Can ace roaster Amy Schumer find comic heaven at the Riviera?

By John Katsilometes

Sunday, May 13, 2012 | 2 a.m.

At the end of the interview at Lobby Bar Cafe at the Encore, Amy Schumer will say thank you for not asking a particular question.

Find the specific question at the bottom of this Q&A column.

Schumer is headlining at the Riviera tonight, ending a three-show spree. She became widely known relatively recently after guest-starring on “Curb Your Enthusiasm" and for her lights-out performance on Comedy Central’s “Roast of Charlie Sheen” in September. During the telecast, she turned to Sheen and said, “You were great in ‘Platoon,’ and your marriage to Denise Richards was kind of like her Vietnam — she was constantly afraid of being killed by Charlie. But there’s no denying how famous you are. It was international news when you ruined the lives of those two girls living with you — you know, your daughters.”

Sheen laughed. Or maybe it was a grimace.

Next month, Schumer is recording a performance in San Francisco for Comedy Central and is scheduled for a return to the roasters’ podium on Comedy Central in August. The subject has not yet been confirmed, but it hardly matters as roasters tear into anyone onstage. Mike Tyson was one of those seated onstage for the roast of Sheen, prompting Schumer to say, “Hey Mike, here’s something you’ll never hear: ‘Great tattoo!’ ”

There is still time to catch Schumer for her final show at the Riv. If you can’t make it then, she is back July 20-22 and Aug. 24-26.

More Qs and As from the cafe summit:

Would you ever be roasted?

“No, no. But I got roasted, and I will get roasted in August when I do another one. You get roasted if you’re up there. It’s awful. It’s all your childhood insecurities, everything you are afraid of, every little fear you’ve had about yourself, confronting you. It’s awful. It’s doubly awful if you’re a woman because they just prey on your physicality, everything. My tactic is to just go in with the hardest joke you can think of, the stuff you think is the funniest, and just breathe through all of the insults."

Are you and the Riviera a good match?

“It’s a great, old club. It’s a really nice room. I love the Riv, and that’s not because I am making a ska-billion dollars. I am super, super into it. I’ve been listening to old comedy records, and one of them is Totie Fields. At the start of it, you hear, ‘Live! From the Riviera!’ And it is so cool. Jackie [Monahan, her show opener and friend] and I were each listening to that, and you walk around and see all the old posters of people like George Burns, who have performed there. It just feels very cool. I want a permanent residency at the Riv. It’s everything I like. It looks like glitz that’s been in a fire.”

A lot of comics have said, over the years, they don’t like playing Vegas. Others really like it. How has it been for you?

“I’ve been here before, maybe four times before my run at the Riv, and I did not like it. That was before I did the Comedy Central roast, and now it’s great. I’m not sure that it’s a coincidence, but I feel that the people who come to see me are locals and want to be at my show. I don’t think you come to the Riv unless you really want to see my show. The crowds have been awesome. I happily extended my residence there because I love that theater. It’s a great Old Vegas casino. I feel free, I can do the stuff I’m working on. I am loving the shows there. People are coming, on purpose, so far. I hope that it builds and it becomes this really cool show because I am proud of the standup I am doing. It’s really been satisfying to me.”

Is there an area of your life you will not investigate for material?

“I never investigate anything on purpose is the truth. That’s why I talk about sex so much. Not because I am out there doing it all the time, but it’s like, it’s something that interests me, it’s where some of the funniest stuff happens. I’m interested in stuff nobody talks about. If I’m sleeping with somebody new, and some new, weird (stuff) happens, I’m going to talk about it. It’s my reality. I’ve never tried to delve into an area on purpose. Some stuff with race has come up. This year, I’ve been saying, “I haven’t slept with a black guy. That’s something that’s crazy and new and I want to do.” And I’ve been talking about that onstage, and going really far with it, pushing the limit. I’ve got that ornery part of me that wants to see what I can get away with. It turns out, I can get away with a lot.”

Do you explain to people you are having relationships with that they might wind up in your act?

“I’m not like that. I’m not like, 'Sorry, this is what you signed up for. This is my life.’ The guy that I’ve started seeing right now, I’ve said, ‘Hey, I’m kind of playing with this onstage a little bit. Are you OK with that?’ And he says, ‘Yeah, totally.’ I would like to think that if he weren’t OK with it, I would pull back the reigns. But I don’t know, comedians — we’re wired all screwed up.”

And the question she is thankful for not being asked: Is it hard for a woman to be a stand-up comic?

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWithTheDish.