BOCA RATON – The King of Pop is coming to the garden of beer.
Well, kind of, anyway.
Jacko is gone, but Clyde Gordon, who gained fame in large part because of his Michael Jackson impersonation, is headlining tonight’s Sadman Comedy Productions show at the Biergarten in Boca Raton.
Gordon’s been doing a Michael Jackson impression for four decades. By the 1990s he’d gotten so good at it that he beat out more than 2,000 applicants to be the voice of Michael Jackson on The Jacksons: An American Dream, a four part series that aired on the BET family of networks.
“It was an honor,” Gordon said. “It was amazing.”
Gordon intends to “twist some of (Jackson’) songs up” at the Biergarten. He’ll likely mix in a couple other impressions that might include Elvis and Bernie Mac.
But Gordon is more than an impression artist, which comedy fans will undoubtedly see on Thursday.
“They are going to get energy,” Gordon said. “We’re definitely going to talk some current events.”
Those current event jokes, Gordon says, will not include politics. There’s enough new material created nearly every day to fill a night of stand-up.
“Every day life is just a big ‘ole bubble of comedy,” Gordon said.
Like many comics, Gordon went quite a while without being able to make current event jokes.
Primarily a cruise ship comic who’s also toured with the likes of Eddie Griffin and D.J. Hughley, Gordon avoided performing during the COVID pandemic.
“I hunkered down,” Gordon said. “I ended up just saying, I’m going to take this year off. I’m not going to pursue anything on stage.”
Gordon returned to performing earlier this year, working once a week or so.
“The stage is a second home,” Gordon said. “I feel lost when I’m not on it.”
Thursday’s free show begins at 8 p.m. Nick Simmons, Alex Novello, Lee Chirillo and Joanna Blaszkiewicz are also scheduled to perform. David Sadman hosts.
