The holidays, somehow, are rapidly approaching again and if you have family or friends in town for Thanksgiving, you may want to take a trip across the river to New York to see Roger Kabler off Broadway in his spiritual journey of encompassing the undeniably talented Robin Williams.
Kabler, an actor, writer, comedian, producer, artist and impressionist also appeared in the repertory company on the Carol Burnett Show. He then landed the leading role in the sitcom on NBC, “Rhythm & Blues” and was also the Zima man in Zima commercials.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Kabler on Applause Radio Show and found him to be serious and yet insanely funny. I also had the opportunity to watch his film, “Being Robin: The Movie.” It is the story of how a man was diagnosed bipolar, and how succumbing to substance abuse from his Hollywood lifestyle would one day be reincarnated as Robin Williams. It is a touching story of how Kabler fought with demons, including the demon of Williams.
Williams, not necessarily a demo, would battle to fight being Williams and being himself. In the end, Williams would just take over his body and speak to him. Williams came to Kabler to finish what Williams could not and he does a phenomenal job doing so.
Kabler not only has an uncanny resemblance to Williams but his inflections on Williams different characters and his actions and movements are identical to Williams. He even has Williams’ hairy body.
If you love Williams, you will absolutely fall in love with Kabler. His one-man show is next set for Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. and tickets start at $29 up to $75. You may get tickets at Eventbrite.com/theultimaterobinwilliamsexperience. A journey back in time and experiencing Robin Williams live on stage once again.
Kabler has toured the country and is currently in Canada. To find out more about Kabler and to see the movie, go to www.beingrobinthemovie.com, (which I’m sure you will enjoy and get a taste of what you will see live on Nov. 25). It has always been Kabler’s dream to perform his act on Broadway and it has finally come true. A lot of his dreams have come true in fact, in particular bringing Williams back to life and learning how to separate the two so he can be himself once again.
If your body and mind are going to be taken over by someone, Williams really isn’t such a terrible person to do so. Williams was crazy, funny and yet a philosopher all at the same time. Who wouldn’t want that? I sure miss Williams but now he is back.
Check out Roger Kabler with family and friends this Thanksgiving weekend and get that feel good feeling and laugh uncontrollably after stuffing your bellies with your Thanksgiving feast.
To hear my complete interview, visit www.applauseradioshow.com. Happy Holidays to all.
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JoAnn Barton | Special to The Observer
Jo-Ann Bartonis a singer/songwriter and musician for the past 25+ years who contributes entertainment-related stories to The Observer. Her last CD, 'POP and CIRCUMSTANCES,' spawned a number one hit song at college radio stations throughout the United States, including Hawaii, in 2001. She is the host of the Applause Radio Show, a platform JoAnn brings to an ever-growing audience tuning into listen to their favorite celebrities.