Book Michael Holly Las Vegas Entertainer

Michael Holly - Las Vegas Entertainer

Michael Holly Las Vegas Entertainer

The term "dry humor" doesn't usually apply to a guy who walks a tightrope and juggles bowling balls. But Michael Holly is the first to admit he "couldn't care less" about the juggling that sets him apart from other comedians. "I think it's more challenging to make people laugh," he says. "The highlight for me is the language and playing with the people," Holly says of an act that's long been featured in other revues on the Strip. "The juggling is a medium to communicate about something else," he says. "For me, it's like a painter using paints."

Though he's served as a specialty act in revues such as "Spellbound" and "Folies Bergere," Holly is the rare such performer who isn't hired because of his nonverbal appeal. He doesn't even perform in Asian markets. "Sometimes an agent will get all excited and say, `We want to send you to Japan,' " he says. "I would say, `I'd love to, but remember my act? Remember when I said this and this?' " While juggling four balls, he notes "a professional juggler can even look away" -- but he doesn't. When the stunt doesn't draw a burst of applause, Holly says: "Just my luck. I picked something you guys know how to do." When he holds up a bag of candy upside down and announces his intent to juggle "Peanut W&W's," he discovers that "I just lost the entire crowd, and that's not saying much."

But it's a challenge he's ready for. Holly has worked for this since his first day as a street performer: May 29, 1979. The native Californian was living in New York and noticed another juggling tightrope-walker, Jim Ridgley, working as a street performer in Washington Square Park. "It looked fun, so I taught myself how to do it," Holly says. He made his juggling pins from the legs of a broken chair and "practiced, practiced, practiced." An hour after going "public" in the same park where he witnessed his mentor, Holly made $45 and never looked back.

The act as it's known today, however, didn't take shape until Holly joined an improv comedy troupe during his student days at the University of California, Irvine. That's where he developed "the skill to play with whatever came at me" from the crowd. Eventually, he came up with a signature bit -- juggling a bowling ball and an M&M at the same time -- that worked well as the highlight of a 15-minute act. (Review Journal)


Michael Holly Promo Video	Video from the Corporate event we produced at Caesars Palace

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Michael Holly Las Vegas Entertainer