By Bart Greenberg***Entertainer Randy Roberts arrived at the Laurie Beechman as a drag queen and ended the evening as a star. The first part of her performance was devoted to celebrity impersonations, and the second half was Randy as herself in concert. It was a fast-moving show, filled with humor, excellent singing and enough 
emotion to tie it all together, while clever projections and videos helped define each segment presented. Roberts used tracks to sing to throughout the performance, usually a distraction, which he mostly triumphed over (but in the future it could be an improvement to work with an accompanist). Other than that hiccup, it was a fine program.
Kicking the evening off was Roberts as the Divine Miss M, and it was an exciting beginning. All of Bette’s high-energy outrageousness was on display:“raise your spirits and lower your standards,”as she sailed into “Divine Intervention” (Matt Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Midler). More fun was had in a variation on Cole Porter’s “It’s De-Lovely” transformed into “It’s DeSantis” (very funny if not very subtle). As she 
stood behind the traditional folding screen to transform into te next star, she shared some of Midler’s favorite “Soph” stories, with great humor.
With Bette gone, Liza arrived (Roberts seems to have a fondness for singers known by a single name). Minnelli is the weakest of the three imitations offered, more notable for the wig and dress than the vocal impersonation. Standards were raised again when Cher entered. The voice and body language were perfect as such standards of hers were sung: “Take Me Home” (Michele Ailer, Bob Esty) and “If I Could Turn Back Time” (Diane Warren); but one of the most intriguing moments of the first part of the show came when Cher mused on a Broadway role she would have loved to play and followed with an electric “Defying Gravity” (Stephen Schwartz).
A very clever transition to the second half of the evening was achieved in a video of Roberts at his make up table 
transforming from good-looking guy to fabulous diva while singing “A Little More Mascara” (Jerry Herman), allowing the star to make a return to the stage in a full new look. He sailed through a series of showstopper numbers including an exuberant “Taking a Chance on Love” (Vernon Duke, John Latouche, Ted Fetter), a sincere “Times Like These” (Steven Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens) and a wonderfully lowdown “If I Can’t Sell It, I’ll Keep Sittin’ On It” (Alex Hill, Andy Razaf). A very campy “These Boots Are Made for Walking” (Lee Hazlewood) allowed Roberts to vamp audience members. Audience adoration was returned during a dynamite rendition of “The Ladies Who Lunch” (Stephen Sondheim); as the song reached the climax, they returned his Roberts toast with one of their own, raising their drinks to him. It was an unplanned but amazingly touching gesture.
For one more effective theatrical touch, as an encore, Roberts revealed his natural baritone with a blazing version of “The Music of the Night” (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe). Such flair and invention assures that audiences will be eager to return to see him again.
Photos by Bart Greenberg
