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\t \n\tBy John Katsilometes (contact) John Katsilometes \tBob Anderson is pouring his heart and soul into this show, in which he is starring Sunday night. There is his voice, too, and certainly his sterling reputation around Las Vegas.<\/p>\n \n\tBecause if you ask longtime entertainers, and those who have followed the entertainment scene in this city, they will tell you that no one does what Bob Anderson does better than Bob Anderson. He is the master vocal impressionist, a singing \u201cinterpreter\u201d whose career dates to even before \u201cinterpreter\u201d was used to define what he does.<\/p>\n \tBut there is even more than his personal passion and vast vocal talent in this mix. There is an investment of time and, of course, money behind \u201cFrank The Man The Music\u201d at Venetian Theatre at 7 p.m. Sunday. There is more than $400,000 collected by Anderson from investors for just this one show, which is why tickets are free (call the Venetian box office at 702-414-900 to reserve seats on a first-come, first-served basis). Anderson and his group are wagering that sum that there is still an audience eager to be entertained by a man who has Sinatra\u2019s legendary vocal quality, mannerisms and will be made up to look exactly like the Chairman of the Board. Makeup artist Greg Cannom, nominated for an Academy Award for his work on Brad Pitt in \u201cThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button,\u201d has been assigned that task.<\/p>\n \tConsequently, this is no mic-in-the-corner effort. The show at the 1,800-seat theater is at once a showcase for a production Anderson wants to stage full-time on the Strip, and also a test of the strength of the Sinatra brand and his name recognition in Las Vegas and beyond.<\/p>\n \t\u201cI will tell you this,\u201d Anderson says during a break in rehearsal with the rhythm section of his 32-piece orchestra, a group that features master jazz guitarist Joe Lano, Sinatra\u2019s longtime piano player and bandleader Vinnie Falcone, bass ace Bob Sachs and drummer Mike Mecham. \u201cI was at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) recently, and I went to 25 kids under the age of 30, most of them under the age of 25, and held up a photo of Frank Sinatra and asked, \u2018Who is this right here?\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n \tAnderson was not surprised at the response.<\/p>\n \t\u201cTwenty-two of them said, \u2018That\u2019s Frank Sinatra,\u2019 and the other three said, \u2018I recognize him, but I can\u2019t place the name,\u2019 \u201c Anderson said. \u201cPeople know Frank Sinatra. Hell, you look around the Strip and you\u2019ve got shows with Beatles music and Elvis still being represented. There is room for Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas.\u201d<\/p>\n \tBut is there room for Anderson himself? That\u2019s another question. Anderson\u2019s 30-year run on the Strip is part of Las Vegas entertainment lore, as he started at the Sahara (fluking his way into a gig opening for Nancy Sinatra when the scheduled performers, the Everly Brothers, got into a fight and skulked out of the booking) and moved to such famed Strip hotel-casinos as Desert Inn, Riviera and Dunes.<\/p>\n \tAnderson\u2019s Top of the Dunes shows from 1975-\u201985 were famous overnight hangs for all major Strip headiners of the day, with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Don Rickles, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Steve Lawrence, Jack Jones and Tony Bennett among those to head up to the lounge to sing and play and unleash the shtick with Anderson. Over the years, Anderson opened for George Burns, Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope, Dom DeLuise, Red Skelton, Nancy Sinatra, Davis, Shirley Bassey, Shirley MacLaine, Johnny Carson and Rickles, among other stars. He was a frequent guest on \u201cThe Tonight Show\u201d and has for decades been well-liked by fellow entertainers around the city.<\/p>\n \tBut about a decade ago, Anderson hit a professional drought in Las Vegas and moved to Branson, Mo., which has since served as his base for performances across the country. He has performed at the Smith Center\u2019s Cabaret Jazz room and the Italian American Club over the past year, while speaking coyly of this orchestral adaptation of Sinatra\u2019s music at \u201ca big room\u201d on the Strip. Venetian Theatre is that room.<\/p>\n \t\u201cWhat we want to do is show you the experience of Sinatra that does not exist anymore,\u201d Anderson says. \u201cThis is the full show, the best presentation of his music you will find.\u201d<\/p>\n \tThough Anderson is known for his vocal and physical dexterity, performing rote impressions of Davis, Martin, Bennett, Bobby Darin, Lawrence, Jack Jones, Andy Williams, Mathis, Nat King Cole and Tom Jones, he is focusing solely on Sinatra in this show. The story follows Sinatra through the early days of his career, to his recording sessions at Capitol Records (including false starts and in-studio conversations), and even some time spent at a bar toasting shots of Jack Daniel\u2019s. Expect jokes about the production\u2019s location \u2013 the Venetian sits on the old Sands property \u2013 as Anderson is one of the few entertainers to headline at both of those famous hotels.<\/p>\n \tFor a sit-down residency in Las Vegas, Anderson says he needs to draw 650 paid patrons at $60 apiece to pay his investors and see a profit. The orchestra is paid at a union rate and is not cheap, at $7,500 per show (not counting rehearsal time), and the makeup process is expensive. But Anderson says there is real interest in the production from people with real money in this show playing a residency on the Strip.<\/p>\n \t\u201cI can tell you there is an interested party,\u201d he says, \u201cotherwise I would not be putting in this much work.\u201d<\/p>\n \tAt that, the great singer is called back to the stage. When he gets there, he dials up a familiar Sinatra song, calling out, \u201cYou make me feel so young!" For Bob Anderson at the Venetian, spring has sprung. Whether this project is simply one wonderful night or a real career revival will be left to the masses.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i59.tinypic.com\/rle1pd.jpg\")
\n\tBob Anderson performs a sound check during a rehearsal of his show at the Venetian with music director Vinnie Falcone and guitarist Joe Lano.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\tSaturday, May 3, 2014 | 3:25 p.m.<\/p>\n
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