Joan Rivers’ passing was a huge loss for the comedy world, as well as for her daughter Melissa, but few people in entertainment were as affected as Frank Marino. The female impersonator and star/producer of Frank Marino’s Divas Las Vegas at The Quad Resort & Casino owes a great debt of gratitude to the late comedian, who both inspired him as a performer and helped get him connected in show business. “If she died of old age and complications that would be one thing,” says Marino. “But being in the health she was in and the way her life was taken, I can’t really wrap my head around it yet.”
Marino was still reeling from the shock of Robin Williams’ death. He had a great respect for Williams’ performance in 1996 drag-comedy film The Birdcage, which was an adaptation of groundbreaking 1978 French farce La Cage aux Folles, which in turn inspired the name of Marino-starring production An Evening at La Cage at the Riviera. Next year Marino celebrates his 30th anniversary as a Strip entertainer, five of them with Divas Las Vegas at The Quad.
That history has often been affected by the unexpected losses of iconic entertainers. “In the last few months I lost Joan and I lost Robin,” says Marino, who attended Rivers’ funeral and received Melissa Rivers’ blessing to continue delivering “Can we talk?” comedy. “But I’ve also lost Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, who were major parts of my show at different points. It’s very strange.”
The thought of how he would handle the passing of a celebrity such as Houston never occurred to Marino until the possibility became reality, but in the end a Houston tribute remained (and remains) part of the show. Current segments include high-energy performances by actors playing Madonna and Lady Gaga. Larry Edwards, a conspicuous presence during pre-show mingling in the lobby with guests, brings down the house as both Beyoncé and Tina Turner. Cher, Celine, Bette, Liza, Shania and more receive homage with dead-on impersonations and choreography, as well as dazzling costumes.
Marino appears as Rivers early in the show, emceeing for the rest of the night as his blonde-tressed “second character” in gowns by legendary designer Bob Mackie. Performers, some of whom venture out into the audience to get up close and personal, maintain high-energy momentum with the help of six male dancers until the pace slows for a poignant scene that conveys what it’s like after the lights go down and the makeup comes off.
“People don’t realize what a big production show it is,” says Marino, who recently re-released his book His Majesty, The Queen: An Autobiography on Amazon.com. “It rivals other shows on the Strip. Sometimes they might think it’s a cabaret thing, but it’s a pretty big show and it’s a show that both men and women like. I have everything from punk kids to senior citizens in there. It is a show that’s fun at all levels. That’s why I think we’ve survived 30 years.” j
The Quad, 9:30 p.m. Sat.-Thurs., $49.99-$79.99 VIP plus tax and fee. 888.777.7664
