Clownvis Presley brings the jumpsuit and the greasepaint to Ray Leo's

Michael Leahy's Elvis-in-clown-makeup act makes its first Evansville appearance in our records on Friday, Nov. 20, at Ray Leo's at Lamasco.

Somewhere between an Elvis tribute and a carnival sideshow, there is a man in full clown makeup, a white jumpsuit and slicked-back hair, singing songs you have never heard as if you should have. On Friday, Nov. 20, he is in Evansville.

Clownvis Presley plays Ray Leo's at Lamasco in Evansville on Friday, Nov. 20, at 8 p.m. Tickets are through TicketWeb. It is the first Evansville show for Clownvis in our records.

Clownvis is a character created and played by Michael Leahy, partly based on Elvis Presley, and the act mixes musical parody and comedy. Leahy built it on stage in Los Angeles, where he hosted *Clownvis and Friends* at the Hollywood Improv from 2011 to 2013, and the LA Weekly once called the act "better than the real Elvis." Since then he has toured with a list of acts that tells you where he fits: Insane Clown Posse, Neil Hamburger, Mac Sabbath, Unknown Hinson, The Blasters and Supersuckers, among others.

What you actually get on the night is described consistently. A Reno preview this summer pinned it down: full clown makeup and the trademark Elvis jumpsuit, shades and slicked-back hair, performing original songs in the style of Elvis. Other writers have described a blend of music, comedy and magic. It is a show that works best if you show up ready to play along.

An Elvis jumpsuit, full clown makeup and original songs: Clownvis is a night that works best if you show up ready to play along.

The Evansville date sits inside a fall run that has already taken him through Florida late last month and through Gainesville and Memphis earlier this month. After Evansville he is booked in Tulsa on Nov. 14 before, and Detroit on Dec. 3 and Grand Rapids on Dec. 4 after, which makes this one of the closer stops for anyone in the Tri-State.

Ray Leo's is a good fit for an act like this. Clownvis tends to headline rooms of about 350, and a bar-and-stage setup is where the gag lands best: close enough to see the makeup, loose enough that the crowd can heckle back if it wants to.

If you have never seen him, the best advice is to go in without reading too much more. Buy the ticket, show up by 8, and decide for yourself whether he is better than the real Elvis.

Sources: Clownvis Presley - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org); Reno News & Review: Clown in a jumpsuit: Clownvis Presley brings his decidedly unique show to Cypress Reno (renonr.com); WUSF: Clownvis Presley and Sonic the Hedgehog headline this weekend's music roundup (wusf.org); Orlando Weekly: All hail the king, Clownvis Presley comes to Orlando (orlandoweekly.com); St. Louis Magazine: Clownvis comes to Blueberry Hill (stlmag.com); TicketWeb tickets (ticketmaster.evyy.net); JamBase listing (jambase.com)