Monte Carlo

Frank Caliendo scores a tourchdown with the Monte Carlo

Share

Sep 29, 2009

Frank Caliendo hasn’t been himself for several years now. Don’t expect that to change, any time soon, either, since the comedian/impressionist has, as of October 12, opened a 10-year engagement with the Monte Carlo, exposing his dozens of alter-egos – from Al Pacino to former President Bill Clinton – to the public.    

A regular on America’s No. 1 pre-game show, FOX NFL Sunday with Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long, Caliendo has garnered critical acclaim throughout his career with impressions of famous actors, politicians and broadcasters. The veteran of sketch comedy, has also starred in his own television show, “Frank TV,” on TBS, spent five years on “MadTV,” and has had numerous appearances on Comedy Central and the late night talk shows. His show at the Monte Carlo will be enhanced by live music, video sketches, and lots more.  

“My impressions evolved differently,” Caliendo says, explaining how he made his name in show business. “I stayed very vaudevillian. A lot of people are still doing impressions the way they were done 30 years ago and are still doing those same celebrities and a lot of younger kids – who know me from my football gig and YouTube --don’t know the people they are portraying. The hardest part is finding impressions that appeal to a wide enough audience and you’re never going to get everyone in the audience with every joke. I go from voice to voice in the middle of a joke. I also have a specific portion of the show in which I use props.”  

One thing that separates Caliendo from a lot of the pack is that he works very clean.   “My dirtiest line is when I’m doing Bill Clinton and he says that he likes melons – and he’s actually talking about fruit at the time,” Caliendo laughs.    

Caliendo explains that he has a point of view on each celebrity that he portrays and that he builds his standup around them. For example, since Robin Williams is known to be a vocal chameleon, Caliendo depicts him doing the entire “Wizard of Oz,” every character. Or since Caliendo has observed that Al Pacino yells in movies for no reason at all and he would love to see him cast as a librarian, he portrays him in that mode.  

“”I try to pull some truth,” Caliendo notes. “That’s the funniest thing. I have to think like the person to do the person. It’s like looking into a mirror and looking down at myself from another body. It’s almost like I can see the whole scene while I’m performing it – I can actually see the person when I’m doing him.”   Audience members may find themselves hearing different voices every night --. Caliendo improvises parts of every show, adding a different element.  

- by Bobbie Katz, Las Vegas Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)