Saturday, August 31, 7:00 PM

What do you do with adversity? I laugh at it.

For three decades under the stage name, Chris “Crazy Legs” Fonseca, I have had the thrill of sharing laughter with audiences.

It’s always a challenge for audiences to get over their initial perceptions of what I’m going to do and what I’m capable of. We’re brought up not to make fun of handicapped people, but there I am asking a crowd to find me funny. People aren’t sure how to react at first. In my opening joke I always try to say without really saying it: ‘I know I’m handicapped and it’s OK.’

I know it’s unusual to see a handicapped person up onstage, and if I do well, the crowd may get something out of it besides the laugh. But I’m not out there on any kind of a mission to promote disabled people and demonstrate what they can or can’t do. I’m a comedian, and I’m just trying to be funny.