See him perform as Madonna, Dolly and transform from a woman to a man at the Riviera Hotel

Of all the cast members in "An Evening at La Cage" the most multi-talented is Kenneth Blake, whose job in the show is to perform as Madonna and Dolly Parton along with the closing number called "What Makes a Man a Man."

As Madonna, Blake has six backup dancers while he performs to "Music." He returns later as Dolly Parton in "9 to 5," "Baby I'm Burning" and "Why'd you come in Here looking Like That." In La Cage's signature number, Charles Aznavour's "What Makes a Man a Man", Blake changes from a fully-dressed woman to a man in two-and-a-half minutes.

At 5-foot 8 inches tall and 135 pounds he is certainly physically fit for the job of entertaining hundreds nightly in "La Cage" at the Riviera. The show is widely considered the best of its kind in the world since it's opening in 1985 on The Las Vegas Strip.

He said, "I'm working on a Broadway-style musical that is set to open at the Northern Quest Casino in Spokane, Washington after the first of the year in a 600-seat showroom. It is a tribute to the musical history of Broadway. In the future,  I was the musical coordinator of a production called `Born Divas' which is a tribute to legendary musical ladies of the theatre, music industry and silver screen.

Blake's other talents include mastering wigs, interior design, make-up, singing and mixing music. He was voted Miss Gay Arizonia America in 1998 and Miss Gay Western States in 2001. Blake is also a trick roper and has been in rodeos. "I toured as a singer and can now impersonate 10 women and two men. I can do impersonations as Madonna, Dolly Parton, Cher, Celine Dion, Joan Rivers, Judy Garland, Cruella DeVille, Lori Morgan, Reba McEntire, Meryl Streep, Elton John and Boy George. He said, "I have been a female impersonator for 18 years."

Blake said, "We opened the 'Today' show's Christmas festival in 1984 when I was an adolescent and singing in the choir. I was with the sister choir to the Vienna Boy's Choir called the Tucson, Arizona Boy's Choir. We did a movie called `The Coronation' and that's why we did the ‘Today' show. It turned out to be a PBS special."

Blake continued, "I was a hairdresser right out of high school where I grew up in Tucson. I maintained a 3.5 GPA. I excelled there in all of the art and music programs. I have my own wig business on E-Bay and the Internet and it's doing very well. You can't always afford to take a make-up artist, a hairdresser and a costume designer when you travel to work so I had to learn it al myself. I learned to be self-sufficient. I've performed in Canada, Mexico and the United States as a singer. "

Blake said, "My goal has always been to work in `An Evening at La Cage.' This is my dream job. I've loved Las Vegas ever since I visited here in 1991. I also love `Star Wars.' I'm a science fiction buff. My mom is my biggest hero because she supported me in everything I've ever attempted. She has come from being a housewife to being an executive assistant to the vice-president of a major real estate corporation in the U.S. I spent my last vacation in my hometown Tucson where I did six shows in four days.

What are some of the things people don't know about Kenneth Blake? He said, "I drive a Jaguar "S" Type and a Lincoln NAVIGATOR . Blake lives In Henderson about two miles from Lake Las Vegas. I have a bagel and fruit every morning for breakfast. The last book I read was `Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil.' I collect tribal masks and Egyptian artifacts. I was short in high school so they nicknamed me Caesar."

Blake said, "My philosophy in life is a quote from Dr. Seuss. `Say what you want and be who you are because those who care don't matter and those who matter won't care.' My friends would say that the secret to my success is being strong, determined and passionate."

For the most entertaining show in Las Vegas, don't miss "An Evening at La Cage" starring Frank Marino as Joan Rivers at 7:30 p.m. nightly Wednesdays thru Mondays (dark Tuesdays). For tickets or info, call (702) 794-9433. The cast is as follows: Jimmy Emerson as "Tammy Spraynette" and "Madonna's Bigger Sister," Brent Allen as Bette Midler and Judy Garland, Lane Lassiter as Michael Jackson, Sammy Gonzales and Liza, Ryan Zink as Reba McEntire, Steven Wayne as Cher and Celine Dion, Derrick Barry as Britney Spears and Crystal Woods as Diana Ross and Whitney Houston.