The day after Christmas, there will be a lot of people around Boston lining up at malls and retail stores to either return the presents they got or to quickly cash in all of their git cards. Later that evening, Pablo Francisco will likely be making fun of those people.
The Arizona comedian keeps the holiday weekend rolling he returns to Boston to headline the Wilbur Theatre on Monday (December 26) for a bit of holiday hangover humor. Francisco, renowned for his hilariously spot-on impressions, will no doubt have fans in stitches as he doles out his fast-paced brand of controlled comedic chaos.
“It’s basically going to be stand-up and cartoons put together, and the animation’s done by Steve Kramer,” Francisco tells Vanyaland. “Hopefully if the Wilbur Theatre has the projector ready we can show some of the animation, and it’s going to be fun. It’s basically it’s like Dave Chappelle meets cartoons divided by the square root of Robot Chicken.”
Dubbed “the most talented comedian in the business today” by Gene Lavanchy of FOX25 News Boston, Francisco comes armed with all-new material as he gears up for his next one-hour special, Here We Go Again, which will be released sometime in 2017.
“We’re just going to make fun of everybody and make fun of all these commercials that talk about drugs and the side effects, and you need Busta Rhymes to tell you how bad it is for you, you’re going to kill yourself or have suicidal thoughts — oh my God,” he says excitedly. “All these commercials, narcing themselves out. So we’re looking forward to that; you know, poke fun at a little Mark Wahlberg. We know he’s a Boston resident, but we love him because he’s in every movie. He’s in every movie. He’s doing elementary school announcements. It’s going to be fun. I hope people can check us out.”
With spot-on impressions of celebrities from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Chris Rock, Francisco’s comedy combines punchlines with personalities in a lightning fast performance that could easily be compared to a great jazz riff.
“My brother used to borrow money off me a lot, and I tried to get my money back in my own voice, like, ‘Hey, can I get my money back?’” cites Francisco, reflecting on when he learned he had a gift for impressions. “He’d be like, ‘Man, can I live my life?’ I figured I’d just call him up as Arnold Schwarzenegger and go, ‘Hey, come on. Stop gambling. Come on. You loser. Come on. Give the money back. Quit doubling down.’ You know or Chris Rock, just, ‘What’s the deal with that? I can’t believe this, spending your money on a stupid game you lost.’ That’s basically how it started coming about — start making fun of your relatives and your neighbors are making fun of your parents. It started I’d say about sixth grade, about that time.”
Francisco’s had a bit of help along the way when it comes to fine-tuning his impersonations: “I learned from Jimmy Fallon, so like, okay, I’ll take that from Jimmy then work it this way, because when I see Jimmy he always asks, ‘What new impression you got? I tell him, ‘I’m trying Charlie Sheen’. He says, ‘Charlie Sheen? You got to make it more Carson-y. You got to make it like, ‘Hey,’ like this. Put your chin out.” Jimmy always tops it and then he gives it to you. He goes, ‘Okay, here. I’ll top it and then I’ll give it to you.’ It’s a beautiful thing.”
Francisco’s two Comedy Central one hour comedy specials They Put It Out There and Ouch! continue to stay on the network’s most requested list. He’s performed three Australian tours in which he sold out shows in Melbourne and Sydney, and had his second visit to the South African Comedy Festival. Francisco’s global appeal saw him sell out the world renowned Milky Way in Amsterdam, and his incredible performance at the Troxy in London sold over 26,000 tickets. He’s even found the best way to connect with his Boston audience. And Casey Affleck doesn’t even need to be there.
“I wonder if you got a Dunkin’ Donuts there,” Francisco asks, below delivering the knockout pitch. “Meet me at Dunkin’ Donuts… Okay, what Dunkin’ Donuts? Just meet me at Dunkin’ Donuts. Hilarious.”
PABLO FRANCISCO :: Monday, December 26 at the Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St. in Boston, MA :: 8 p.m., all ages, $32 :: Advance tickets :: Wilbur event page :: Featured photo by Thomas Whitehouse
See you soon Boston!!https://t.co/MUMgccJaVH pic.twitter.com/mKnjjMbMQj
— Pablo_Francisco (@Pablo_Francisco) December 19, 2016