Performer finds inspiration from the stars and cancer

By Becky Bosshart

Friday, Jan. 23, 2009 | 3:33 p.m.

Pam Matteson is the "Wacky Paki" who wears a scarf like a religious burka. She also impersonates Stevie Nicks, the ethereal songstress.

"I spin around with this shawl on," said Matteson. "Then I go to sing and you can't understand the lyrics. Then I go into my Wacky Paki — she's a comic from Pakistan. I put my scarf over my head."

Matteson finds humor in odd characters, some of whom she's been surrounded by through the years. Her Brooklyn upbringing inspired a few characters, such as an old Italian mother and the Irish cop. Her repertoire includes many Hollywood stars, from Judy Garland to Britney Spears.

She is performing at 8 p.m. Jan. 23 in the Casino MonteLago Portofino Room. Tickets are $30 and include a free drink coupon. Matteson appears with Bruce Block. Seen on seasons two and three of "America's Got Talent," his act includes a ventriloquist number with a rabbit. He also escapes from a straitjacket and lays on a bed of nails.

Matteson started her career on Broadway. She made her network debut on "The Tonight Show" in 1986 and was a comic in the 1988 film "Punchline."

A Henderson resident for about five years, she also has found humor in something that isn't funny — cancer. Matteson has been in remission from ovarian cancer for about 2 1/2 years.

"I'm working on a one-woman show 'I Got Cancer, So What?' It's about being positive and having humor about having cancer."

A painful topic for her for several years, Matteson feels confident enough to write the material for the future show. Her goal is to help cancer victims get through it by joking about losing hair and throwing a chemo party.

For ticket information please contact the Casino MonteLago gift shop at 939-8951. The casino is at 8 Strada di Villaggio.

Becky Bosshart can be reached at 990-7748 or [email protected].