Frank Caliendo & Friends At The Monte Carlo

There are lots of impersonators floating around Las Vegas, but too many of them just do spot-on impersonations and let it go at that. Frank Caliendo is different. His impersonations are not only spot-on, but content of each bit is important and they are flat-out funny.

Of course, like every other person I've met here who hails from Milwaukee, Caliendo — who does the FOX Sports Football pre-game show every week — is obsessed with Brett Farve. His obsession permeates his most famous impression, John Madden. He's got Madden down and, despite the fact that the only thing he possibly has in common with Charles Barkley is gender, you'd swear you were actually in Barkley's presence when Caliendo brings him onstage.

Of course, he does all the "standard" impressions — Pacino, Nicholson, Walken — and he even does a very unique Kermit the Frog. Each is very entertaining.

The overwhelming impression one gets of this impressionist is that he is very nice, very affable and smart. I've heard, for example, enough impressions of Dubya to last a lifetime (who hasn't?) but his is fresh and he brings some new focus to it.

When Caliendo's red carpet opening was held I was out of town, but there was an opening act that, I've heard, wasn't too successful. That person has been replaced by Caliendo's as-yet-unnamed four-piece band and they are heaps of fun. They warm up the audience with music from the Beatles, old TV themes, and other songs they expect everyone to know. They're good and they do what they're supposed to do — get the audience in a good mood for the main event. The only time they falter — and it's not their fault (falt?) — is when they're calling out names for Caliendo to impersonate during a song at the end of his show. They are drowned out by their own music. Luckily, Caliendo is proficient enough so that you don't have to hear the subject's name to know who is being impresonated.

Frank Caliendo signed a 10-year contract with the Monte Carlo and watchiing him near the beginning leaves no doubt that he'll continue to entertain and please his audience for all those years.

Caliendo, by the way, is playing in the Lance Burton Theater, one of the truly beautiful houses in Las Vegas. Tickets for his show range from $59 to $90, inclusive and are available at www.montecarlo.com.