May 5, 2009

A Jersey Style Anniversary Celebration!

May 5th, 2009

(Photo credits: 1 & 19: BroadwayWorld.com; Photo 18: Kristofer McNeeley)

On Sunday, May 3, 2009, Jersey Boys Las Vegas celebrated their first anniversary at The Palazzo!

Being in the audience for this celebration was a night that will go down in history as one of the best JB Vegas shows, EVER! I swear, I don’t say that every time I enter The Jersey Boys Theatre, do I? :-)

There was definitely an anniversary buzz in the full house audience before the show began and within the first minute of “Ces Soirees-La,” they were hooked! You could have heard this crowd in Lovelock, Nevada–with their thunderous, extended applause during the Big 3 and “Dawn” and with the laughs during the show’s comedic moments! I’m “tearin’ up” thinking back to Act Two: Rick Faugno’s dance moves and splits; the dramatic explosion in Gyp’s basement; “CTMEOY”; “Fallen Angel”; the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction, and OMG–”Who Loves You”! You had to be there to get the full effect of this audience’s love for this show during the “Who Loves You” finale, the standing ovation, and the “Oh, What A Night” reprise!

Following the extended cheers and standing ovation, Rick Faugno asked the audience for a few more minutes of their time to let us all know that this night marked the one year anniversary of JERSEY BOYS’ debut on The Strip and a gorgeous cake appeared on stage to begin the bash!

The anniversary festivities continued for the cast, crew, and invited guests after the show at the classically elegant Palazzo pool area, which featured a moonlit canyon view of opulent high-rise casinos in the background, along with splendid bar service and fabulous h’ordeuvres waiting for the guests. Shortly after we arrived, so did the amazing cast members, who were incredibly welcoming! It was a blast to catch up with Colin Trahan and meet his fiancée Jessica, Kristofer McNeeley, Jeff Leibow and his wife Melody, Travis Cloer, and Rick Faugno!

In addition to the cast members, it was like a “Mary Delgado” reunion! It was a wonderful surprise to chat with Joyce Chittick, who was back in town for the soiree with Rick and Jackie Seiden, who is now appearing in Peep Show right here in Vegas!

I keep going and going and going like that bunny on TV about this magnificent evening! We received a marvelous welcome from Erich Bergen, who recently completed three sold out performances at the Liberace Museum! If you haven’t been there yet, this museum is worth a trip–with so many remnants of classic Vegas! The Liberace Museum has awarded millions of scholarships to students and Erich will be working with them more in the near future!

I’m not exaggerating about how incredibly gracious this cast was during the party! We had a great time chatting with the hilarious John Salvatore, Jason Martinez, Deven May, Jonathan Rodriguez, Julia Krohn, and stage manager Mandy Horan, as well as newer multi-talented cast members John Ambrosino, (Billy Dixon & others), Joe Barbara (Gyp DeCarlo & others), and Charl Brown (Barry Belson & others).

Along with so many marvelous cast members, it was a pleasure to meet Las Vegas Review-Journal “Vegas Confidential” Columnist Norm Clarke; comedian and motivational speaker Lloyd Ziel of GuerrillaOptimism.com, and father and daughter megafans Mick and Gloria from Seattle!

As the evening was winding down, we had the awesome opportunity to chat with the one and only Tommy DeVito and his grandchildren! Talk about a great way to cap off the night! Tommy was having a terrific time with the cast members throughout the party, and noted what a fantastic job Deven May is doing portraying him! As we were chatting, Tommy asked the Tech Half and me about where we came from before living in Vegas. When I mentioned “Ohio,” the look on Tommy’s face was priceless! Then, the Tech Half said, “Yeah, Tommy, Susie’s father used to manage that Holiday Inn in Columbus!” Tommy smiled and raised his eyebrows and then got a big laugh when the Tech Half said he was only kidding!

Happy Anniversary and thank you to the tremendous JERSEY BOYS Vegas cast, crew, creative team, and Liz Zbylut of Kirvin Doak Communications! This sensational cast will be the big men (and women) in town for years to come!

1 Comment »

  1. Sounds like a memorable evening for Vegas’ one year anniversary. I was lucky enough to be there the first night of previews with so many enthusiastic fans from around the country.

    The personalities, moonlit view, and food spread notwithstanding, I have to say it’s the dynamic audience that rises to the top of the evening’s ‘to die for’ features. There’s nothing better than being in the middle of a crowd that really gets it…because the cast has really delivered it.

    I wish Vegas many decades of festive anniversaries – all through the eyes of Susie and Dale! :)

    Comment by Audrey — May 6, 2009 @ 10:40 pm

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