One plays Sonny, one plays Cher
The Edwards Twins impersonate the stars
By Katie Johnston, Globe Staff | October 15, 2004

ARLINGTON -- Eddie and Anthony Edwards sit back-to-back in the cramped dressing room of the Regent Theatre, each looking closely at himself in the mirror while carefully applying thick stage makeup. Laminated photos of Cher and Barbra Streisand are arranged on Eddie's table next to pots of powder and tubes of foundation. Two perfectly round, nylon-encased beanbags lie nearby. "Those are my Bette Midler breasts," Eddie says.

A few feet behind him, Anthony glances at pictures of Billy Joel and Elton John as he puts on his face. A shaggy Sonny Bono wig hangs on a Styrofoam head on one side of his table; on the other, a graying Billy Joel beard and mustache lie in a clear plastic box.

The 39-year-old men go into the dressing room looking exactly the same; they are identical twins, after all, with the same slicked-back hair, prominent noses, and enthusiastic smiles. But when they emerge hours later, they look nothing alike. Quite the opposite, in fact. Eddie has become a striking Bette Midler look-alike in a sparkly black number and heels, and Anthony, dapper in a suit and tie, is a thinner, more serious Billy Joel.

The Edwards Twins have been taking their celebrity impersonation act around the country for 10 years. They play Cape Cod every summer and have been appearing at the Regent four times a week since late September -- this weekend they play tonight, tomorrow night, and Sunday afternoon -- and they've just been extended through December. Their ultimate goal isn't Broadway, it's Boston, a city they'd like to settle in for a long run and ultimately call home.

Eddie can nail Streisand's high notes, gracefully; he even does her shy giggle and one-fingernail hair stroke. His Cher, in fishnet stockings, thigh-high boots, and a rhinestone-studded thong -- which reveals a tattooed behind when he turns around -- is startling. He prances and skips around the stage, belting out abbreviated versions of "If I Could Turn Back Time" and "Believe" that cause an otherwise sedate older man in the fourth row at Sunday's show to clap his hands energetically above his head.

Anthony and his twin have been fascinated by celebrities since they were kids growing up in Burbank, Calif. They lived across the street from NBC studios, Anthony says, and would use the "twin thing" to work their way into tapings and backstage areas. "The average Joe would be stopped by security, but the security guard would say, `Oh my gosh, look at the twins,' " Anthony recalls, his voice rising, and they would get through every time. At home, they recorded TV broadcasts of "Laugh-In," "The Carol Burnett Show," and Sonny and Cher's variety show on audio cassettes and listened to them over and over, mimicking the stars' voices. They learned the skits verbatim and performed them at neighborhood parties. Soon they were taking lessons: Anthony focused on music and piano; Eddie got into acting and makeup.

After high school, they worked separately in clubs and revues; they both did stints impersonating celebrities and appearing in touring productions of "La Cage aux Folles." Anthony says he's never been interested in fame, but Eddie once dreamed of being a big star. And despite his gift for impressions, he wanted to be himself. He always said, "I don't want to be somebody else." But his big break never came.

"The bottom line is this. Eddie and I are two actors who could not get work to sustain a living," says Anthony, who went to the police academy in San Diego but soon returned to the stage. "What you learn in acting school is you never give up and you do what you have to do to survive. So Eddie and I got a gimmick."

The gimmick, of course, is the twin thing. And being dedicated to every detail. They buy custom-made outfits, sometimes from the same designers the stars use, and pay thousands of dollars to get the perfect wigs. In his spare time, Eddie watches concert tapes to get the singers' mannerisms and voices just right. He gets many of the videos while traveling in other countries, where he can buy recordings that aren't sold in the United States; one of his Bette Midler concert tapes came from Singapore.

And that's just part of the preparation. A typical show day starts with each brother driving a cargo van to the next town. They set up the entire show themselves, which means four hours of loading in the baby grand piano, the monitors and speakers, costumes and shoes, makeup and mirrors. For the Arlington run, they finally hired someone to help them with sound.

About 2 1/2 hours before showtime, Eddie starts applying makeup for what he calls his "initial face." He and Anthony take turns onstage for most of the show, and while Anthony is pounding away at the piano for five or six abbreviated Billy Joel songs, Eddie is backstage hurriedly changing outfits and exchanging the crease he has drawn on his cheek (to look more like Midler) for the "v" he pencils in on the tip of his nose (for Streisand).

After the performance, they break it all down, load it up, and spend the night in a hotel before doing it all over again the next day. Before settling in to their long run in Arlington, they played Mondays and Tuesdays in East Greenwich, R.I., Wednesdays and Thursdays in West Dennis, and Fridays and Saturdays in Falmouth.

Behind the fake eyelashes and furry Elton John robes, the twins strive to maintain their own identities. "We are the Edwards twins first," Eddie says. They are both single, born-again Christians who give credit to God onstage and off and swear they have never touched a drop of alcohol. Anthony writes gospel music -- he just signed a deal with Sony and has an album coming out in January -- and listens to CDs of preachers from all over the country while he drives. "My time with the Lord is very important," he says.

A larger-than-life photo of them, grinning almost maniacally, is projected above the stage before each show, and before the end of each performance they appear as themselves. Anthony comes out first to do a dozen more vocal impressions, including convincing versions of Tina Turner, Neil Diamond, and Diana Ross, followed by Eddie, who slinks out in a shimmery dress and blond wig, sits down at a makeup table, and turns himself back into a man while singing "I Am What I Am," first in a female's voice, then in a man's.

The voices are what people often can't believe, particularly Eddie's female impressions, but Anthony says they are indeed their own, with only a few reverb effects to "smooth out" the sound. Eddie says he had a high voice as a child and credits singing lessons with helping him hold on to his "God-given talent." Audience member Larry Tennis, at the Regent on Sunday afternoon, wondered whether Eddie's voice might be lip-synched or at least altered, but he was thrilled nonetheless.

"I didn't want to come," admitted his companion, Jackie Sherry, who said she saw an ad in the Arlington paper and wasn't impressed. But in the end, she was won over.
Anthony and Eddie know how it goes. "We are not taken seriously," says Anthony, "until people see our show."

Katie Johnston can be reached at kjohnston@globe.com.

The Edwards Twins are at the Regent Theatre in Arlington each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. through Dec. 19. (In November and December, there will be no Thursday show.) Tickets are $20-$60; call 781-646-4849.