Columnist Joe Delaney: Lippia surrounded by Sinatra’s one-time crew

Joe Delaney

Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 | 10:48 a.m.

Joe Delaney's columns appear on Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at 259-4066 or joe@lasvegassun.com

Steve Lippia and a 20-piece orchestra, conducted by Vincent Falcone Jr. and including a number of Frank Sinatra alumni, will be the attraction tonight through Sunday in the new Suncoast showroom ... Lippia, very much his own person as a performer, does have a strong Sinatra sound and manner ... Falcone was Sinatra's musical director for more than 10 years.

Tino Barzie, whose Sinatra connection goes back to the late bandleader Tommy Dorsey and who also served as Frank Sinatra Jr.'s personal manager, performs this function for Lippia ... Lee Solters, top press agent for Sinatra for more than two decades, also represents Lippia.

Thus Sinatra's spirit is present although there is no mention of him during the course of the show ... Barzie, Falcone and Solters feel that Lippia is the one to continue Sinatra's legacy ... There are a number of actual Sinatra musical arrangements heard during the show.

In Frank's words

Falcone recently related a dressing-room conversation with Sinatra: "Vinnie, when I hang up my music, you and I will go to music schools and colleges to convince young composers, musicians and singers not to ignore the music that my friends and I introduced" ... When Falcone first heard a tape by Lippia, he actually thought it was Sinatra.

Lippia has had long runs here at the Rio and several extended stints at Resorts International in Atlantic City ... His 2001 schedule includes an appearance at one of the premier European Jazz Festivals in Ancona, Switzerland, which attracts more than 90,000 visitors worldwide ... Concerts are also planned in England, Germany, Sweden and Tokyo.

Lippia is proud to continue Sinatra's legacy ... Not bad for a former law student and construction worker who, not long ago, would have been happy to work as a roadie for a chance to sing a few songs on stage.

In re Foster

Dick Foster Productions, represented here for years with "Spellbound" at Harrah's and "Imagine" at the Luxor, is busy with two stage spectaculars for a Celebrity Cruise Lines ship, the Galaxy, scheduled to continue through 2003 ... "Crescendo" is a tribute to various dance styles, and "Broadway Express," a show-within-a-show tribute to Broadway musicals.

Dick Palombi, musical director with the Riviera during its star-policy years prior to "Splash" and musical director for Neil Sedaka, among others, also serves as musical director for Dick Foster Productions.

Speaking of "Splash," business has warranted a seven-night, 14-shows-a-week schedule, the only major production show doing so ... All performances are topless with the exception of Sunday early shows ... "Bottoms Up" (Flamingo Las Vegas) is topless at 2 and 4 p.m. ... "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus," evenings there, is not topless.

More extra shows

Starting Oct. 9 "Blue Man Group: Live at Luxor" extends its schedule to 12 shows weekly, no dark nights, single shows at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays ... We had some misgivings about the fact that Blue Man Group had only played previously in small venues less than half the capacity of the Luxor showroom ... It has been a winner here from opening night and should continue at the Luxor for many years to come ... "Three Penny Opera" opens tonight at UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre ... See you next Thursday.