Finally, a Fiesta comedy event that's promoted as proudly and openly gay — not

"campy," "flamboyant," "irreverent" or with any other fuzzy-worded, coded language.

      Most importantly, "Fiesta Flambé: An Outrageous Gay & Lesbian Comedy Extravaganza" at Rivercenter Comedy Club promises to be fun and funny.

      Veteran comics Tom Hester, Slim Bloodworth and Jade Esteban Estrada are the star attractions at the five-night run that begins Wednesday.

      Club general manager Ben Huerta is braced for the rowdy crowd and guest comics that are expected to drop in.

      "We want it to be as irreverent as we can be," Huerta said. "That's what we're trying to do. It's a spoof of Flambeau."

      OK, Flambeau is not exactly a sacred cow, but that's part of the inside joke.

      Huerta has seen the evolution of the Fiesta gay-comedy concept, tweaking it over the years from the Gay-esta to Fiesta Frenzy to the Flambé.

      Hester, an Austin comedian with a drawl a mile long, is a favorite across the country and a top comic on XM Radio. He's known for his conversational style.

      "I think we'll draw a different kind of crowd," said Hester. "We're going for the gay crowd and the hip nightclub people."

      But everyone is welcome, he added.

      "Funny is funny, no matter what subject it is. The thing is, I don't do that many gay jokes," said Hester, 45, who began his career in 1981. "There's more to my life than just being gay. I've got a huge array of subjects. I'm kind of a thinking-man's comic. For me, it's about the art of comedy."

      Destiny played a hand in lesbian comic Slim Bloodworth's nickname. Her father and grandfather were known as "Stretch" and "Bones," respectively.

      Bloodworth, a self-described diva of tacky, enjoys the gay comedy package tours and themed-shows, but doesn't necessarily prefer them.

      "I just like being onstage," she said. "I'm a stage whore.

      "I like being in front of anybody. I don't care if they're gay, straight, black, white, purple, green. Sometimes, I don't care if they speak the language. But sometimes these package shows do work a lot better."

      That's why she's part of the "Dykes of Hazzard" lesbian comedy shows. Bloodworth is a rarity on the comedy scene, even in her Houston hometown.

      "There aren't a whole lot of female comics, and there aren't a whole lot of gay comics, much less lesbian comics," she said. "In a way, it works for me. As a female, I'm one of the girls. As a lesbian, I'm one of the guys."

©2008 San Antonio Express-News