Making jokes about pigmentation would seem to be risky business, even for a seasoned stand-up. But Victor Varnado, a comedian who happens to be an African American with albinism, finds humor in his situation and isn't afraid to use it.

Being both has its perks, as he has noted in one of his routines: "I can catch as many cabs as I want, and the drivers don't even know I'm black until I hop in the back and I'm like, 'To Compton!'"

Varnado is the headliner at tomorrow's Underground Comedy Night at the Improv, joining local comics Gab Bonesso and John McIntire.

Mining issues of race for humor is tricky. Dancing along that line means finding the right approach, Varnado says. "I never make fun of myself for being a black albino. I make more fun of prejudice. I know that there are younger people with albinism who kind of look up to me, and I would never want them to see me on stage making fun of myself for having albinism.

"My jokes are always making fun of other peoples' perceptions, or making fun of the way the world may treat somebody with albinism."

That approach makes audiences comfortable enough to laugh, even when the subject matter seems as if it would make them uneasy. "My goal is to do it in such a way where people accept it, even though I do talk about really rough subjects or things that people won't normally talk about in open forums."

For example, he'll deliver a show-stopping line like, "Who here has had their AIDS test?" When he's met with silence from the crowd, he'll add, "Good job guys. Everybody here is just rolling the dice."

Varnado was born in Gary, Ind. His stage career began in Minneapolis, where he performed in regional theater and several improv troupes. His stage work led to film, with his first role in 1996 in "Full Moon Rising," followed by "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" and "End of Days." Last year, he played an albino gang leader in the TV sitcom "My Name Is Earl."

Varnado has branched out in many directions, including writing, directing and producing. "I've always been kind of a renaissance man. I really like to know how to do as many things as possible, and I like to excel at them."

Recent projects include "Twisted Fortune," with Charlie Murphy and Carole Alt, which Varnado directed and acted in.

He is associate producer of "Nerdcore Rising," a documentary about nerdcore hip-hop, or hip-hop geared to a nerd/geek audience, which recently premiered at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas.

He also is the lead writer and director of "Rat Race," a comedy video game in development for Sony PlayStation. "It's a playable sitcom. You walk around and talk to people, and the game unfolds," says Varnado, who also voices several of the game's characters. "It has tons and tons of dialogue. Writing one level of it is probably the equivalent of writing three feature films because of the amount of dialogue."

Although his career has spun out in many different directions, he has remained true to his roots and continues to perform stand-up. He's familiar to TV audiences through his spots on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Last Comic Standing" in 2004 and Comedy Central's "Premium Blend."

Varnado has made several stops at local comedy venues.

"They're smart yet rowdy," he says of Pittsburgh comedy audiences. "They get everything, but they're rowdy. They want to get involved. It's kind of like riding a mechanical bull.

"After the show, I really want locals to take me out to a fun place to hang out and drink and show me a Pittsburgh that I wouldn't normally see on my own."