Broadway star to headline “EFX” show at MGM Grand

Robert Macy

Friday, Jan. 15, 1999 | 3:35 a.m.

Broadway song-and-dance man Tommy Tune says he's dreamed of performing on the Las Vegas stage for more than 30 years, dating back to the time he choreographed routines for the Dean Martin Show.

The dream became a reality Friday when Tune, a nine-time Tony Award winner, took over the lead in the $45 million production show "EFX" at the MGM Grand hotel-casino.

Tune roamed the giant stage in the $30 million "EFX" Theatre Friday morning and recounted a call from Richard Sturm, senior vice president for MGM Grand Worldwide Entertainment.

"I was sitting on the beach and he asked if I was interested in headlining a Las Vegas show," said the Texas native who carved his niche on the Broadway stage. The idea of playing Las Vegas had always captivated him, but it was a totally different market, Tune said.

"My idea of gambling is walking through Central Park whistling a show tune," Tune laughed.

"EFX" opened at the MGM Grand in March 1995 with "Phantom of the Opera" star Michael Crawford cast in the lead. Crawford left the show after suffering injuries from the physically-demanding production. He was replaced by David Cassidy, who announced late last year he was leaving to pursue other projects, including promotion of a new record album.

Tune has gained fame on Broadway as an actor, dancer, singer, choreographer and director. He is the only person in theatrical history to win awards in four different categories and to win the same two Tony's two years in a row.

"I've always wanted to play Las Vegas," Tune said Friday, standing on the darken, cavernous stage. "But I didn't think it would happen. This show for me is really a dream come true."

Tune recounted working as a choreographer for The Golddiggers, a group of attractive women who appeared with Dean Martin in his shows here.

"It was my first taste of Las Vegas and I loved it," he said of the show, which ran from 1965 to 1974.

Tune said the major production shows on the Las Vegas Strip today are a far cry from the entertainment of 30 years ago.

"Then you had a band on stage and a guy in a tuxedo," he said. "Now, you have all these magnificent choices here."

In "EFX," the star leads the audience on a journey beyond reality, exploring the worlds of the great wizard Merlin, legendary showman P.T. Barnum, illusionist Harry Houdini and time-traveling author H.G. Wells.