‘Main Event’ dukes it out for The Venetian Showroom slot

Tuesday, May 7, 2002 | 8:30 a.m.

"The Main Event," a musical based on the life and times of Frank Sinatra, has stepped into the ring at The Venetian Showroom.

But the real main event may be the fight for space in the theater.

The Frank Sinatra-inspired show is going toe-to-toe with "Melinda, First Lady of Magic." And waiting in the wings is contender "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," a musical tribute to Stevie Wonder that opens May 23.

Charo threw in the towel and moved her popular "Bravo" show to the Sahara last month.

"It is hectic," said Bob Anderson, who is the star of the show. "When Melinda is (in the theater) and we are there, it cramps our style a little bit. A lot of people are bumping into each other."

"Main Event" producer Jeff Kutash says stacking up shows is not an ideal situation. He compared it to being on the road and performing one-night shows. After each performance the set has to be struck and everything put away.

"We can't leave all the toys lying around," Kutash said.

Although there are obstacles because of the lack of space, neither Kutash nor Anderson expressed concern over the arrangement.

"Most theaters across the country work that way now," Kutash said.

"I like the room," Anderson said. "It's like an arena, which is ideal for us. The show is a boxing metaphor, so I like it like that."

The Venetian's roots go back to the Sands, where Sinatra frequently performed in the Copa Room.

"Because of the Sinatra affiliation with the Sands, this is a natural venue for us," Anderson said. "They even have a monument in the middle of The Venetian, 'The Copa Room was here.' "

"The Main Event's" story takes place in a boxing arena. It includes 50 of Sinatra's songs, a 14-piece orchestra and dancers.

Kutash, the originator of "Splash" at the Riviera, is the producer, director and writer of the show. Artie Butler is the musical arranger.

"It's a Broadway production," said Kutash, who has been living in London for the past six years. "There are several Sinatra-esque shows out there -- 'Ol' Blue Eyes is Back,' 'Our Sinatra' -- but they are not musical productions with big-band numbers."

Kutash says "Main Event" covers more than Sinatra's music.

"This is an unauthorized biography of the Sinatra era, not just Sinatra," he said. "It covers 50 years of the 20th century, and includes a lot of other icons -- Marilyn (Monroe), John F. Kennedy, Ava Gardner, Tony Bennett."

Kutash said the musical production numbers are the highlights of the show.

"Very rarely do you see music from that time seen in song-and-dance production sequences," he said. "Sinatra did very few dance numbers."

But, Kutash said, adding dance routines to such songs as "The Lady is a Tramp," "Luck be a Lady" and "Saturday Night is the Loneliest Night of the Week" brings the music to life.

There is a cast of 15, with Anderson being the male lead, and Stephen Triffitt (a native of London) featured as Sinatra.

Anderson is one of the top musical impressionists in the world, with a repertoire of almost 100 singing voices, including Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. He is the narrator of the story, which follows Sinatra from his days in Hoboken, N.J. (his birthplace), to Hollywood.

"This is really the life and times of music, from (Tommy and Jimmy) Dorsey up through the '80s," Kutash said. "That's what the show's about. The music is the story -- how it all revolves around the life of Frank Sinatra and other icons."

The show made its debut last summer at the Sands in Atlantic City.

"We workshopped it there," Kutash said. "We had planned to take it directly to London, to the West End (theater district), as a musical, but then we decided to make a pit stop in Vegas. We think the time is right for this kind of musical."

For now, the show is booked for a 12-week stay at The Venetian.

"If it works out, and people like it, then the show will stay," Kutash said.

Whether it stays or not, a production of "The Main Event" will debut in London later this year with Anderson in the lead, according to Kutash.

Anderson said when the show was in Atlantic City as many as 100 customers were turned away from every show.

"That's Sinatra country," he said. "But where isn't it Sinatra country? It's all over. We just need to get the word out, get the buzz going and people will come."

Anderson stressed that this is not a tribute show.

"It is not a 'Legends (in Concert)' or a 'Rat Pack' show," he said. "There are a lot of different aspects to the show -- there are some great dancers in the production numbers."

Anderson said as narrator of the show, he assumes different characters during the course of the evening.

"I start out as a ring announcer," he said. "Then I become a reporter like Walter Winchell, then I become Sammy Davis Jr."

Davis used to do impressions in his act, so Anderson does Davis doing impressions.

"We recreate some of other guys that are Frank's favorites from that era, like Nat Cole, Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett, Tom Jones."

Anderson said using the boxing metaphor for the production is an acknowledgment of Sinatra's sometimes tempestuous life.

"Sinatra was like a boxer," Anderson said. "His whole life, he fought with producers, directors, press, fans. He was a fighter, and a survivor."

But he never had to fight for space.