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 Views,
Reviews, and Interviews
by Dianne R. Davis
diannerd@aol.com
Photos by Dianne or Burt Davis
Trent
Carlini - The Dream King of Rock 'n Roll
If you love Elvis, then head on over to the Sahara, where Trent Carlini
does a fine job of impersonating the King. The show is entirely Elvis’s
songs and Trent is entirely Elvis.
Darlene was in Blue Hawaii with Elvis and is a frequent visitor to
Trent's show.
The Musical History of the King traces Elvis’s career from the 50’s
through the army and movie years all the way to Las Vegas in the 70’s.
Backed by an eight piece band and two dancing women, Trent treats the
audience to many of the Elvis classics including Blue Suede Shows, Teddy
Bear, Shake Rattle & Roll, GI Blues, Return To Sender, and Love Me
Tender. The list goes on and on. The costumes include army garb, tight
black leather and the flamboyant costume of the Vegas days. If you are
an Elvis fan, you’ll be all shook up by the great job Trent does
impersonating the King of Rock ‘N Roll.
I had the opportunity to speak with Trent recently following his show,
but not until after he had posed for photos and signed autographs for
his fans.
DD: Trent, how did you get started being Elvis?
TC: I started out with a rock-a-billy band out of Chicago and somebody
filmed it and it got to Vegas and somebody contacted me and proposed
that I do Elvis in Vegas so that’s how it all started.
DD: Trent was recently crowned the winner of ABC”S The Next Best Thing:
Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator? The win earned him a great
deal of publicity and a check for $100,000.
TC: It was an honor to be on that show with so much talent. It was an
incredible experience.
DD: Trent, how did you come to be a contestant?
TC: One of my producers, Joe Battig had heard of it and I was already
here doing a number of promotional things. I flew to Orlando and did the
audition.
DD: How many changes of clothing do you do during the show?
TC: There’s about seven or eight different eras that I go through which
means seven or eight different looks including hair and costume.
DD: You start with Elvis, go through the army, and then we get to see
you in that great black leather outfit. How many songs are there during
the show?
TC: We try to do as many songs as we can during the hour and a half
show.
DD: How do you get yourself up and ready every night to do the show?
TC: I secretly hang out in the lobby where there’s a lot of people. I
have a hat on and I talk to people and get siked up and excited as they
are to see a show, and when I go backstage to get ready, it is like the
whole process of getting ready is like a meditation thing. I get to the
point where when the curtains open I am ready to be on.
DD: When the show is over, you stay out in the lobby and meet the fans
and take photos with them. How many pictures do you take?
TC: Quite a few! I stay outside probably more than I am onstage. I can’t
see myself leaving because I see so many people who have come here from
all over the world. I’ll stay out a good two hours meeting with them.
DD: Once you have taken all the pictures and the crowd has left, what do
you do to unwind?
TC: There’s like about minutes that I have my bartender Jay and my wife
Amanda and we just hang out for 5 minutes. Afterward, we go to dinner
and just relax.
DD: Any plans to take the show on the road?
TC: I would love to do that. We’ll see during this next year where we go
and hopefully we will be able to travel the world. It’s one of my dreams
because we have so many fans from all over the world that come to Las
Vegas and constantly tell me that they’d like to see the show where they
live. I’d truly like to take it to them.
DD:: When you are in Vegas, are there some favorite places that you like
to go?
TC: Casa Di Amore is one of my favorite places to go at night and just
relax. I like to go to Spago’s. I love to eat!
DD: I know you were born in the US, but got part of your education in
Italy. Can you talk about that.
TC: I was born in Chicago but by the time I was seven years old, my
parents had to move back to Europe because financially things were very
difficult in those days. They did a wonderful job of taking care of us.
That’s where I ended up growing up and doing all my schooling. I came
back in 1990.
DD: Do you have any favorite songs of Elvis that are your favorites?
TC: There are a few that are favorites, but I don’t do them all onstage.
One is American Trilogy. Don’t Cry Daddy. I feel that he was very
emotionally connected to the songs and I think only the few people that
really knew him knew the connection. I love all of his songs. I’ve never
seen a more amazing performer that Elvis.
DD: Well, Elvis may have been an amazing performer, but you do an
amazing impersonation of Elvis. Thanks for spending some time with me
today.
Trent spends a great deal of time with his fans following each
performance.
Trent's wife Amanda with Darlene Tompkin.
"The Musical History of the King" performs at 9 p.m. nightly Monday
through Saturday (dark Sunday) in the Sahara Theater. Discounts are
available for children aged 5 to 12 years old. To check ticket prices or
make reservations call 702-737-2515.
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