High School in South Texas was not kind to Paul J.
Williams. As a “creative”
teenager, he was in band, choir AND drama. Wimp. Nerd. Fag. To counter the endless teasing and
name-calling, Paul learned early on to always have the last word. Eventually, this defense mechanism
developed into a very quick wit, which came in handy as he endured four
repressive years of college at the largest Southern Baptist University in
the world. In Waco, Texas.
How exciting.
Now, years later, he has honed a sense of humor that has served him well
as one of the smartest and funniest openly gay comics working today.
Originally planning to make his way through the management
ranks of a major department store after college, he soon realized that his
passion was to be a performer, whether as a singer or actor, and he left
his retail career to pursue his dreams. Comedy came into the picture
during a Dallas community theater production when the director persuaded
Paul and two other cast members to form a comedy/improv group. Calling themselves LESS MISERABLE,
the trio became a huge success over a six year period and performed in Los
Angeles, New York and Provincetown, as well as garnering a huge hometown
following in Dallas. During a
summer run in Provincetown, LESS MISERABLE shared a house with another
comic who convinced Paul that he needed to go out on his own as a
stand-up. The rest, as they
say, is history.
Now working on his own, he left Texas for New York in 1997
where he performed his one-man show, LEFT, OUT,…..AND NOT RIGHT! on three
separate occasions, and was nominated for a Manhattan Association of
Cabarets (MAC) Award as Outstanding Male Comic, in 2000, 2001 and
2002. In 2003, Paul decided
it was time to return to his Texas roots and he left the bright lights of
New York for bright sunshine of Dallas where he is based today. In 2000, Paul premiered a new
show, DISHING IT OUT, which is a one-man tour de force in which he
portrays six different characters all interacting in one afternoon in a
Southern cafeteria. DISHING
IT OUT has been performed to rave reviews in New York; Charlotte, NC;
Austin, San Antonio and Dallas, TX.
In addition to his numerous club gigs around the country, Paul has
performed at a variety of events around the country including the Susan G.
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s Tickled Pink Comedy Shows, Aspen Ski
Week, Provincetown, Key West Arts Festival, and Washington DC’s Laugh Out
Loud Festival. Since 2005, he
has also been one of the host/MCs for RSVP Cruises, in addition to his
work with Romance Voyages.
Paul’s humor draws on his family, his church background, his
experiences as a single male, and his political and social observations of
the world around him. In
keeping with his wide appeal, Paul’s humor is funny without being crass,
and his act often includes one of his original characters from DISHING IT
OUT. Paul is also a gifted
singer and has done vocal ensemble work with both the New York
Philharmonic and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. You can always keep up with Paul
via his website, www.pauljwilliams.com
BACKSTAGE Magazine has called Paul “…..very funny….genuine,
intelligent, sensible, and appealing.” AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN
proclaims Paul to be “one singularly outrageous” comic. And the Dallas Observer praises
Paul’s “strong satiric sense, locating the absurdity in every
convention”.
Witty, cerebral, and always just a little warped, Paul J.
Williams is out to make you laugh!