Comic Francisco grew up on stage
For Pablo Francisco, age doesn’t automatically come with wisdom. “I’m 48 but I read at a thirdgrade level,” joked the comedian.
Known for specials in the ’90s and early 2000s, Francisco is back on tour and headed for the Orlando Improv Comedy Club on International Drive. He’ll headline the Pointe Orlando venue tonight until Sunday. (Tickets are $22 for tonight and Sunday, $25 Friday-Saturday. Details: theimprovorlando.com.)
Francisco began doing stand-up at 19 while working at a Domino’s Pizza. “I wrote all my material while tossing pizza and bouncing jokes off my manager,” he said.
The Tuscon, Ariz., native broke out in 1996 as a writer on Fox’s “MadTV,” becoming a featured performer on the sketch comedy show the following season. The Latino comic was known for a variety of celebrity impressions, most famously the late movie-trailer narrator Don LaFontaine.
In 2003, he and colleagues Carlos Mencia and Freddy Soto starred in a comedy special called “The Three Amigos,” from the same director as “The Blue Collar Comedy Tour.”
Throughout his decades in the business, Francisco has had to change his act quite a bit. His audience has grown both up and down with him. “My demographic runs from 13 all the way to 50 now,” he said. Having younger fans has made him reconsider his material. “It’s more politically correct now, in a way. When it comes down to saying the f-bombs, I put them where they’re necessary. If they aren’t necessary, why ruin the vibe of the show?
“It’s helped me out more to keep it good, clean fun.”
Francisco’s career took turns he didn’t expect, such as becoming a writer for commercials. “All these corporate bigwigs come up to me and they say you can do it,” he said. “It’s weird but the pay is good. It’s very American.”
He says the process, however, isn’t very different from how he develops a stand-up set. “It’s two people and an idea,” he said. “It’s basically you riffing at a bar with your buddy.”
Transitioning from writing for film and TV to getting back on stage carries its own set of challenges, according to the comedian. “It’s a pain if you’re pressured to come up with new stuff,” said Francisco. “Who wants to work under pressure? It’s crap.”
There’s also the business of learning how to read an audience again. “The YouTube thing has made me feel more comfortable so when I walk into a room, I’ll be like, OK, I’ve got to switch some things up,” he said.
“It’s very fun to figure out what kind of room it is. But it does have its difficulties.”
Overall, Francisco believes making changes to be the most positive direction. He references several movie remakes coming out of Hollywood. “We’ve got to switch up the vibe, give it a different guitar solo,” he said. “Just have fun with it.”