Actor/comedian Rich Little, America’s Master Mimic and arguably the most famous impressionist in the world, will make his debut in the world of virtual performance in Rich Little… Virtually Speaking, a live event that will be streamed Thursday, Oct. 15 beginning at 8:30pm ET 5:30pm PT. Directed by Alison Arngrim, with set design and camera and sound by Denci Freeri, Little will share stories, jokes and anecdotes in the voices and mannerisms of John Wayne, Johnny Carson, Jimmy Stewart, Dean Martin, Andy Rooney, and other legendary icons. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by visiting StageIt.com
or TheRichLittle.com
On Sept. 1, 2019, Little broke an entertainment record when he signed an extended contract with the Tropicana in Las Vegas, making him the hotel’s longest running engagement. Now, due to the recent pandemic and the cancellation of what would have been his Broadway debut in Trail on the Potomac as former President Richard Nixon, Rich is taking his act on the road, so to speak, with the Oct. 15 virtual performance.
A professed classic movie buff, Little is particularly fond of impersonating Jimmy Stewart, Jack Lemmon, John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart, but Little has also latched on to baby boomer-friendly characters, such as Paul Lynde, Kermit the Frog, Andy Rooney and Dr. Phil, to name a few. Some of his favorite current impressions are of stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jack Nicholson, and Clint Eastwood. “They’re easy to do,” he says. “They are larger than life.”
Little also has a voice for every administration, including every U.S. President since John F. Kennedy. In fact, infamous for his skewering of political figures, Little has charmed, amused, intrigued and gotten the best of politicians from here to his native Canada. He entertained at both of Reagan’s presidential inaugurations, during which President Reagan was reported to have said, “You do me better than I do.”
In January 2010, Little became a United States citizen. During his swearing in ceremony, for U.S. citizenship, the judge asked jim to recite the Pledge of Allegiance as John Wayne… and he did.
Rich Little … Virtually Speaking will also highlight Little’s skills as an artist, using his own sketches and drawings of well-known personalities as a backdrop. To date, Little has drawn more than 100 portraits of all the celebrities and politicians he imitates, and displays several of these life-like charcoal sketches in his shows.
Rich Little is also the author of People I’ve Known and Been: Little By Little (recently re-released and now available online), a collection of stories and anecdotes of some of the many notable showbiz figures and politicians that he has impersonated over the years. The book also features more than 100 photographs (many of which are in color) plus some of his favorite original charcoal sketches. “This is really not a biography,” says Little, “but more of a humorous glimpse of the people I’ve impersonated and some of the funny stories that happened along the way.” All proceeds from sales of the Little by Little book will support U.S. veterans, by way of the Gary Sinise Foundation.
RICH LITTLE… VIRTUALLY SPEAKING
WHEN: Thursday, October 15th, 2020, 5:30pm (PT) / 8:30pm (ET)
WHERE: Direct from a non-disclosed, socially distanced location in Las Vegas
TICKETS: $15 and can be purchased by visiting StageIt.com
or TheRichLittle.com
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