Legends in Concert

A night to remember

Staff Report

With more than 25 years of success on the Las Vegas Strip, Legends in Concert has become a mecca for tribute artists around the world. The show features only the creme de la creme of performers who pay tribute to the most iconic entertainers in the world.

If you missed seeing the real Elvis when he was still alive or another favorite entertainer the last time they were in town, Legends in Concert is the next best thing. The show has an alternating cast so you never know who you are going to see grace the stage next.Garth Brooks, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Justin Timberlake and Ann-Margret are just some of the performers you might see portrayed in Legends in Concert.

On the night the show was attended, Jay Leno, Barry White, Dolly Parton, Madonna, The Temptations and Elvis performed. It is the only show where you can see a line up of some of the best talent in the world both from the individuals as impersonators and the characters that they become for the night.

Jay Leno, played by Marcel Forestieri, is the show’s emcee. He opens with a few jokes inspired by current events, much like the real Leno, before announcing the first performer, Barry White.

Barry White, played by Jourdan Carroll, enters the stage singing “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything.” Carroll has an uncanny resemblance to the real White from his beard and smile to his velvety smooth, deep and soulful voice.

“Your sweetness is my weakness,” says Carroll to the audience before performing his last song, “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe.”

Along with Carroll, there are several dancers on stage who add to the show’s signature of featuring only the crème de la crème. They accompany all of the entertainers in the show and do constant costume changes into different outfits themed by each performer and their songs.

A spunky Dolly Parton, played by Sandy Anderson, is the next act. She displays all of the songstress’s notable assets, from her big blonde hair to her red lips and of course, her voice.

After her first song she walks out into the audience to have a little flirtatious fun with some of the male guests before singing, “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That.” It is a fun, upbeat number with cowboy dancers in tight white jeans and cowboy hats, a sure hit for women in the audience.

“Like a Prayer,” starts and Madonna, played by Coty Alexander, enters the stage wearing a black cloak, but it is not long before the cloak is removed to reveal the well- known cone bust ensemble and high blonde pony tail.

For “Like A Virgin” she wears a white veil and brings a guy from the audience on stage. By the end of the song he is left with ruffled hair and needing to straighten and de-fog his glasses. A medley of Madonna’s greatest hits follows where an ensemble of dancers joins her on stage for a high energy number where they really “strike a pose.”

The Temptations, played by Nathaniel Evans Radcliff, Talmadge Pearsall, Gregory Dean Lee, Ritchie Stanley and Reginald Reed, take the stage wearing sparkling purple suits and singing their greatest hits. They have rhythm and soul and the signature dance movements of the Temptations that they demonstrate in perfect sync with one another.

As the hits keep coming, the audience becomes increasingly impassioned by the performers and before you know it everyone is singing along and dancing in their seats.

Elvis Presley, played by Matt Lewis is the final act. He first comes out wearing an outfit that represents the entertainer earlier on in his career. Lewis’ voice sounds so remarkably like the real Elvis that even the most devout fans could be fooled.

For “A Little Less Converstion” he wears a black suit with a rhinestone trim that dazzles the audience along with his pelvis thrusting and smooth sounding voice.

He stops singing for a moment to say, “Thank you, thank you very much.” His speaking voice and mannerisms are everything you would expect from the real Elvis.

Finally what everyone is waiting for, Lewis appears on stage wearing the iconic white and jewel-studded jumpsuit that the original performer sported when he first came to Vegas in 1969. More great Elvis hits are performed and Lewis really cuts loose, embracing all of the passion and vigor of the real performer.

“Viva Las Vegas,” includes beautiful showgirls in dazzling white and silver costumes and a flashing neon Elvis sign. It is an exciting spectacular that is the epitome of everything Vegas.

Legends in Concert is a fun opportunity to see legendary performers on stage again in their prime singing and dancing in the same way that first made you a fan.