I went to a wonderful party the other night at Sterling’s Upstairs at Vitello’s at which the guest list included: Christopher Walken, Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and J.F.K., Bugs Bunny, Louis Armstrong, Ted Koppel, Marlon Brando, Woody Allen, Katherine Hepburn, Jackie Mason, Clint Eastwood, Fran Drescher, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis, Alfred Hitchcock, Archie and Edith Bunker, Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing, and others. Impossible, you might say, but not when your host is Perry Lambert, singer, actor, mimic, and comic.
Mr. Lambert has had an impressive career on the stage. He was in the very first Forbidden Broadway, and he has co-starred in over 50 theatrical productions. He has shared the stage with such notables as Debbie Reynolds, Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Liza Minnelli, to name just a few. He has featured his many talents at the Improv, Bally’s, Caesar’s Palace, and performing arts centers around the country. His act has been the headliner for Crystal Cruises, Holland America, Princess Cruises, and Celebrity Cruises (natch).
Mr. Lambert is a skilled singer in his own right but used his incredible impersonation skills to sing a Rat Pack medley, Elvis’ “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” “Unforgettable,” and songs from The Wizard of Oz. He also sang songs in his own voice, including “Mack The Knife" and George Shearing’s arrangement of Burt Bacharach’s “Do You Know the Way to San Jose.” Lambert was backed up by the Hollywood Quartet under the direction of Ron Snyder. The band also included a fabulous vibes player, Nick Mancini, who showed himself to be a consumate artist.
Perry Lambert performed at Sterling’s Upstairs At Vitello’s on March 13. Vitello’s is, of course, one of the best Italian restaurants around, and Sterling’s Upstairs is the premiere room to introduce new and upcoming artists as well as established performers. Let's hope they bring Perry Lambert back. I wonder who will come with him next time?
Article comments
1 - Kim Morris
This show reminded me of entertainment "Old Hollywood Style." Perry's comedy is original and family friendly. I highly recommend this show. I absolutely loved it!
2 - Catherine Morse
When I first went to see Perry Lambert perform, I didn't know what to expect. I knew there would be songs and impressions, but I had no idea the magnitude of entertainment and laughter that Lambert’s show provides. He provides much more than the typical “song and dance.” He whisks the audience away on a wild ride of impressions, songs, and antidotes, taking them back in time to see such performers as “The Rat Pack” and Louie Armstrong. Lambert’s skillful, well-sung, and well-versed rendition of a re-casting of “My Fair Lady” not only impresses but amazes the audience, as he demonstrate---rather, becomes---what seem like hundreds of famous people, right before everyone’s eyes. Watching Lambert sing as other people then tell stories as himself somehow made me (and everyone else, as I could tell from looking around) curl over with laughter, and I still don’t even quite know why. All I know is that I enjoyed every minute, and I can’t wait to see one of his shows again.