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Frank Marino was the star of “An Evening at La Cage” at the Riviera from 1985-2009.
Thursday, April 2, 2020 | 11:30 a.m.
Frank Marino has been portraying Joan Rivers in Las Vegas Strip shows “La Cage” and “Divas Las Vegas” for more than 30 years, but he still wasn’t sure how well his act would fit into another long-running show, “Legends in Concert,” until this Vegas entertainment marriage was complete.
“I would always go watch the show as a fan so I think originally they just figured, let’s give him a job so he doesn’t bother us every day,” Marino jokes about joining “Legends” on a trial basis late last year. “But I’d watch it and I knew it would work, I just didn’t know how good it would work. By the time we stopped working a few weeks ago, it went from good to beyond great. It’s a perfect marriage and you throw the Tropicana into that and you’ve got a vintage hotel, a vintage show and a vintage headliner, plus they threw in the showgirls.
“I know a lot of people don’t like to use the word ‘classic,’ but this is classic Vegas now.”
Marino has since joined “Legends” on a full-time basis and talks about how the new gig has changed the show, his act and his life on the latest episode of the Sun on the Strip podcast. He’s also flashing back to his early days performing in Las Vegas at the Riviera, sharing stories about Liberace, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dolly Parton, and sketching out his ideal night out on today’s Strip.
“When I started, the [ticket price] of my show was six dollars and 95 cents and you got a free prime rib dinner with it,” he says. “That wouldn’t even cover the taxes on my show now and that’s the biggest change I’ve seen. What I miss is the women coming in wearing beautiful gowns, fur coats and all their jewelry. It was a really nice night out.”
Listen to this and more on the Sun on the Strip, also available at Apple Podcasts.
