Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Comedy Central Presents

Pablo Francisco

Comedy Central · 2000 · 30 min

A hyperactive sprint through sound effects, music parodies, and movie-trailer voiceovers.

Pablo Francisco does not tell jokes so much as he operates as a human soundboard. He sprints through manic sound effects, vocal distortions, and musical parodies with relentless intensity. The anchor of the set is his “Movie Announcer Guy,” an accurate impression of Don LaFontaine that soundtracks imaginary action films starring Keanu Reeves and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Filmed at the Hudson Theatre in New York City, this 2000 broadcast served as a breakout solo moment after his late-1990s stint as a featured player on MADtv. He shifts rapidly from reenacting melodramatic Spanish soap operas to mocking the predictable rhythms of lazy R&B. Rather than standard setups, he relies on a barrage of noise and character voices to maintain momentum, frequently interrupting his own premises with trumpet noises and whistles. He operates entirely on adrenaline, treating the microphone less as a tool for storytelling and more as an instrument for acoustic experiments.

The set list

3 bits

  1. Explosive movie preview and trailer voiceovers

    Impersonates overly dramatic film trailer narration and action star tropes, including Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, accompanied by self-made vocal sound effects.

  2. Spanish soap operas

    Re-creates and satirizes the heightened melodrama and dialogue of Spanish soaps using his vocal talents.

  3. Lazy R&B music

    Expresses disdain for the tropes and repetitive nature of contemporary R&B songs.

How it plays

Tone
Energetic, absurd, and satirical.
On stage
High-energy vocal impressionist and sound effect mimic performing entire cinematic scenes single-handedly.
Pace
High-energy, rapid-fire vocal play across multiple audio layers and sound effects.
About
Spanish soap operas, movie trailer voiceovers, lazy R&B music

What the critics said

Praised for his vocal mimicry, rapid versatility, and unique ability to blend sound effects with distinct character voices.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, paramountplus.com, tv-archiv.sk, filmbooster.co.uk, archivtv.cz, dead-frog.com, csfd.cz, grokipedia.com, rottentomatoes.com.

Backstory

Season 4, Episode 4 of Comedy Central's signature half-hour standup comedy series Comedy Central Presents.

Details

Released
Runtime
30 min
Where
Comedy Central
Director
Paul Miller
Topics
Before
A Knee to the Groin (1997)
After
Bits and Pieces - Live from Orange County (2004)

More from Pablo Francisco

If you liked this