MICHAEL PACE
There's nothing routine about Michael Pace, including his act and uncompromising approach to comedy and his career. Despite the fact that thousands of comics are trying to ride the same elevator to the top of the business, Mike elbowed his way to the attention of The Los Angeles Times, which praised his fresh approach to humor, his visual and verbal talents, and his ability to stay ahead of the pack. The Times said it expected big things from Michael Pace, and he hasn't let fans down. Among his credits are A&E's Evening at the Improv and Showtime's Comedy Club Network. As a concert act, he's shared the stage with B.B. King, Natalie Cole and Simple Red. Besides his wit, what sets Mike apart from the crowd is a pliable face. His facial expressions are to punchlines what Silly Putty is to comic strips.
There is no way an audience won't pick up his point when he starts rolling his eyes. "When I was a kid, I used to like to get other kids in trouble by making them laugh, so I would work on a new face in the mirror every day," he recalls. "I've always had instincts," says Mike, a former special education teacher, bartender, and recreational counselor for retarded children before comedy took over his life. Whether he's talking about telephone party lines, babies or how he used to teach boxing at a nursing home, those instincts are never quite what the crowd expects. Whatever strange spin Mike puts on his humor, proof of his unique talent is in the punchline.