DANNY GANS
Mirage Hotel/Casino
Las Vegas, NV

PROLOGUE:

In the 30 years that I have resided in Las Vegas, I have seen my share of comedy impressionists from Rich Little, to Frank Gorshin, to Bob Anderson, to Stephen Sorrentino. These days it seems that there are almost as many impressionists (and magicians) in the Entertainment Capitol as there are celebrity impersonators.

Without a doubt, while Rich Little can hold claim to being the most recognized/notable impressionist (appearing many times on national TV shows), Danny Gans has become the most successful (financially speaking) impressionist in showbiz history, reportedly scoring a 10 million dollar-a -year contract with the Mirage Hotel/Casino after successful stints at the Stratosphere and Rio. During the past few years, I only got to view Gans on local TV appearances and I even acquired his promo tape which I still have in my office. I had heard many comments about Gans’ show. The general consensus was that while most tourists seemed to rave about the show, locals felt he was good but overrated.

While Gans’ talent cannot be denied, the question that has always seems to be a point of discussion is if this talent warranted such a hefty sum - especially for being someone who is not a household name outside of Las Vegas.

Let’s face it, Wayne Newton probably would not have been nearly as well known as he is without all the Las Vegas hype. However, at least Wayne managed to accumulate a few national top hits on the pop charts along the way.

Gans’ ticket price is $100 - a rather large amount for an entertainer who would be considered a local, not nationally, known celebrity. Personally, I had wanted to see Gans’ Mirage show for quite awhile (mostly out of curiosity) but quickly found out that neither he and/or his former agent, Chip Lightman, were so quick to hand comps out to anyone - not even to other local entertainers and/or agents. Of course I could have broke down and paid, but the truth was I just didn’t want to see Danny that much.

Two things changed this…one was me becoming a columnist for the Entertainment Network over the last year and secondly was Gans’ new manager Melanie Van Burch who welcomed my review after I took the initiative and contacted her. Hopefully Ms. Van Burch will set a precedence regarding comps (or discounts) for other local entertainers caring to see Gans’ show. For that matter, it would not even be a bad idea to entertain the thought of offering local discounts since the average household probably cannot afford $100 per person (considering that people usually go in pairs).

THE SHOW:

This was actually a relatively easy show to review. There are no bells & whistles, no big production or huge overhead. It’s all DANNY GANS, along with his impressive 8 piece band (whom he humorously interacts with during different parts of the show), from start to finish.

Just as it is with EVERY other impressionist or impersonator who performs as multiple characters, some portrayals are going to be stronger than others. The more characters you do, the more you open yourself up to falling short. In Gans’ case however, we are not talking of just as ‘few’ characters - but reportedly 300 voices! Some are ‘dead on’ and some - not so much (pretty much like your average “Legends” show).

Certainly, Rich Little does a better “George Burns” & “Jimmy Stewart”, Rick Michel does a better “Sinatra”, Bob Anderson does a better “Sammy”, Larry G. Jones does a better “Nat & Natalie Cole” duet, and Wayne Newton does a better “Wayne Newton” (well, maybe not) - but exactly what is it that sets DANNY GANS apart from all the rest aside from his lucrative contract, huge promotional campaign, and having the right ‘backers’ in his corner?

Gans is a talented vocalist, though personally I would have liked to have seen some more impressions in place of the songs he sang as himself, who includes some offbeat impressions (“Macy Gray” for crying out loud!). He is also a pretty good dancer as well. However, it is his polished comedic routines and the way he delivers them, not to mention his repoire with the audience, which places him a notch up above most known impressionists. On this particular night, his ‘dead on’ impressions included: “Rod Stewart”, “Billy Joel”, “Johnny Mathis”, “Smokey Robinson”, “Tony Bennett”, “Al Pacino” and a mature “Sinatra” singing Hakuna Matata.

Other hilarious standout routines include: George Burns (singing MC Hammers “Can’t Touch This”), “Dean Martin” (short term memory lovable lush), “Michael Jackson” (side splitting), “12 months of Christmas” (segue’s thru 12 different impressions repeatedly one after another), and a very funny, but not demeaning, “Elvis” routine. His “Apollo Theatre” finale was very moving, paying tribute to “Sammy Davis”, “Louie Armstrong” and the recently deceased “Ray Charles”. The 99.9% tourist audience is extremely responsive to Gans and each night he receives a well deserved standing ovation (or two).

I really did have a good time at this show and I wish DANNY GANS many more years of success but I cannot help but wonder that if Gans cut his $100 price ticket to, let’s say… $60, would he be able to survive on $6 million a year as opposed to 10 million? Or would the Gans family then have to resort to Hamburger Helper for dinner? Ok, stupid thought.

So my feeling is this…if you have a friend/contact that has enough pull to get you comps - definitely go see DANNY GANS. He’s talented, he’s funny, and he’s enjoyable. However, if you have $100 to blow on a Vegas show, before Gans, I would suggest “O”, “Mystere”, “Blue Man Group”, “Jubilee” or even better yet… go see the real Tom Jones perform a pretty good 75 minute impression of himself ($65 - $70), and throw in a nice buffet while you’re at it.

~ Concerning the recent IGCITA (Guild) convention last month in Vegas....due to my heavy travel schedule this summer, I was not able to make last months review deadline. However, I just want to say that that this was the best celebrity impersonator convention to date. Kudos to FIL JESSEE and PAM RIMER (what a program book!). DEE DEE HANSON and STEPHEN SORRENTINO (fantastic pre-show!) did an excellent job as hosts of the “Famous Reflections Show” and of course, I cannot say enough about JOHN & LINDA COLLINS and all the hard work and time they contributed into producing the Reflections Show and all of the Talent showcases.

As our editor pointed out, the convention was not without its flaws....notably the sound systems for both the talent showcases and Liberace Museum show came off sounding extremely unclear and karaoke-ish. This could actually hurt performers more than help them in showcasing their talent with the intention of finding work. I know MANY were extremely concerned with what they were hearing. I do not necessarily put the blame of the sound (or lack of it) on PETER BANKS - who supplied the equipment for the talent shows at the Stardust. The fact is that Banks sound equipment is not quite at the level that is actually needed to produce clear professional sound in that large ballroom. Also a professional sound tech would have been in order as well.

Another big disappointment was MARTY MAHONEY’S back-up band for the “Famous Reflections” show. With the exception of playing well for a select few acts that they back up on a regular basis, the band obviously did not ‘woodshed’ as much as the performers and producers would have hoped. What they were left with was ‘loose’ arrangements and sloppy endings. There were even a few wise performers that, after rehearsing with the band, saw the writing on the wall and opted to choose their tracks over the ‘live’ music.

Lastly, regarding the Cloney awards ceremony…. while the percentage of winners was well deserved, there were a few surprises that had some wondering “What the…?” Once again the word “favoritism” came up more than once. The Network’s popular voting structure for the Artists Choice Awards for the Best Agents and the Best Producers were presented by RICHARD SCREEN, SHERIE RAE PARKER and myself doing the honors. All in all, everyone (with a few exceptions) seemed to be having a great time and it can only get better next year - at least we hope so.

One last note: I would like to personally thank those of you who have taken the time to email or tell me in person how much they have enjoyed and supported my reviews. For every negative response I receive, I also receive 2-3 positive responses. As long as I have odds like that, I will continue to do my best to provide my honest, UNBIASED viewpoints.

The FAB FOUR 11/03

TRENT CARLINI (The Dream King) 12/03

LEGENDS - MUCKLESHOOT 1/04

The REEL AWARDS 3/04

TJ TYLER'S KARAOKE PARTY 5/04

LEGENDS IN CONCERT 7/04

STARS IN CONCERT 8/04

DANNY GANS 9/04

PERFORMING AS 10/04

Legends In Concert 4/05