After traveling to countless cities around the United States from the Las Vegas strip to the Big Apple, and worldwide from San Francisco to Spain, female impersonator Randy Roberts is happy to call the island of Key West home.
Randy Roberts, one of Key West’s most popular performers, has a magical ability to transform himself into iconic American divas. (Photo by Annabel Williams)
Born in Virginia, Randy always had a passion for performing and being in front of audiences. He began his career on lunch and dinner cruises in New England — and when his talent drew wider recognition, he started traveling with several different shows.
After visiting Key West professionally multiple times, he found that something kept bringing him back to the island.
“In 1998 I was asked to perform at a birthday party in Key West, and that same weekend was asked to perform for the weekend at a club,” Randy recalled. “Then the club was asking me back every weekend.
“That’s just how it goes here — before I knew it, this was home,” he said.
By August 1998, Randy was performing at the famous La Te Da on Duval Street. The boutique hotel was renowned for its lodgings and restaurant, as well as its eclectic cabaret.
For more than 15 years, Randy has excited and entertained audiences several times a week, impersonating a wide range of characters in “Randy Roberts Live!” The show is a live multimedia tribute to some of the world’s most beloved female performers, all depicted by the versatile Randy. Audience favorites include Cher and Bette Midler.
However, nothing compares to his own self-created character of Randy Roberts.
“I like to think of it as a cross between Ann-Margret, Liza Minnelli and Joan Rivers,” Randy quipped.
His talents have not only brought him to stages around the country, but also inside the homes of millions of Americans when he appeared on the television series “America’s Got Talent,” a variety-format competition for performers from around the U.S.
Is it Bette or is it Randy? Only La Te Da audiences know for sure! (Photo by Barry Fitzgerald)
For his first audition, Randy sang “That’s Life” accompanied by a 15-piece, all-female big band. Though the audition wasn’t aired on television, the judges apparently loved his performance.
During the “judge cuts” round, which was aired before millions of viewers, Randy sang “The Lady is a Tramp.” Unfortunately, it didn’t earn him a place in the next round.
Despite the hard work and the long hours filming, Randy admitted he was very happy with the show’s results.
“I’m so grateful for the national exposure I got from ‘America’s Got Talent,’” he enthused. “The social media coverage was incredible; I’m still seeing results from it.”
As well as staging “Randy Roberts Live!” regularly, the energetic entertainer also spends time performing around Key West for special events and at local theaters including the island’s acclaimed Tennessee Williams Theatre.
When Randy isn’t entertaining Key West visitors and resident fans, he spends his time doing what many other Keys locals do — biking around town, getting out on the water as much as possible and supporting local theater.
“This is home for me,” Randy said. “My friends are here, my work is here, everything’s here. I’m very lucky that I have such a great following and support of a great community to do what I love … and to top it all off, it’s Key West!”
Click here to subscribe to the Florida Keys & Key West’s LGBT travel blog.
