Impersonation expert Melissa Villasenor gives hilarious performance.
Melissa Villasenor is the latest rising comedic talent to visit USC, with a unique talent for vocal impressions.
She has a popular YouTube channel, made it to the semifinals of America’s Got Talent, has voiced characters on the animated show Adventure Time and is now touring as a stand-up comedian.
“I started doing impressions when I was 12,” she said. “I just knew I wanted to be a comedian.”
She put her impression skills to good use in her Carolina Productions show Wednesday night, starting off with a Mickey Mouse impression and sprinkling in Kathy Griffin, an old Southern woman, a chipper Japanese girl and more.
But she’s more than just an impressionist, she said.
“I still do voices and stuff in my bits, but now my stand-up is becoming stand-up,” she said. “It’s becoming about my life and world and the voices are definitely in the story. It just keeps growing.”
Her show often has a self-deprecating side.
“I definitely like to pick fun at myself,” she said. “I don’t mind; I think I’m a joke. I think it’s fun, so I have a good time. It’s nothing mean. It just cracks me up.”
Wednesday’s performance was no different.
“Any creepy people in here?” she asked at the show, deadpan. “I’m getting creepier every day. … I was in a women’s restroom. Apparently I don’t like when moms bring in their little boys, so when the mom was in the stall I whispered in her son’s ear, ‘You’re not one of us.’”
“I do a lot of weird and creepy things when I’m by myself,” she joked. “Especially when I’m home in my apartment, I thought if a murderer were there waiting to kill me, he’d think twice. That’s how creepy I am. I sing creepy songs to myself as a creepy baby voice.”
Villasenor is an engaging presence on stage, reflecting her passion for her work.
“I do love my job; I do love being a comedian and traveling,” she said. “I’ve grown so much just as a person and learned so much about myself, became my own best friend by traveling alone for many years doing shows.”
She named Ellen DeGeneres, Chelsea Handler, and Maria Bamford as some of her comedic influences.
Villasenor sang a diverse range of songs at the show, including a Japanese chant, Disney songs (the male part, for some of them), Mary Poppins and more.
She has singing chops, and she enjoys using them. In December, she plans to release an EP.
“I’m pretty excited,” she said. “They’re not comedic songs, but they’re a little wacky and dark. I’ve always enjoyed singing and writing songs.”
Channeling a diverse cast of characters and bursting with energy, Villasenor gave USC a one-woman show to remember.