Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 | 3 p.m.
Does Las Vegas really need another celebrity impressionist? When the impersonator is Frank Caliendo, the answer is a surprising and emphatic yes. Surprising, because judging from Caliendo’s posters and ads, we’re in for a gallery of crusty middle-aged white men, most of them past their sell-by date.
Calendar
- Frank Caliendo
- Monday, Tuesday, Friday. Saturday.
- 9:30 p.m., $49-$85.
- Monte Carlo
- 730-7777
But Caliendo, who does a late-ish show four nights a week in magician Lance Burton’s plush showroom at the Monte Carlo, is sharp and smart with his gang of graying geezers, the standout stand-up on the Strip.
Halfway through his act, it struck me that Caliendo is kind of Kathy Griffin for straight guys: Where Griffin’s shtick is tattling on celebrity misbehavior, Caliendo mines the dudes’ portion of the pop-culture continuum, taking off on familiar sports figures and politicians and entertainers like John Madden, Mike Tyson and Charles Barkley.
And George W. Bush: “I miss having a president who always looked like he was looking directly into the sun,” says Caliendo, who amusingly imagines what Bush might be up to right now: Taking a bubble bath? Singing Duran Duran karaoke?
I guess we can laugh about it now.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy