The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Tribute to RobinWilliams
Comedians Roger Kabler, Mike Bova and Marc Price present Robin Williams Tribute Show March 8 at 7 p.m.
ONEIDA, N.Y. » Comedian Roger Kabler will channel Robin Williams at the Kallet Civic Center for the Ultimate Robin Williams Tribute Show.
On March 8 at 7 p.m., Kabler, accompanied by comediansMike Bova and Marc Price, will put on a show that Price called chilling and Kabler has described as hang gliding in a hurricane.
“This guy is a trip and a half,” Price said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. He transforms and it’s chilling, but funny. It’s the magic of it, because there might be someone who can look like Robin or sound like Robin, but there’s nobody who can look like Robin, sound like Robin and be funny like Robin. That’s just improbable and here Roger can do all that. It’s like you’re watching Robin Williams live.”
Price said this is an opportunity for people to watch Robin Williams on stage again.
“For us, we’re performing for the people and to make people laugh,” Bova said. “To be part of the ultimate Robin Williams tribute experience, it’s a great honor and something we don’t take lightly. It’s going to be a great show and everyone is bringing their A-plus game.”
Kabler said he doesn’t know if he’s haunted by Robin Williams, but sometimes feels like he is. “I’ve had to align my thinking, my body and my face to him. Naturally, I think there’s a residue of his spirit hanging around,” Kabler said.
shows, In several he said he’s of Kabler’s hadmoments where it’s as if Williams took control of the reigns and he’s just along for the ride.
“It doesn’ t matter if I am channeling him or not, I think the audience is getting something out of it. I’ve had people in the audience crying because they’ve felt so strongly.” Kabler said.
Kabler studied Williams’s style and said there’s a lot to it; a lot of dance, mime and acting go into Williams’s brand of comedy, but also a measure of stillness. him explode all “He comes and has out then out a of very an stillness him suddenly idea and will to it and Kabler then said. he’s “It’s back very to still,” difficult to pull off, unless you understand the rhythm and the poetry of his mind. I’m not a genius, but Robin is and I’m just trying to catch up Kabler said that when Williams died, he was torn up and had an unusual experience. He was approached shortly after Williams’s death to do a tribute show and initially refused. But after, Kabler said it felt as if Williams was goading him and pushing him to put on a show and get out there. Kabler agreed to do the show and got a booking within the year. He started working on his act and using Williams’s old material, but over time has written his own material in Williams’s style.
“It sometimes feels like he’s really present,” Kabler said. “Cindy Williams, who played Shirley on Laverne and Shirley, she saw it and was very emotional and said she felt Robin. And I think that’s the point, I think I found a way for Robin to stay alive.”
The comics performing are donating 10 percent of their profits from their show to BRiDGES, Madison County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
“It’s a topic near and dear to my heart, I’m sober myself and have been for 15 years. It was a long struggle.” Kabler said. “Recovery has to do with recovering your dreams and hopes and I’m doing that. I think a lot of these kids on drugs and drinking don’t have something to do, something that they’re really good at that makes that drug and drink seemnot important, so this other love and passion fills the hole.”
Kabler, Bova and Price all said they’re excited to bring laughter and joy to people.
“When the show’s really good, it’s like hang gliding in a hurricane,” Kabler said. “It’s exhilarating, but a little dangerous because I don’t know if I’m going to come back all the way. It feels like one day after the show I’ll be going ‘Honey guess what happened. I’m stuck. Okay, I’ll be home in a couple months, we’re going to Bombay for Indian food’.”