Today in Las Vegas Magazine

A Pair of Aces

The show is called “Barbra and Frank… The Concert That Never Was.” Although the names to note are Sharon Owens and Sebastian Anzaldo, the dynamic duo who bring to life, five nights a week, the universal appeal of superstars Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra. In a city that probably has more tribute artists per capita, than anywhere else in the United States - it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand out from the hundreds of talented performers, either waiting for their big break or already wow-ing audiences on the Strip, such as Sharon and Sebastian.

Fresh from a three-week tour in Australia and a week in South Florida, the duo are back in Vegas, refreshed and ready to wow audiences once more. “We performed 15 shows over the course of three weeks; and it was all sold-out. It was amazing, it’s an amazing continent, it was beautiful,” said Sebastian of the experience. The pair traveled extensively throughout the country, playing in Sydney, Newcastle, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. “To tell you the truth, we didn’t know what to expect. We were bowled over that people came out and see us, so that was very nice,” adds Sebastian. It seems that a lot of the audiences in Australia had already come and seen the show here in Las Vegas and that they’ve got a pretty big fan base in the UK as well.

The on-stage pair have established an easygoing rapport that makes it seem like they’re “Sonny and Cher” or “The Captain and Tennille,” and that they’ve been doing this for years and years. In fact, come May, the show will only be celebrating its fourth year.

The road to being a tribute artist was not all smooth sailing, though both Sharon and Sebastian already had strong musical backgrounds as a foundation. Sharon earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities and Vocal Music from the University of South Florida and a Master’s in Education from Chapman University. She continued to work her way through college by singing/dancing at Busch Gardens theme park in Tampa, Florida, while she also did commercial studio work for Sea World and performed in musical theater. Her career as a Barbra Streisand tribute artist began in 1992, when she moved to Los Angeles where she began singing Streisand in dinner theaters and cabaret night clubs. One of her earliest breaks came in the form of the Fox TV show, “Performing As…” where she was crowned a winner. Sharon adds, “I taught music, drama and theater in California for eight years, all along moonlighting in shows in L.A. at night. It wasn’t until I spoofed Streisand in a little show number in one of the cabaret theaters in L.A. that I decided to actually take on the Streisand character. In fact, when somebody said to me, ‘You should impersonate Streisand,’ I replied in my ‘theater snobby’ voice, ‘Nobody actually does that for a living, do they?’”

Sebastian, similarly, grew up in a musical family. His father was a sax player and his mother, a singer. He started playing drums and singing at age 11, and began his professional career working with bands in bars and frat parties soon after that. His passion for jazz led him to New York, compliments of The National Endowment For The Arts. Sebastian landed in Vegas, also by way of L.A., along with his band, “Wild Life.” In fact, you might be surprised to learn that Sebastian dabbled in all kinds of genres, from jazz and dance music, to Top 40 and even rock music.

Such is the talent that both bring on stage when they perform as “Barbra and Frank,” although everybody knows that in this town, sometimes talent is not enough to keep you going and is not a guarantee of ‘staying power.’ Of this, Sharon says, “We eat, sleep, drink, talk and think this show – that’s why it’s so successful, because we pour every ounce of energy in this show and we work on it all day long.” She laughingly adds, “We produce, direct, sing, star, write the script, and even print and hand-out flyers!”

The dedication and passion is evident and it seems, America, and at least, Las Vegas, agrees. The pair recently participated in the TV show, “The Next Best Thing,” and placed in the Top 5. While they didn’t win the title, Sebastian says “What’s cool about that is that we went into that thing and got out of it what we wanted to get out of it – good promo, good footage and national exposure.” On the local front, more accolades abound – their show was named by the Review-Journal as “Best Tribute Act” in the recent 2008 Best of Las Vegas awards. It can’t get any sweeter than this.

-Rachel M. Sugay

Barbra & Frank… The Concert That Never Was
(starring Sharon Owens and Sebastian Anzaldo, with pianist, Robert Hyatt), Le Bistro Showroom, The Riviera Hotel & Casino, 2901 Las Vegas Boulevard South. Show times are 8:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Tickets are $49.95. 794-9433.