"Had Liberace never lied, he might have done better" philosophises Bobby Crush about the flamboyant piano player who is the subject of his latest show.

"He died thinking that if his fans knew he was gay, it would be the end of his career. He even fought the Daily Mirror for damages for alluding to his homosexuality, and won £8,000 after lying under oath. I can understand why he did it because he wasn't living in enlightened times, but it is a shame."

Bobby may well sympathise with Liberace, having enjoyed the liberty of coming out publicly in Gay Times last year.

"No journalist had ever asked me outright if I was gay, so I'd never confirmed it," says the UK pianist and entertainer who shot to fame after six winning appearances on TV's Opportunity Knocks. "But I was about to play Liberace in a play about his Daily Mirror court case, so I knew the questions were bound to come. I thought I'd get in there first."

The prospect of stepping into the shoes of such an inimitable figure was daunting for Bobby.

"He was such a wonderful showman, there is nobody really comparable to him. I first saw him live in London with my parents when I was a boy, and then much later in New York just a few months before he died. By then he looked very ill and thin, and claimed to have lost weight on a watermelon diet. We know now, of course, he had AIDS. But he still played well and he filled Radio City Music Hall, a 6,000-seat venue for a fortnight."

Bobby reveals how he gets so close to his subject.

"I've studied vast amounts of footage and all the dialogue is taken directly from DVDs of Liberace's concerts.

We wanted to get as close as possible to the real thing. I'm never out of character during the show."

And after 35 years of mimmicking the maestro, Bobby has had plenty of practise. Donning his array of sparkling costumes, complete with weighty reproduction jewellery and mock mink, he impersonates the charismatic performer with a medley of Liberace's most famous hits, from Roll Out The Barrel to his theme song, I'll Be Seeing You.

"The show will be especially popular with Brighton's thriving gay community," he says. "I have seven costume changes, each one glitzier than the last, and we use smoke machines, amazing singers and dancers, a Dean Martin tribute act and a live band to really conjure the spirit of a huge, spectacular Las Vegas show."

Bobby hopes to get the show into the West End later this year.

He says: "There are other Las Vegas Shows like The Rat Pack around, but Liberace really pulled out all the stops and set the template for all those big Las Vegas shows. We're keeping our fingers crossed."

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