Friday, August 19, 2011

Frank Caliendo: All Over the Place - 9 stars out of 10

Frank Caliendo: All Over the Place - 9 stars out of 10

Frank Caliendo is an incredibly talented impressionist and he shines in "Frank Caliendo: All Over the Place".  Although his celebrity voices are spot on, it is the addition of the facial expressions and mannerisms (particularly George W. Bush and Robert DeNiro) that make him the complete package.  I have listened to this performance on CD but it is not the same without his hilarious visuals.  His repertoire of celebrities include John Madden, Charles Barkley, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Robin Williams, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Jeff Goldblum, Jay Leno, Michael Richards, Jerry Seinfeld, and many, many more.  His comedy can stand on its own and I didn't feel as if the Terry Bradshaw/Jimmy Johnson/Howie Long intro added anything, but it didn't diminish from Frank's comedy.  The form of his comedy is very important.  At first, he spends significant time on each impersonation to familiarize the audience with each celebrity.  Once they have all been developed, he uses the second half of his sketch to rapidly bounce back and forth between all of them, as if several celebrities were interacting on stage (and the audience can easily follow each one).  This particular routine may not appeal to all comedy fans, but if you are familiar with movie stars and famous sports figures, you can't help but roll on the ground laughing when you see Frank in action.

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