Bob Anderson Show

Bob Anderson is Sinatra, Martin, Davis Jr., Tom Jones: Truly Uncanny!

I have been in the entertainment industry since childhood, and moved from Los Angeles to Branson over a decade ago to pursue my career. I've worked in many shows, and seen almost every show that has come through Branson in that time. And I am here to tell you that Bob Anderson's Tribute To The Golden Age of Song is possibly the best show I've ever seen hit this great city.

Bob Anderson's show takes place at 8 pm, inside the lush and inviting Club Vegas showroom at the Lodge of the Ozarks, which is located right on Hwy 76 across from Jim Stafford's Theatre. Parking is plentiful, and essentially flat all around the complex, so any parking that does require some walking does NOT require walking up or down any major slopes, a nice change from many of Branson's venues.

The ushers/wait-staff and ticket takers are congenial and prompt, which sets the tone for what you will be experiencing. You immediately get a feeling that they are here for you, to serve your needs and enhance your evening. Just like the real Vegas. The next thing you notice, upon walking into Club Vegas, is how 'dead-on' it is for a real Las Vegas showroom. I spent a number of years in Vegas, and the moment I walked into this Club, I felt like I had stepped back in time to Caesar's Palace's Circus Maximus, albeit in a smaller form. Half-circle booths with red leather and velvet sidings, dark wood tables with small candles glowing, ready for a night of fun and nostalgia, letting you feel like you are really spending an evening watching the classic acts in a classic venue.

The dinner, which one can purchase for an extra $20 or so with your ticket, is delicious and very much in keeping with the Vegas feel. Steak, potato, some veggies, salad, all well-prepared. The dinner is served during the hour before show time, so be sure to get there by 7 if you want to try it. It's WELL worth it!

You will also notice that this show differs from any other show in town in the way that drinks are served to your table, just like a real Vegas showroom. No, this show is probably not one you would take your kids to see, though I must emphasize that there is *nothing at all offensive* in the show itself, but remember, you are essentially in Vegas. But children who can handle the grown-up environment should be encouraged to see Bob's show, as he will educate them to music they likely have never heard before, done in a style that will delight all ages.

All of the pre-show experience is sweetly moved along to a background music track of some of the truly classic swing and standard tunes of the late '50's through the mid '70's, and sets another marker for what is to come.

Audio in the venue is crisp and clear, never too loud, never too soft, and equalized with the right touch of live rawness mixed with modern sophistication. A very enjoyable and non-fatiguing sound system is employed here.

Now, of course, comes show time! A short video is played above the stage, showing us a glimpse into Bob's younger days, his entry into the singing profession, and a history of his rise to impressionistic stardom in Las Vegas, imitating all the classic male vocalists of his era. Then Bob himself walks onto the stage, with his pianist ready to be the sole but very effective accompanist, helped with some recorded horns, strings, and other song enhancers which, rather than being over-emphasized and appearing insincere, are understated and lend a real boost to the mood of what you're hearing.

And Bob isn't the only guy to show up; Sinatra, Martin, Davis Jr., Tom Jones, Jack Jones, Johnny Mathis, and Tony Bennett all make their appearance at various points in the show. Anderson's take on each person he imitates is spot-on, not just 'kinda-like' but truly uncanny. His virtuosity in vocal range and voice impressions are truly astounding, so much so that you have to keep blinking and reminding yourself that you are not actually hearing the real thing. After the first five minutes you no longer wonder why he's been doing this successfully for over 27 years. Bob Anderson is a fabulous performer, and when seen in an intimate Vegas setting so alike to the venues he's played in the real Vegas for so long, you begin to understand what was so great about Vegas back then, and why it's important to keep that feeling alive. Anderson becomes Dean Martin right before our eyes, in a hilariously accurate portrayal of Dino himself, (unlit) cigarette in one hand, drink in the other, bopping and smiling along with his jokes and hit songs. Johnny Mathis' drowsy, droopy stage presence is mimicked to a 'T' as well, and while you're laughing at how accurate and funny the body movements are, you're still in awe of how much he sounds like Mathis.

It was when he began to do Tom Jones that I really lost it and laughed myself crazy, because Bob Anderson actually scrunches up his face and BECOMES Tom Jones... the big eyes, the wide Cheshire grin, looking about while waving that famous waistline gyration and flailing those arms... it killed me! Sounded just like him, LOOKED just like him, it is astounding. But along with these and other impressions (like his Bennett and Sinatra, they have to be seen and heard to be believed)

Anderson also injects plenty of good-natured humor, and personal recollections of working with and in front of the very stars he admires so greatly to flatter in his own inimitable way. He recounts why he wanted to be a singer in the first place, growing up listening to the radio, the records, the classic TV variety shows that inspired and informed his need to be a performer. It's a funny show, and well-performed, as good as any in town, but being so intimate, it's also very touching and deeply loving in its tribute not only to those singers and songs he mimics, but to an entire era of uniquely American culture and music. He never slips into seriously 'blue' humor, the show is not preceded with half-nude dancers or any other uncomfortable Vegas stereotypes of loose morals and low-brow comedy. He's a natural, plain and simple, no grand lighting effects or production values on the scale of Broadway, as so many shows try to do.

Bob Anderson just sings for us, with his pianist, performing as a hundred different stars and as himself as well, and the entire feeling one comes away with is that we've been given a chance to feel what it really felt like to attend one of those classic shows of the mid-20th Century, when crooners were at their peak, life felt a little safer and more fun, and everyone was invited to the party hosted by the coolest, hippest cats in town.
You'll want to see it over and over again (and sometimes different songs and singers show up unannounced as Bob suddenly is inspired to add something different and keep things fresh for his audience and himself).

This show is as fun as any in town and different than all the others. It's a complete package of Vegas-style enchantment courtesy of Bob Anderson and Club Vegas at Lodge of the Ozarks. Don't miss it!