He's bringing his triple threat talent to the stage Friday and Saturday night at the Ramada Hotel with dinner and a show.
The Citizen presents An Evening with the Legends starring Robert Larrabee, an impersonator who brings many stars to the stage as he sings, dances and entertains.
"So there will be Sinatra, Buble, Dean Martin, Tom Jones, Neil Diamond, Garth Brooks, Elvis,
Conway Twitty and George Jones who will appear," said Larrabee, who's been at it for 29 years.
"This is old show biz. If you ever went and saw the rat pack, if you watch that old footage, you got everything. They did it all and that's what I do."
Singing was his escape growing up, he said, as he and his mom moved around the province. Instead of Peter Frampton and Led Zeppelin, he was listening to Elvis and Judy Garland, rocking all the show tunes his mom would listen to at home. When his friends took him to karaoke as an adult and discovered his voice, they encouraged him to start singing in public. He drew the attention of an agent during a big talent show and he's been singing ever since.
"Through the years I did some dinner theatre and I thought wouldn't it be neat to have a show where I could do all the voices I've learned and do improv and audience interaction and that's how An Evening with the Legends was born," said Larrabee.
Larrabee's one-man show comes with challenges, however.
"So by the time it comes to the end of the show I am hot and sweaty and then I change into my Elvis costume and I still have to do another 15 minutes of the King and that's the climax so he's expected to shake it 'til the chicks can't take it," laughed Larrabee, who's been in Prince George many times to perform over the last 25 years.
The impersonator is also a singer songwriter and will perform his own work during the country portion of the show.
"I've got a Nashville recorded album called Middle of Something on iTunes now and I will sing two of my original songs that I wrote with Jess Cates, who is a top 40 Billboard charting songwriter, with three number one hits to his credit," said Larrabee. "We've got some great music and (as he slips into his impersonation of Ed Sullivan) we've got an all around really big shoe."
Larrabee said comedy is the international language.
"A lot of times I'll notice that parents have dragged their teenage son with them and he's sitting there with his hat on backwards, his iPhone in front of him, totally prepared to not even look at the show and by five, ten minutes into it, his iPod's down, he's laughing and he's part of the act," explained Larrabee. "Dean Martin will find famous people in the audience and does a Dean Martin roast, we'll get the ladies to find an Elwood Blues Brother in the audience and usually someone is happy to send their hubby up on stage."
And the fun continues throughout the show.
"I've heard this from the audience for 20-some-odd years - I didn't expect it to be all that - I didn't expect the humour," said Larrabee. "It's old-fashioned entertainment. It's the Larrabee show."
Doors open at 6:30, dinner featuring roast beef, chicken and seafood at 7 p.m. with show at 8:30 p.m.
Tickets are on sale at the Prince George Ramada, 444 George St., or call 250-563-0055. Tickets are on sale for seniors who are 60 plus until tonight at 6 p.m. for $15 off the regular price.
