Cassidy, Easton open ‘At the Copa’

Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2000 | 8:36 a.m.

David Cassidy's long-anticipated musical extravaganza "At the Copa," co-starring singer Sheena Easton, opens tonight at 7:30 at the Rio hotel-casino.

Tickets are $58, which includes one drink, tax and gratuity.

There will be one show nightly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30, and two shows nightly on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7 and 9:30.

The show, which takes place in the Rio's Copacabana room, features an 18-piece orchestra. Music spans the time from the swing era to the 1970s.

Cassidy, 50, who appeared on TV's "The Partridge Family" in the '70s, has performed on Broadway and starred in the "EFX" production show at the MGM Grand.

Easton, 40, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, where her career took off with her portrayal of a singer in a 1980 BBC television special. Her first No. 1 hit in the United States was "Morning Train" in 1981. Her other hits include the title song for the James Bond film, "For Your Eyes Only."

Easton gained widespread publicity in 1985 when Tipper Gore, whose husband, Vice President Al Gore, was then a U.S. senator from Tennessee, criticized the lyrics of her song "Sugar Walls" as too sexually explicit.

The criticism created a maelstrom across the nation as Easton and other artists defended their right to artistic expression.

For tickets to "At the Copa," call 1-888-746-7784 or 252-7777.