By JAKE JOHNSON
Northampton will be seeing double when the Edwards Twins perform their “Christmas with the Stars” show at the Academy of Music. The duo, celebrity impersonators, will bring such mega-stars as Cher, Neil Diamond Barbara Streisand along to “join” them onstage.
There will be two performances at the Northampton theater Wednesday, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
The twins, Anthony and Eddie, meticulously tune their voices and apply their makeup to not only sound like the celebrities, but to look just like them as well. They pride themselves, they say, on how skillfully they can morph into their various personas.
Anthony Edwards says it’s their attention to detail that separates their act from the rest.
“If people don’t gasp when they see you, then you don’t look enough like the celebrity,” he said in a recent phone interview. “It takes all day to get all dressed up.”
The brothers have spent years perfecting their acts: They were born in 1965 and grew up in Burbank, California, with the NBC TV studio practically in their backyard. They made friends with security guards there, who let them sneak into the building, where they nurtured their natural talent for impersonation by copying the celebrities who were taping shows.
“They really embraced us,” Anthony Edwards said. “They could see that we were more than just a couple of cute kids.”
The twins credit comedian Carol Burnett with kick-starting their careers: After Burnett saw the twins impersonate her, they became friends.
“I showed a picture to Carol Burnett of us standing with one another, and she asked, ‘Who is me and who is you?’ ” Anthony recalled with a laugh.
Then, when Eddie Edwards was hired to work on Burnett’s TV show “Carol & Company” in 1990, Burnett suggested the brothers create their own show, centered around their dual impersonations.
When the Edwards brothers are performing, they work 12-hour days. As tall, slick-haired white men, makeup and costuming alone can take up to four hours for the more elaborate celebrities, such as Cher or Stevie Wonder, who look nothing like the twins. They make use of prostheses, dentures and wigs to achieve the perfect look.
During the show, however, they need to make quick transitions between characters. All the preparation and work comes beforehand to keep the show moving.
Audiences will see the twins perform solo and in tandem. Sometimes, there are even instruments, like when Anthony Edwards impersonates Elton John (piano) and Neil Diamond (guitar).
The twins say they don’t do impersonations that haven’t been green-lighted by the celebrities themselves.
“If they don’t endorse us, we don’t do them,” Anthony Edwards said. “We’ve been trying to raise the bar for all impersonation shows. We want no more let-downs, no more bad impersonations.”
Eddie Edwards, whose voice is the higher pitched, plays the women, including Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler and Lady Gaga.
“We’re already up against the stereotype of a drag show, so I have to make sure that I look exactly like the celebrity,” Edwards said. “I’m not dressing as a woman; to the audience, I am a woman.”
His brother plays more than 75 male characters, including Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Andrea Bocelli and Pavarotti.
“People come to see this because of the ‘wow’ factor. They want to be shocked and surprised,” Eddie Edwards said. “People come wanting to know how two brothers could do this — sing, perform, mimic others perfectly, including women celebrities.”
The two have received much praise: “Anthony and Eddie Edwards, with no lip-syncing … can replicate flawlessly the voices and mannerisms of well over 100 singers of both genders” (USA Today) and “The Edwards Twins are major, major talents. The range and artistry of their impressions is simply astonishing.” (People).
“If you come to our show, you will not believe your eyes,” Anthony Edwards said. “This is the best impersonation show you will ever see.”
Tickets for “Christmas with the Stars” cost $50 (includes CD and DVD), $35, $30, $25. To reserve, visit www.aomtheare.com or call 584-9032. For more information about the Edwards Twins, visit www.theedwardstwins.com.