Meet the Robin Williams impersonator coming to Alabama Theatre

Following the death of famous actor Robin Williams, Roger Kabler felt compelled to continue on the comedian’s legacy of delighting and motivating audiences.

Kabler looks and acts a lot like Williams, capturing his mannerism and style of humor. He first noticed the resemblance when he saw Williams on the 1970s television show “Mork and Mindy.”

“I said, ‘damn, that dude stole my act if I had one,’” he joked.

Kabler’s show has been going on for a couple years now. He said he tries to use the similarities between him and the actor to bring back what made Williams’ show so special. By the end, Kabler said, he tries to capture the heartfelt warmth Williams brought to his roles.

“There is a message of love and something that will touch us all,” Kabler said. “And that’s really the bottom line.”

Impersonating such a beloved actor comes with a lot of responsibility, he said. So each show tries to capture the spirit of Williams in a respectful way by encouraging the audience to have fun in the moment.

The Legends of Comedy production is Sunday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Alabama Theatre. Kabler said the show is intended for older audience, as younger viewers may learn some words they have never heard before.

“We’re working the Alabama, which is the big time,” Kabler said while in character as Williams.

This story was originally published July 29, 2018 at 12:24 PM.