'America's Got Talent' comedian Tape Face at Zeiterion Performing Arts Center April 15

NEW BEDFORD — It’s no small feat to win praise from Simon Cowell. But with his national debut on "America’s Got Talent" in 2016, the comedian Tape Face gave a remarkable performance that changed the trajectory of his career.

America was smitten. The nation would soon discover what other parts of the world already knew — that Tape Face is a clever and innovative performer with a fresh, incomparable approach to comedy. The YouTube video of that performance has earned more than 43 million views.

Described by Cowell as a modern day Charlie Chaplin, Tape Face gives audiences 75 minutes of surprise and laughter with whimsical zest, Vaudeville antics and impromptu audience interaction that make for a night of unique merriment — all done without a single spoken word.

A New Zealand comedy icon who recently completed a successful three-year residency at the famed Harrah’s in Las Vegas, Tape Face will bring his award-winning shtick to the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 15, for an 8 p.m. performance.

Tickets are $35 and $45, with a meet-and-greet option for $75. Tickets can be purchased at the Zeiterion box office at 648 Purchase St., by calling 508-994- 2900, or at www.zeiterion.org.

“Performing is constantly exciting for me because I use the audience in a lot of the show,” said Sam Wills, the man behind the tape. “It’s a different show every night. For me, taking members out of the audience to do different things and involve them is always interesting. It opens up a world of play for me.

“Even when there’s some frustration on stage the audience still seems to enjoy it.”

Building on his experiences as a clown, street performer and stand-up comedian, Tape Face’s show incorporates elements of silent film, mime, magic, puppetry and circuses. But his major prop is music.

“Music is a very important part of the show, it helps set the tone and the feel of the show,” he said. “Nostalgia is important — I use a lot of music from the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s.

“My show is very much like a music gig, there are bits that people want to see, such as the oven mitt routine from 'America’s Got Talent.' It’s like people wanting to hear their favorite songs at a concert.”

Wills got his start performing at the age of 12. He knew from his first performances that entertaining was his life’s passion.

“I started out driving my friends and family crazy by doing the same magic tricks over and over,” Wills recalled. “My father saw my interest in performing and he would wake me up from bed to watch standup and physical comics on late night television. They were incredibly inspiring spectacles.”

Wills’ career began in earnest at the age of 14. He would eventually graduate from Clown College in New Zealand, majoring in Juggling and Acrobatics.

“I’m constantly coming up with new ideas for Tape Face,” he said. “This is something I could do forever.”

The Tape Face identity got its start when Wills was doing standup in New Zealand, shortly after winning the Billy T Award in 2005, the most revered award the country has for up-and-coming comedians. He has won numerous awards in New Zealand and around the globe for his performances.

“I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could shut up onstage for five minutes, but that only lasted for a few minutes before I started talking to the audience. I realized the only way I could do it was to tape my mouth shut. Initially it was quite challenging because my main tool as a standup comedian was taken away. But it was fun to see if I could survive onstage without using my mouth. Performing silently caught on and the rest is history.”

And history was made for Tape Face with his appearance as a finalist on Season 11 of "America’s Got Talent."

“'America’s Got Talent' was a monstrous influence on my career,” Wills said. “I had performed in many countries around the world and I wanted to come to America and crack the comedy scene over here, but the country is so big and the comedy scene is huge. I was thinking it would take a lot of work, maybe 10 years to get noticed, but being on 'America’s Got Talent' was a straight-away hit. It provided me with a wonderful platform.”

And the Zeiterion will be a wonderful platform for Wills again — he sold out the room with a 2017 performance.

“In the moment you get in front of an audience you get that adrenaline kick and from there it’s game over,” he said. “If you come to the show you’ll see John Lennon brought back to life, you’ll see me in a fight with Darth Vader, and there’s a lot of balloons involved.”

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: "America's Got Talent" comedian Tape Face in New Bedford April 15