Resorts
bets
on
Tony
Pace
as
A.C.'s
first
signature
star
By
CHUCK
DARROW
Courier-Post
Staff
Among
the
many
things
that
Las
Vegas
has
and
Atlantic
City
doesn't
is
its
own
homegrown
superstar
attraction
like
master
impressionist
Danny Gans,
who
has
achieved
superstar
status
without
hardly
ever
leaving
the
Strip.
But
Resorts
Atlantic
City
entertainment
chief
Rick
Gallagher
believes
that
will
change
once
word
gets
out
about
Tony
Pace,
who
is
booked
through
the
summer
at
the
casino's
intimate
Screening
Room
theater.
Gallagher
is
so
convinced
the
New
Hampshire-bred
entertainer
is
destined
to
become
AyCee's
first
signature
star,
he
has
booked
him
for
an
unprecedented
residency.
So,
is
Gallagher,
one
of
the
industry's
more
astute
talent
evaluators,
on
the
mark?
Judging
from
a
recent
performance,
he
may
very
well
be.
Pace,
who
bills
himself
as
"The
Man
With
The
Voice
-
who
just
happens
to
be
funny,"
has
a
lot
going
for
him,
including
impressive
versatility,
a
keen
comic
mind
and
the
energy
and
likeability
crucial
to
the
success
Gallagher
has
projected
for
him.
The
best
way
to
describe
Pace,
who
looks
like
the
love
child
of
Tom
Poston
and
Dennis
Hopper,
is
that
he
is a
one-man
variety
show.
He
opened
a
recent
performance
with
a
solid
rendition
of
"Cara
Mia,"
which
instantly
established
his
vocal
credentials
-
especially
on a
couple
of
notes
he
held
for
a
surprisingly
long
time.
But
he
added
a
large
dollop
of
comedy
to
the
segment
by
playfully
teasing
a
man
in
the
front
row
about
the
patron's
lack
of
rhythm.
From
there,
Pace
showed
off
his
considerable
gift
of
mimicry
with
a
spot-on
singing
impression
of
Louis
Armstrong.
True,
doing
Satchmo
is
straight
out
of
Impersonations
101.
But
his
was
one
of
the
best
takes
on
the
legendary
jazz
man
we've
yet
seen.
From
there,
Pace
hop-scotched
between
straight
vocalizing,
impressions,
wonderfully
silly
bits
with
audience
members
and
wise
guy
one-liners
that
scored
far
more
often
than
not.
Among
his
standout
routines
were
impersonations
of
Michael
Jackson,
Johnny
Mathis
and
the
odd-couple
duet,
"To
All
the
Girls
I
Loved
Before"
by
Willie
Nelson
and
Julio
Iglesias.
And
before
you
suggest
these
are
all
rather
tired
subjects,
Pace
apparently
tailors
his
performances
to
specific
audiences.
On
this
day,
the
show
was
overwhelmingly
attended
by
seniors,
hence
the
mostly
vintage
roster
of
performers
-
although
he
climaxed
the
set
with
a
hilarious
take
on
American
Idol
reject
William
Hung
and
his
logic-defying
success
with
"She
Bangs."
Through
the
end
of
May,
Pace
will
be
performing
just
three
matinees
a
week.
June
30,
he
takes
over
the
Screening
Room's
five-night-a-week
shift
which,
hopefully,
will
allow
him
to
put
a
little
more
edge
in
his
show.
In
the
meantime,
there's
no
reason
you
shouldn't
check
him
out
now,
and
again
in a
few
weeks
or
so:
He
boasts
he
never
performs
the
same
show
twice.
While
it's
still
too
early
to
confirm
Gallagher's
prediction
will
prove
correct,
it
certainly
wouldn't
be
surprising
-
nor
undeserved
- if
Pace
does
indeed
becomes
Atlantic
City's
answer
to
Danny
Gans.
