LOS ANGELES?I couldn?t wait till next Thursday to finish this story. Last week I wrote about being in Vancouver, then in Vegas. Today, I start out still in Vegas, spending time with friends.
On Sunday afternoon, I checked out of the Paris Las Vegas hotel after a successful concert with Patti Austin at the Theatre des Artes. I had forgotten to mention that she sang a duet with a young Filipina singer named Lianna. The young lady is a discovery of Patti?s longtime makeup artist, Maxi (who did everyone?s makeup for the show). She sounded wonderful, and I see a bright future for her.
Nice, long break
The next day in Vegas signaled a nice long singing break (the next gig won?t be until April 30, when ?Heart and Soul? is staged at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills). On this evening, I would be watching ?Jersey Boys,? the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the group behind the hits ?Sherry,? ?Oh What A Night,? ?Big Girls Don?t Cry.? Its original Broadway production won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical. I had never seen the show anywhere, so this would be a very special evening.
Peter Saide (who would be playing Bob Gaudio in the show) and his wife (and fellow ?Cinderella? alum) Harriette Saide took me to a late lunch (spinach salad was the order of the day) close to their home. At about 4:30, Harriette headed off to her show at the Excalibur, while I got ready to watch ?Jersey Boys.? We zipped out to the Palazzo at a little after 5 p.m. I got my show ticket, then headed to Wolfgang Puck?s newest offering, Cut (also at the Palazzo), where my manager David and his girlfriend Shelle would treat me to a belated birthday dinner.
Cut is known for its steak. The waiter brought out a tray of what they have available: Illinois Corn-Fed (aged 21 days), Double R Ranch from Loomis, Washington (aged 28 days), Nebraska Corn-Fed (aged 35 days), American Wagyu/Angus ?Kobe Style? Beef from Snake River Farms, Idaho, and Japanese Wagyu from Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.
Perfect steak
I chose the American Wagyu Filet Mignon cooked a perfect medium, with creamed spinach on the side. Sauteed mushrooms would top my steak. David ordered some red wine (I?m not a wine person, so a mojito was my drink of choice). He and Shelle would share the tasting plate with broccolini on the side.
All the components of the meal that came out were excellent: The gruyere popovers, the bread selection, each side dish, and of course, the steak! All I needed to cut a slice was one stroke of my steak knife. And the meat was so perfectly cooked! I couldn?t finish my meal, so I had it wrapped up to take back home. (I ate the leftovers later in the evening.)
Right after we ordered dessert, a serving of cake and ice cream came out, with the words ?Happy Birthday? written on the plate alongside a lemon tart with the sparkling candle in it. What a nice night. After dinner, I walked over to the theater and hurried to my seat.
Hit after hit
The show was incredible. The four actors playing the Four Seasons (Rick Faugno as Frankie Valli, Jeff Leibow as Nick Massi, Deven May as Tommy DeVito, and Peter Saide as Bob Gaudio) were all wonderful, telling the story from each of the member?s point of view (each one in a ?season?). The best part for me was the music?hearing hit after hit in the context of the story was such a treat to my ear. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew!
After the show, BJ Allen (production stage manager) escorted me backstage to pose for pictures with the four leads. I couldn?t get over how great Peter was! I felt so proud.
The final treat of the evening would be a poker game at the Saide?s residence with a few people from ?Jersey Boys?: Jeff Leibow, Travis Cloer (he also plays Frankie Valli in Vegas), Phil Jaynes (a member of the backstage crew), and Jacques Smith (husband of one of the ladies in ?Jersey Boys,? and a former Benny on the ?Rent? tour). Jeff revealed during the evening that he was formerly a consultant for NASA (yes, NASA) and showed me his ID card. He was officially the coolest person at the table for me.
I lost the game (but I lasted long enough without having to buy in again), but it was such a fun evening. Harriette introduced me to fruity beer (Framboise and Peche Lambic, made by Lindemans), I ate my Cut leftovers, and after the game, spent most of the early morning hours talking with Peter. For someone so young, he?s a very interesting man to speak with. There?s an old soul in there, and I?m fortunate to have him as a friend. Oh, I had him talk to Nicole (they forged a very nice friendship during ?Cinderella? and she was, according to my mom, totally dumbstruck after hearing his voice.
I left for Los Angeles the next morning completely sleep-deprived but spiritually full, something one wouldn?t expect after a couple of nights in Sin City. But spending it with good friends, working with a legend, and seeing a fantastic show are what I must give credit to for how happy I was (and still am). May there be many more weekends like this in my future.
