Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Post-‘Grease’ tour, Lorena Peril and Ray Jon Narbaitz are lounging around

Arrivals for Oscar Goodman Roast

Steve Marcus

Fantasy” at the Luxor star Lorena Peril and Ray Jon Narbaitz arrive for the “Showbiz Roast” of former Mayor Oscar Goodman on Tuesday, July 23, 2013, at Stratosphere Theater.

Fantasy With Lorena Peril

Rehearsals at Fantasy featuring new lead singer Lorena Peril at the Luxor on July 29, 2010. Launch slideshow »

The Kats Report at this writing is a hotel that rhymes with “West Bestern” near Pleasant Valley High School in Chico, Calif. It’s class reunion time here in the place we so long ago called ChicoVille, a term that has inspired other like titles of places I love.

It’s warm but not hot here today. Chico is lush with trees and home to Bidwell Park and Sierra Nevada Brewery, historic Bidwell Mansion and somewhat historic Madison Bear Garden. I’ll be checking in as I meet up with the crew with whom I grew up after my family moved to Northern California just as I turned 13. It’s a PVHS Class of ’84 weekend, and we’re all pretty excited.

In fact, I need to catch up with my crew. Read on ….

• Lorena Peril left “Fantasy” at the Luxor in April 2013 to tour Europe in “Grease: The Arena Spectacular,” in which she was cast as Sandra Dee. That show played to crowds of tens of thousands in the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. She is back in town, with her esteemed husband, Ray Jon Narbaitz, singing and kicking up the shtick at Rush Lounge in Golden Nugget.

Lorena does the belting, Ray Jon (coincidentally, also a graduate of P.V., 1994 edition) supplies the guitar licks, verbal riffs and left-field references to Chico, Calif., from 6 to 9:30 p.m. in the lounge’s rotating schedule. The duo has 15 dates in July, including Wednesday through July 9 (but off Monday and again July 7. They are appearing at Zebra Lounge at Palazzo on July 6 and July 28 from 8:45 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Also, on May 30, Peril performed the national anthem, which she has turned into her signature song, before Game 6 of the NHL’s Western Conference Finals between the L.A. Kings and Chicago Blackhawks at Staples Center. She has performed the anthem prior to Kings, Lakers and Clippers games and also prior to the 49ers’ home opener against the Detroit Lions in September 2012.

Steve Rossi Dies at 82

Steve Rossi, Marty Allen, Keely Smith and Shecky Greene on May 2, 1994, at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.
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• Memorial services have been set for Steve Rossi, who died Sunday of cancer at age 82. A vigil service for Rossi is set for 1 p.m. Friday at St. Joseph Husband of Mary Catholic Church, 7260 West Sahara Ave., Las Vegas 89112. Statements from Rossi’s family and widow, Karma, will be read amid tributes from Rossi’s friends Marty Allen, Pia Zadora, Rich Little, Dennis McAllister, Frankie Scinta and Clint Holmes. A traditional Catholic mass follows at 2 p.m., and graveside service at Palm Eastern Mortuary follows at 4 p.m.

• A benefit performance for popular Las Vegas impressionist Bill Acosta is set for 3 p.m. Sunday at Golden Nugget’s Gordie Brown Theater. Nelson Sardelli, a longtime friend of Acosta, has recruited from near and far to honor Acosta, who was a headliner in town (I met him at the Luxor in ’99) in the 1990s and early 2000s who has suffered from Parkinson’s disease for many years. Rightfully, the event is billed “I Hear Voices,” with a triumvirate of great impressionists — Brown, Little and Bob Anderson — volunteering time and talent to support Acosta. Tickets are $45, and all proceeds are being donated to Acosta to help with medical bills. Contact the Golden Nugget box office at (702) 386-8100 or go to GoldenNugget.com for tickets.

'Vegas! The Show' First Anniversary

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• The dancer stepping in for Tara Palsha in “Vegas! The Show” has been hired, and she knows her way around the stage, to say the least. Michelle Deterlizzi will take over Palsha’s numbers after Palsha leaves at the end of July to move to New York with her fiance, international fashion model Scott Moats. Deterlizzi has been dancing and designing numbers at 1923 Bourbon & Burlesque by Holly Madison at Mandalay Bay and prior to that wowed audiences in the pole-dance number in “Peepshow.” Picking up Deterlizzi is another shrewd maneuver by producer David Saxe.

• On the topic of “Raiding the Rock Vault” … wait, were we talking about this? Can’t recall. Anyway, Westgate Resorts CEO David Siegel was in the audience for the show Tuesday night and was, reportedly, quite impressed with the performance. Vocalist Paul Shortino tweeted that the Westgate owner “loved the show.” Groovy. Next time, Siegel should rush the stage. Light up the place. He owns it, or just about. And I want to be there when this happens.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

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