Olympia man tells stories. And he can put on socks without using his hands.

Among the acts in Lord Franzannian’s Royal Olympian Spectacular Vaudeville Show, continuing this weekend, are juggling and magic, songs and dances, skits and standup.

And then there’s the one where a guy puts on a pair of socks — without using his hands.

Mitch Nelson’s “Mitch vs. Socks” has some of the same appeal as the acts featured on the “Stupid Human Tricks” segments on “Late Night With David Letterman” or as Sam Miller’s balancing a lawnmower on his chin in the early days of the vaudeville show.

Nelson didn’t learn the feet feat on a whim. It was a necessity.

He found an unusual way to put on socks as a kid, because he was born with short arms and limited use of his hands, symptoms of a condition called arthrogryposis.

His act, part of the 13th annual vaudeville show curated and hosted by theatrical jill-of-all-trades Elizabeth Lord, showcases both his talented toes and his storytelling abilities.

“I’m a storyteller,” Lord told the Olympian, “and I appreciate quality storytelling. Plus he had a trick thrown in. He’s doing something a lot of us can’t do.”

Nelson of Olympia, who graduated from The Evergreen State College in 1998, has been telling stories for more than a decade, including at the South Sound Story Guild’s annual “Stories in the Park, Stories in the Dark.” In the past few years, he’s also been doing standup comedy.

When he went to auditions for the vaudeville show, Nelson wasn’t sure what story he’d tell, but as he watched other people audition, he decided he needed one with more than words.

“I saw how the acts were and the energy,” he told the Olympian. “I realized this was probably the best story I had.

“It was interesting to be really bold with a story.”

Video clips of his work online suggest he’s pretty bold. He has multiple stories about what happened to his arms — that his condition was the result of a witch’s curse (see him tell this story at youtube.com/watch?v=Jd_w-r7T0Rw) or that he was at a party where everyone took off their arms and at the end he was left with the wrong set.

He’s developed the stories as a response to having been asked about them over and over again.

“If I’m going to have to answer this question all the time, I might as well make it fun,” he said.

Lord Franzannian’s Royal Olympian Spectacular Vaudeville Show

What: The 13th annual vaudeville extravaganza, hosted by the jovial Lord Franzannian (the alter ego of performer/director Elizabeth Lord), includes a diverse array of performances from magic to swing dancing to burlesque.

When: 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, plus a family-friendly matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: Octapas Cafe, 414 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia

Tickets: $15-$25 for adults and $7 for those 15 and younger (for the matinees only); no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

More information: professionaltalker.com

Also: Shows are recommended for ages 16 and older, except the matinees, suited for all ages.

This story was originally published October 18, 2019 at 7:00 AM.