly, but this delivery is completely deliberate as she is a master comic, fully aware of how every motion / gesture / pause / facial look contributes to the overall enjoyable experience of attending her shows.
Very well done in Orlando. I would strongly recommend for anyone interested in laughing / wanting to have a very enjoyable evening, to check Anjelah out on this tour!
--Bailey Guinigundo
Anjelah's "Family Reunion" 43-city 2025 US Tour had Orlando almost at the very center of its schedule, with the City Beautiful being one of five Florida stops to catch this routine made up almost entirely of brand new material!
I've watched much of her material on Youtube, and have enjoyed her infamously funny 'Nail Salon' routine, her Bon Qui Qui character, and other gems buried within the internet spanning her close-to 20 year career in comedy.
"Family Reunion" is the perfect name for this performance, as she tapped into some of the personal elements associated with aging amongst her relatives. Although some of these jokes were about her Latina culture, the jokes and scenarios were relatable across the different ethnic groups who came out to support her show. Keen to the area, she had the entire crowd roaring with laughter as she opened up her show by saying hello to 'Puert-Orlando', referencing central Florida's massive Puerto Rican population. Even with her making specific points about Latinos and her own Mexican background, the jokes were amusing and not offensive.
Anjelah was cute also. There's something about the confidence that she projects when you just look at her. But then, when she introduces one of her 'pauses' and makes a 'confused face' or issues out one of her trademarked 'whaaaaat's', there's something magical about seeing the confident one in the room displaying their vulnerability and imperfections.
Going back to her earlier days of being a cheerleader, she did display some of her athleticism during part of her bit when she proudly showed off some of her dance moves that she puts on display 'at the club'. But after clubbing all of these years, Anjelah also called out the unescapable fact that she (as with all the rest of us) was getting older, and that it was getting more and more difficult to understand some of the language in today's conversational English. But as displayed throughout the rest of her set, her pacing was immaculate in that she would take moments to draw the audience in more closely. For instance, she evoked crowd participation when she was asking for some of the 'slang' that many of used back from our younger days, and various audience members began shouting out to share their proud slang word. She didn't just poke fun at keeping up with today's English, but she also had a part during her show when she took a jab at her own ability to (not) speak (so well) in Spanish, and the audience was dying with laughter during this portion.
She spoke about her 2-year old daughter, and her husband, and made references as both 'mother' and 'wife' which immediately garnered the applause and cheers from pretty much every female in attendance.
Just as I thought we were wrapping things up for the night, she mentioned her 'nail salon' viral moment, and suddenly the audience knew what was coming. As she relived and performed live for us this comedic awesomeness that originally put her on the map, the audience was deafening with its thunderous approval and adoration. She was only able to tell a short line at a time during this section, because the sold-out room was hysterical in anticipation of each passing line that she delivered.
I have watched Anjelah so many times online, but NONE of those bits (aside from the 'nail salon') were duplicated during this show. She came in with brand new material, and had nailed her pauses and delivery to perfection. I was already a fan, but she drew me in even closer, and with as many comedians as I've been blessed to watch: with this performance, Anjelah has put herself toward 'one of the best' I've ever watched. She may speak slowly, but this delivery is completely deliberate as she is a master comic, fully aware of how every motion / gesture / pause / facial look contributes to the overall enjoyable experience of attending her shows.
Very well done in Orlando. I would strongly recommend for anyone interested in laughing / wanting to have a very enjoyable evening, to check Anjelah out on this tour!
--Bailey Guinigundo
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