March 24, 2010
Frank Caliendo: Impressionist Master
By Devon Brooke Clasen
Frank Caliendo Las Vegas Tickets
Only in Las Vegas might one find a gathering of politicians, celebrities, icons and even puppets together on one stage…in this case, all these personalities are voiced by a lone performer. Popular comedian and “MadTV” alum Frank Caliendo headlines at the Monte Carlo, presenting his much celebrated and beloved impressions of stars and celebs including John Madden, Dr. Phil, George W. Bush and Al Pacino. Boasting some of the Strip’s most comfortable accommodations, including legroom aplenty, the Lance Burton Theatre houses the impressionist’s show from Thursday through Saturday at 9:30 p.m., as well as Sunday and Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Entering the theatre, guests may purchase cocktails from a handsome bar just outside the showroom. Once the audience is settled in the grand theatre, a live band performs rock classics and campy TV theme songs, warming up the eager audience. The band also occasionally accompanies Caliendo during the show. Next, comedian George Cantor provides the opening act prior to Caliendo’s anticipated appearance.
Inaugurating the show with some political parodies, Caliendo flawlessly feigns Bill Clinton’s bawdy banter with a smooth southern drawl and playfully exaggerates Dubya’s comically confused malapropisms. The two presidents take to the mike as Caliendo croons “I’m Too Sexy” as Clinton and offers an even sillier rendition of “Rubber Ducky” as Bush. Attendees may even be treated to Caliendo’s in-the-works impressions, including a surprisingly accurate proto-Obama.
Caliendo’s sporty send-ups include Taco Bell-peddling “knucklehead” Charles Barkley and fan-favorite John Madden, complete with curiously frequent references to Brett Favre. The comedian skillfully satirizes an obviously smitten Madden, who incorporates Favre into any and every discussion (his favorite number is “Favre thousand, Favre hundred, Favre-ty Favre”).
Some personalities need only be identified with a single sound or slogan, such as Caliendo’s caricature of Dick Cheney, rendered with a contemptible scowl and vulture-like shriek, or b-baller Barkley, who repetitively proclaims this and that to be “turr-ible”. Other impressions require a more physical approach, such as Caliendo’s conception of an intensely animated Al Pacino or his boisterous lampooning of Robin Williams.
At one point, Caliendo reclines on the stage, raises a bare hand to perform as a Kermit hand puppet (sans puppet) and, to his credit, never experiences a lull in laughter from the audience. Later, drawing upon a box of props a la Carrot Top, Caliendo integrates wigs and headpieces into his act, even donning a Snuggie to transform into Yoda or a particularly hilarious Dr. Phil.
Elder attendees will appreciate Caliendo’s spoofs of old timers Jonathan Winters, Andy Rooney and Ted Knight, while impersonations of Chris Rock, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jay Leno, Forrest Gump, Mike Tyson, Robert DeNiro, Jerry Seinfeld, Michael “Kramer” Richards, James Gandolfini, William Shatner, Christopher Walken, Chris Farley, Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler can be enjoyed by young and old alike.
Concluding the show, Caliendo enlists Cantor’s help in a quick-draw performance, rapidly shifting from one character to another in an impressive, high energy grand finale. Following the performance, attendees may meet Caliendo in the lobby for photos and autographs, as well as purchasing the entertainer’s merchandise.
Caliendo’s masterful delivery of topical, political and pop cultural humor as well as his spot-on satires of many of today’s personalities make for a side-splitting show not to be missed!
by Mara M. Mannella
As the audience laughs at (and with!) Rita as she shares chapters of parenthood and everyday life in Las Vegas one thing becomes apparent as you look around the theater. Pokes and pointed fingers of spouses, family members and friends are everywhere as the audience sees some of themselves in these situations! The seats filled with families, couples, tourists and locals prove this show has mass appeal.
Housed in an intimate theatre, there really isn’t a bad seat in the venue, unless stage-shy attendees are seated just off the stage. This “danger zone” provides Brady, as well as his improv partner Jonathan Mangum, a proficient performer in his own right, the pick of the litter when summoning audience members to the stage to take part in an act, whether they like it or not. Be warned, if he calls you up to the stage, you may find it difficult to decline, especially when egged on by your fellow (often drunken) tourists. If you’d rather avoid the risk of center stage humiliation, select a seat a little further back, where you may safely and anonymously shout out improv suggestions while avoiding a possible coerced participation.
Each skit branches off from a central theme, one which demonstrates that nothing is sacred, not even religion. In an office setting are brainstorming workers (angels) and their almighty boss (God) trying to figure out what to do with humans down below. An example of their ingenuity as creators: “Why don’t we make the men smart like the women? Same reason we don’t make animals talk.” Demoralizing, insulting, and belittling? Perhaps. But a much needed laugh in the face of an often ugly world.
It’s plain good ol’ Las Vegas tradition to capture the awe of viewers with dynamic props, extravagant effects, unconventional talent, and unparalleled showmanship (though often an overkill). One man, however, opens doors to the hearts, emotions, and spirits of people using entertainment weapons that far surpass the need for a stage crew: His mind and the minds of those he encounters.
But Gerry himself is only a freak in how thoroughly and meticulously he refined his gift. Intuition alone wouldn’t cut it. He studied the mind to no end along with Psychology, Hypnosis, and Linguistics (just to name a few); watched how people communicate with one another; observed body language, eye movement, and tone of voice; he even worked in a psychiatric hospital and learned facts about how the brain worked. And lucky for Las Vegas, he’s sharing the whole psychological sha-bang.
Blindfolded, very, very blindfolded, Gerry also demonstrates that he can tell what a material item is without touching it. Randomly, 3 purse items are picked from the audience and The Mentalist can tell exactly what they are, personal items as bizarre as guitar picks or travel bibles. His method for this is of a basic principal- the whole audience if focused on the item, feeding him the information he needs. Go ahead and try to be a skeptic now.
How long has Carrot Top been around and how famous is he? I don’t have a clue about the answer to those questions, and his web site certainly didn’t help me find out information. Carrot Top may be a publicity hound, but what does that have to do with his show? Nothing I guess. I enjoyed watching this show and I was surprised.
There is an old saying, “a joke a minute.” But Carrot Top has a joke more like every ten seconds, and if doesn’t work he makes fun of himself and his audience, which makes him even funnier. There is some pretty silly stuff that he does on stage, and the sheer silliness is funny. He even has stagehands to help him with props, and when the stagehands are seen moving off stage with an obvious visual ploy that doesn’t look like it was supposed to happen, he would make fun of the stagehand moving off stage not supposed to being seen. But he was seen, and Carrot Top pointing it out was funny, and I suspect it happened before once, and they just kept it in the show.
My favorite jokes involved Las Vegas hotels. One was about the curtains that never quite close allowing a ridiculous amount of light in the room, and causing eyeball sunburn. I understood that joke, as I am always fighting curtains in Las Vegas rooms to shut out all that light that is trying to keep me awake. Ok, I’ll admit it; you had to be there. And then there was him lying on the floor bathed in green light and his joke was this is what it is like sleeping in the MGM Grand when the stupid curtains don’t close. And then he made fun of MGM Grand, and then realized that MGM Grand now owns the Luxor. So this humor is a little disjointed, but it is still funny.
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