Martin Preston says he tries to get as close as humanly possible to a replica of the musical legend's show.
By JORGE SANCHEZ
Published February 6, 2004
Although Liberace died in 1987, his legendary showmanship and musical talent lives on through the impersonation performance of Martin Preston.
Preston's Liberace tribute show features a replica of the mirrored piano Liberace used, and he also wears re-creations of the costumes the flamboyant pianist wore in his heyday.
Preston has performed his show in theaters, clubs and on cruise ships.
The act includes a replica of Liberace's trademark mirrored grand piano, the candelabra, the shock of gray hair, and usually includes a sidekick (Preston's is William Garon) who sings and does patter while Preston ducks behind stage to change into different attire.
"I mainly perform for middle-aged and older people, and I don't have a lot of people to compete with," said Preston, in a recent Times interview
"Liberace is not like Elvis - he was a performer of the moment and one you had to see live, as he didn't have movies and hit records."
Preston travels with a grand piano and five costumes.
"I have his costumes, his lines, his jokes and his voice," said Preston. "I try to get as close as humanly possible to doing a replica of his show."
"I am the only one that his estate has authorized to do a complete show," he said.
Preston performs as Liberace at 2 p.m. Sunday at Curtis Peterson Auditorium in Lecanto.
Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Reserved seating is $25. To buy reserved seats, call the United Way office at 795-8844. Advance tickets are available at all Regions Bank locations, all chamber of commerce offices, and at the United Way Web site: http://www.citrusunitedway.org
- Information from Times files was used in this report. Jorge Sanchez covers Citrus County arts and entertainment and can be reached at 860-7313 Send e-mail to sanchez@sptimes.com
