Las Vegas comedian turns to laughter instead of tears

Pain can be funny.

It's a sentiment local comedian Don Barnhart, 47, has made a career out of .

"That's where I draw most of the inspiration for my act from," the southwest Las Vegas resident said. "Life, in general, is a painfully funny endeavor. You know how they say you have to laugh about it, or you'll cry? I believe that."

Barnhart, a self-professed workaholic, performs his comedy act at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday at the Clarion Hotel, 305 Convention Center Drive.

Admission is $29.95 per person, with a two-for-one deal for military and locals.

Barnhart moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas more than seven years ago, a refugee from facades and broken dreams.

"We moved here at the peak of the real estate boom," he said , "w hich means we came to town just in time to overpay for our house."

Barnhart said he thought Las Vegas had more opportunity to offer than L.A. And at this point, Barnhart said he considers himself a transplant native.

"Seven years is a long time to be in this city," he said. "I love it here, though. It's my home."

Barnhart said he stays busy, not just with the show but with a number of fun, Hollywood-style projects. He's the producer and director of "China Dolls," an action thriller filmed here, and is the creator of the "The Freedom of Speech Comedy Show," now available for purchase on amazon.com.

Barnhart, a trained comedy hypnotist and Second City graduate, said audiences can expect straight stand-up from his current show, but he still enjoys wearing every hat in his proverbial performance closet.

"I don't do performance hypnotism these days," he said. Barnhart said he became a comic because he had no other skills.

After attempting to enter the Air Force at 18 (a glaucoma problem prevented him from doing so), Barnhart found himself working the night shift as a doorman at a comedy club.

He went on to become the club's talent coordinator and manager, booking now-famous comedians such as Jim Carrey and Dana Carvey during the 1980s. "They were virtually unknown then," he said. "It was a fun time, and I learned a lot."

Barnhart said he took the encouragement offered by his colleagues and soon set out on the road himself.

"I did the comedy circuit for a lot of years," he said.

Last year, Barnhart was honored with the 2010 Bob Hope Award, a distinction he accepted for entertaining the military for 17 years .

"That's another passion of mine," he said, "e ntertaining our brave troops. I've traveled throughout the Middle East, stopping at bases that don't exist to make these people laugh. It has been one of my greatest honors."

Contact Southwest and Spring Valley View reporter Amanda Donnelly at adonnelly@viewnews.com or 380-4535.