It’s a bit ironic that comedian Frank Caliendo, who has been doing impressions of celebrities for nearly 25 years, now just wants to be himself.
“When I first started out, it was impression, impression, impression,” said Caliendo of his stand-up act. “I didn’t work on the ‘me’ part of it. Now the act is more about who I am. In the act I could still be trying to get as many laughs as I can per second, but people don’t get to know you that way. I do more crowd work now. But the impressions are a staple of the act.”
Frank Caliendo will perform at 8 p.m. March 18 at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.
Opening for Caliendo is comedian George Kanter.
Caliendo said that because of social media and podcasting, he is more comfortable on the live stage.
“I meander a little more now in the act,” he said. “It’s not punchline, punchline, punchline like it used to be. I engage the crowd more with jokes and small talk.”
Caliendo lived in Elmwood Park, Illinois, until he was 4 years old and then grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin. His small talk at the Paramount Theatre show may involve people he knows.
“I have family and friends in the area, so at the Paramount show I’ll make fun of them,” he said. “My dad will probably be wearing a T-shirt with a picture of me on it. I wish I was kidding, but I’m not.”
Caliendo can do impressions of more than 100 celebrities, but the biggest issue for him is not knowing what to do with each voice.
“It is all in finding the right point of view to make an observation,” Caliendo said. “Maybe it is a fish-out-of-water scenario, but it has to make sense.
“In the show I’ll do some President Joe Biden stuff — he’s like your grandpa,” he continued. “I compare him to Donald Trump, who is the uncle your parents do not want you to go to. But the act was never about politics itself. I don’t get into that.”
What Caliendo is getting into is doing more than just impressions and comedy.
“I took some acting classes,” he said. “I’m auditioning for serious roles; small parts. I can grow that way. I may even read for a part that calls for a 6’2? handsome guy in his 30s. I know I won’t get that part, but my thinking is, ‘They might have another part.'”
As for his comedy, Caliendo starred in his own TBS TV series, “Frank TV,” his own hourlong TBS special, “Frank Caliendo: All Over the Place,” and the half-hour special, “Comedy Central Presents: Frank Caliendo.” He was a cast member on the Fox TV series “MADtv” for five years, and he has made guest appearances TV shows like “The View,” The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
After a 10-year run on the “FOX NFL Sunday” pregame show, Caliendo was a regular on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown.” He occasionally makes appearances on SportsCenter and other ESPN shows.
“Now I am not doing a ton of sports stuff,” Caliendo said. “It doesn’t get me anywhere career-wise. I don’t want to be boxed in to just sports.”
Caliendo is well known for his impressions of famous personalities Donald Trump, Morgan Freeman, Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Robert DeNiro; politicians George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama; broadcasters John Madden, Charles Barkley and Jon Gruden; and talk show hosts Dr. Phil, Jay Leno and David Letterman, among others.
Caliendo had to alter his act when, in October 2021, Jon Gruden stepped down as the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders football team after it was revealed that he allegedly had made homophobic and misogynistic remarks in emails.
“The Jon Gruden I did was positive and fun,” Caliendo said. “I just cut that voice because I can’t do it the way that I want to do it.”
Caliendo said that making adjustments in the act due to current situations is a challenge.
“With the impressions, you never know who will be canceled, who’s in trouble,” he said, referring to comedian Bill Cosby who, in April 2018, was convicted on three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault stemming from drugging and molesting a woman.
“Ten years ago I am sure some audience members would be saying, ‘I hope he does Bill Cosby,'” Caliendo said “Now they would say, ‘I hope he does NOT do Cosby.’ The hardest thing is maneuvering around that.”
Frank Caliendo
When: 8 p.m. March 18
Where: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora
Tickets: $52-$62
Information: 630-896-6666; paramountaurora.com
Randall G. Mielke is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.
