Today in Las Vegas Magazine

Get a Little at the Golden Nugget

We’ve all tried impersonating somebody, whether it’s that coworker with the squeaky voice or a goofy family member, but most of all we want to take a shot at sounding like one of our beloved celebrities. Trying to impersonate someone on a casual basis is great, and if you want to launch into your Rodney Dangerfield imitation from “Caddyshack” amongst a group of guys, you had better bring it strong and verbatim. Or you could just leave the fine art of impersonation to a professional like the gifted Rich Little now performing Thursday through Saturday, 7 p.m. at the Golden Nugget.

It’s been 19 years since Little has performed at the Nugget, and the beautifully-rich, 600-seat, showroom is an excellent venue to showcase his skills. Backed by a seven piece band called the Chuck Hoover Orchestra, Little immediately launches into song (betcha didn’t know he could sing, did ya?) and after that, the impersonations are fast, frequent and funny. From Bogart to Bush, Little nails each impersonation and does so mostly via the character saying something hilarious.

Canadian-born Richard Caruthers “Rich” Little grew up working on impressions, acting and performing in nightclubs before becoming a disc jockey where he got to try out and hone his voices on-air. Shortly thereafter at age 25, Little got his big break in the States that gave notice to rest of the world - that this talented kid from Canada had arrived. Little (sorry for the pun) did everyone know then that they were witnessing a performer that would become the greatest impressionist of our time.

Not counting a court jester who may have had a King Arthur impression that was dead on, (I’m thinking that a public display of that impression would have resulted in a “one night only” performance) Little was the first impersonator to truly master the art of mimicking the voices and mannerisms of multiple celebrities. His vast repertoire of voices now total over 200.

Little did all the leg (voice) work for all the other impersonators that have since plied their aping skills. Fred Travalena, Dana Carvey, Frank Caliendo, Danny Gans and Darrell Hammond (the latter two have both imitated Rich Little himself) are a handful of talented performers who can thank Little for making impersonators so entertaining to watch.

As a kid growing up before the days of Tivo and DVRs, with VCRs just coming about no matter what, if Rich Little was on TV, I was glued to the set. His guest-host appearances on the Tonight Show were unforgettable and I would even sit through shows like “Fantasy Island” and the “Love Boat” just to see who he would be imitating. Little continued to appear frequently on television shows throughout the ‘70’s and ’80’s and since then has also acted and done voiceovers in several movies. Some of Little’s more recent appearances are listed in the show’s handsome program as well as all the charities that he and his wife, Marie, have so generously devoted themselves to.

Since I’m such a huge fan of Little, I wouldn’t have minded a speck if he just stood on the stage of the Nugget Showroom and did voice after voice, but he has cleverly crafted a Celebrity Quiz skit, an arrangement of songs and a bit that pokes fun at six of our Presidents. This past April, Little was chosen out of thousands of entertainers to host the prestigious White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

During the show, I wondered if the younger audience members even knew who some of the late screen stars Little was imitating. But then I thought, if they don’t know who Jimmy Stewart is, that’s their loss (see “Rear Window”). Those late celebrities were larger than life and I think that Little helps keep their legend alive by imitating them.

Little appropriately punctuates the evening with a rousing Rat Pack medley complete with a spot-on Dean Martin that pleased the already thoroughly entertained crowd. “Hard to believe all those voices can come out of one person,” said Wally Delzell from Sioux City, Iowa and his wife was equally impressed, adding that “…the show was like walking down memory lane.”

So come down and take that walk with Rich Little at the Golden Nugget Showroom. You may think that your George W. imitation is pretty solid and it may be, but come down and see how a real professional does it, the best impersonator of our time, Rich Little.

-Brett Revell

Rich Little
The Showroom, Golden Nugget, 129 Fremont St. 386-8100 Show times are 7 p.m., Thursday-Sunday, though April 6, 2008. Tickets are $45.90 - $67.90. Make sure to say hi to Rich Little after the show. He will gladly autograph one his celebrity pencil drawings or DVDs.