Terry Fator is an unlikely star. The Texan ventriloquist/impressionist used his voice-throwing skills to win America over and take home the first-place $1 million prize on the second season of NBC's America's Got Talent. His style is considered novel because of the musical element; see, the so-called "Human Jukebox" doesn't use his ventriloquism solely as a vehicle to produce laughs like comedian Jeff Dunham. Instead, Fator performs more than 100 song-enhanced impersonations of assorted celebrities, his rotating cast of 16 puppets taking the lead, providing support or offering accompaniment. Humor is a natural side effect — I mean, how can you not laugh when you witness a turtle puppet impersonating Kermit the Frog and Fator himself taking on the vocal role of Louis Armstrong during a duet of "What a Wonderful World"? Fri., April 18, 7:30 p.m., Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg, $41 and $51, 727-892-5767, mahaffeytheater.com.
This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2008.