Entertainment Legend Frank Marino Ends Run with Venerable Legends in Concert at Tropicana Hotel and Casino on Las Vegas Strip; Mega-talent Impersonates Joan Rivers for Last Time, Maybe; CYInterview on Hand
Last night, Las Vegas entertainment legend/veteran headliner Frank Marino impersonated legendary comedian Joan Rivers for the final time, after having done so for 35 years. Ms. Rivers died, unexpectedly, in September 2014 at the age of 81.
Since September of this year, Mr. Marino has been the special guest host for Legends in Concert at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino. It is the longest running show on the Las Vegas Strip. See our photo with Frank above, as Ms. Rivers, last night.
Minutes after his final performance, last night, as Joan Rivers, performing in Legends in Concert, Mr. Marino, a bona fide Las Vegas luminary, told CYInterview what he was feeling:
“I’m doing great. You know, a little up in the air because I just got rid of a character, Joan Rivers, that I’ve been doing for 35 years. So, it’s a little strange right now, but it’s gotta sink in.”
Though this might be the end for now, perhaps in the future Frank might bring Joan Rivers back. However, he mentions he does not want to be like one of entertainment’s most famous superstars, at least in that respect:
“If I do anything with Legends in Concert again, I will definitely dig Joan up for lack of better words. I don’t want to be like Cher and keep having that farewell tour with Joan.”
For anyone who knows Las Vegas entertainment history, Frank Marino has been performing on the Las Vegas Strip for more than 30 years. Many know him from two Las Vegas Strip productions, An Evening at La Cage at the Riviera and Frank Marino’s Divas Las Vegas at The Linq.
So, what was it like to bring his Joan Rivers act to Legends in Concert, the longest running show on the Las Vegas Strip?
“For me, it’s been a ball. It’s been so nice working for somebody, meaning the company Legends in Concert because I just have to show up, do what I do best and not have to worry about the producing side.”
Now that this chapter of his Las Vegas entertainment career is complete, what would the late Joan Rivers think?
“Joan would tell me like she tells me all the time, she goes, ‘My career must be so good because it actually supports two households.’”
You can listen to the entire CYInterview with Frank Marino below, to learn more about him impersonating Joan Rivers, as well as learning about the first time they met, among other topics:
Listen to the entire Frank Marino CYInterview:
(Backup Player: Including IE)
You can check out Frank Marino’s site at www.frankmarino.com.
Find Frank Marino on Instagram clicking here.
You can find more information about Legends in Concert at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino and purchase tickets clicking here.