Brent Allen may well be the best celebrity female impersonator extraordinaire of the Divine Miss M.


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It's been some 15 years since Brent Allen first set foot on stage at The Riviera Hotel in Nobert Aleman's "An Evening At La Cage".


"So much has changed in Vegas since I first moved here" Allen recently said. "There is so much more competition now." Allen, who impersonates Bette Midler and Judy Garland in the larger than life production show, isn't kidding. His latest ‘competition' is Bette Midler Herself.


With the Divine Miss M preparing to launch her "The Showgirl Must Go On" production just down The Strip. Allen has been staying busy fine-tuning his craft to keep his impersonation of Midler as fresh and contemporary as possible. "I always try to keep up with what Bette's doing. I mean, if she changes her hair, I change mine. Or if she adds a new signature look to her act, I try to replicate it. It's not always easy". It may not be easy but Allen makes it look that way down to the last sequin.


When asked how he feels about Midler's new show Allen said "I'm thrilled! I've been a huge fan of hers for years. More years than I care to think about! I saw her live for the first time back in 1973. Of course, that was YEARS before I ever dreamed of impersonating her. And I've seen her in concert so many times since. And Seeing her in concert is seeing her at her best. She is so dynamic on stage." It's that dynamic effect that Brent works so hard to recreate in each performance of "La Cage.".


So, if seeing Midler in 1973 was years before he ever dreamed of impersonating her, just how did this dream come to be? Allen laughed and said "It was a complete fluke! I entered a look-a-like contest on a dare and I won. The nightclub that sponsored the contest asked me to join the cast of a weekly show that they had at the time. I said yes and one thing just led to another." And that's how Allen found his niche.


In addition to "An Evening At La Cage" Allen boasts an impressive resume including numerous television appearances. He also toured with fellow ‘La Cage' star Jimmy Emerson in a two man show that he recalls was "So much fun. A hell of a lot of work, but great fun". Allen says that he prefers working as part of an ensemble cast. "I always wanted to be an entertainer, but never really wanted to be a ‘star'. That makes being in ‘La Cage' the perfect job."


"An Evening At La Cage" runs six nights a week Wednesday thru Monday at 7:30 p.m. Dark Tuesdays. No one under the age of 12 will be admitted without an adult. The ‘La Cage' Theatre is located on the third floor of The Mardi Gras Entertainment Complex.


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