Making Mr. Las Vegas

by: OLIVIA HALE sta writer

In each individual, there exists a desire to be iconic. For Andrew Rabb ‘20, being iconic came naturally to him. Rabb grew up avoiding the status quo and doing as he pleased, not caring what others thought of him. His background in musical theatre helped him to achieve a sort of stage presence in his everyday life. Rabb began acting as a child as something to keep him busy. “I started theatre as a kid simply because it was something that I got to do behind my parent’s back. Not that they didn’t approve, I just never represented an interest,” Rabb said. Notable roles of Rabb’s include “Monsieur Thenardier” in Les Miserables and “Francis Flute” in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Though his theatre pastime started as just that, a pastime, he stuck with it through high school, participating in shows both at CHS and at the Old Town Playhouse. “The people kept me in theatre, I have never met more genuinely kind, slightly insane, joyous people before in my life,” Rabb said. When he’s ostage, Rabb occasionally creates videos for his youtube channel, titled “Mr. Las Vegas.” Mr. Las Vegas is Rabb’s alter-ego that was drawn up after a family trip to Las Vegas in 2018. “Mr. Las Vegas started on male vocal arts day after I came back from Las Vegas over Christmas break. The joke became overselling the fact that I had gone to Las Vegas. The character stuck and one day when I got bored a thought came into my mind that some friends from Virginia had brought up, making a YouTube channel. I made one kind of trashy video that people seemed to enjoy, then I made a few more. I have really enjoyed this alter ego and hope to go along with it as long as it stays alive,” Rabb said. Since the trip, and Rabb’s first video, he has created merchandise, worn by dozens of people throughout Central’s halls. His first piece was the most iconic, a beige t-shirt with his photo on it. To be more specific, a photo of him in his living room, with a lawnmower. “The merch started because I had come across custom clothing websites and I realized I could put my face on anything which I found entertaining. Over the course of spring break, I sent numerous people pictures of numerous articles of clothing with my face on it. Eventually, Heidi Walters said she might actually wear a shirt with the lawnmower picture if I made the shirt a dierent color. I have sold about fifty shirts and about twenty stickers,” Rabb said. Rabb’s iconic sense of self has made him a character to be remembered, as he doesn’t let what people think define him, and stays true to himself through and through. “My number one piece of advice I would give is don’t take life too seriously, stress is a big thing in high school and college so just remember to take it easy. My philosophy on not caring what people think is not even that. I just think if I saw someone dressing like an idiot, I would laugh because it is funny, not because he is stupid. I keep that in mind. Even if people are laughing at me rather than with me they are still laughing, so who is the real winner?” Rabb shared.