I’m a frequent visitor to Atlantic City. But before you start handing me the number to the gambler’s hotline, the tables you’d catch me at would be of the buffet variety. Either way, I was in town last weekend for a family birthday celebration and that Saturday night we were able to snag some comp tickets at the Borgata for the tour debut of “Larry King Standing Up.”
I won’t lie and tell you i’m a huge Larry King fan. As a matter of fact I never watched a full episode of his now defunct “Larry King Live” on CNN. But after sitting down next to my wife with beer in hand, I enjoyed every anecdote and timely quip that came from Larry’s repertoire. With stories of his youth in Brooklyn to his start as a radio host in Miami, “Larry King Standing Up” is not so much trying to make Larry the next George Carlin but continuing on what he does best – storytelling.
Certain references I didn’t catch and that can be attributed to my age but like a kid hovering around the adults table, I wanted to hear more while unintentionally learning something. Tales about legends like Frank Sinatra and Jackie Gleason were so more interesting when explained by King’s first person accounts. The bar room intimacy was a time machine and in realization the sheer act of going on the road and telling his story, his way – trumps any attempt on a bio doc planned for the future.
Without revealing too much about the rest of the show, the best story by far is King’s teenage escapade on route to get ice cream at the east coast chain Carvel. King’s comedic timing is so natural and the ability to carry my attention from start to end, especially as a casual fan of his work converted me to a full fledged supporter.
To find out where Larry King is performing next, check out his Facebook fan page.
