Mama Mia: Scintas’ family act spices up Las Vegas

Friday, Nov. 15, 2002 | 9:49 a.m.

Who: The Scintas.

When: 7:30 p.m., Fridays through Wednesdays. Dark Thursdays.

Where: Scinta Showroom at The Rio.

Admission: $59.70.

Information: (702) 252-7777.

When the Scintas first performed in Las Vegas 15 years ago they were disappointed.

"Our first gig as a group in Vegas was as a lounge act at the Riviera," Frank Scinta said.

"So many people were coming into the lounge to watch us, management said 'Cut the show. You're pulling people off the tables,' "older brother Joe Scinta recalled. "That's when we said we don't want to be in Vegas."

But today the First Family of Las Vegas Show Business is singing a different tune. The Scintas recently extended a one-year contract with The Rio to five years, and they now have a theater named after them the Scinta Showroom.

Joe, Frank, little sister Christine (Chrissi) and honorary Scinta Peter O'Donnell (drummer for the five-piece backup band) have been on a fast track to success.

In April 2000, the troupe of impressionists and musicians dared to venture west once again, having spent years forging a successful career in the East. The family's musical comedy act includes an array of tributes and parodies ranging from Barbra Streisand (by Chrissi) to Mick Jagger (by Joe) to Lou Rawls (by Frank).

"We were big fish in little ponds in all the cities we played," said Frank, who assumes the leadership role onstage.

"It was always in the back of our mind to come back here," said Joe, who assumes the leadership role offstage.

Their manager, John Milkie (Chrissi's husband), decided when the time was right.

"We were doing two or three shows a night (back East)," Frank said. " John had this vision that we would come to Vegas and do one show per night."

The Scintas debuted at Las Vegas Hilton and quickly discovered they didn't have the name recognition they once enjoyed.

"When we came out here three years ago we realized we were very little fish in a big pond," Frank said. "But we had faith in what we had. We said we'd get the people to come and see us. So, we went out ourselves and gave away tickets to our show all of us. I would go to Home Depot or Kmart and say 'Hey, we're the Scintas. Come see us.' "

"We knew we weren't going back home without exhausting every possiblity to make it," said O'Donnell, who joined the group 17 years ago when its former drummer abruptly quit.

Within three months the Scintas were selling out performances.

"During our last week at the Hilton we saw all these guys in suits in the front row, and I said 'These guys look like somebody,' " Joe said. "They were all big shots from The Rio."

"It was their 10th time seeing us," Frank said.

"We didn't even know," Joe said. "Then, after the show they came up and said, 'Can we talk?' We said, 'Sure.' "

The talk resulted in the Scintas signing a contract with The Rio, the one that has been extended to 2006 and gave them their own room.

"They're going to put our name in gold letters," said Frank, who is barely able to contain his excitement -- not just about his name in gold letters but about life in general. "When we played the Riviera, they put our name at the bottom of a sign. It said, 'In the lounge, 'The Scintas.' "

Take a bow

Who are the Scintas? A close-knit, patriotic family from Buffalo, N.Y., which have been performing together for 25 years.

Their late father, Joe, was a firefighter. Their brother Tony, who will be moving to Las Vegas next year, is a homicide detective for the Buffalo Police Department. Their mother, Mary, lives in Las Vegas, and rarely misses a performance.

"Our closeness all goes to the foundation our father gave us," Chrissi said. "He was so calm. He said nothing was important but this family."

"Dad wasn't a religious man," Frank said. "He never went to church, never said the word 'God' and I don't think I ever saw him pray -- but you knew he loved God. He built everything on family and faith."

Frank said he and his siblings adored and respected their father.

"We were more afraid to disappoint my father than anything," he said. "And that's how we're trying to bring up our children."

Frank, Joe and Chrissi didn't follow in the family footsteps of civil service.

"I was a child protege," Frank said. "I was playing banjo on the 'Ted Mack Amateur Hour' at the age of 10, and that got me on the Jerry Lewis telethon and from that to the Merv Griffin show."

While Frank was impressing audiences with his versatility by playing a variety of instruments, brother Joe was in a rock band opening for such groups as Yes.

The brothers started performing together more than 25 years ago.

"I was in a show band in Hawaii that needed a keyboard player, so I called Frank," Joe said.

Frank joined them for two months, but when the other band members decided they were going to make Hawaii their home the brothers packed their instruments and shuffled off to Buffalo.

"Frank and I said we're not living in Hawaii and so we came back home to Buffalo and went to work at a little bar owned by Paul Maguire," Joe said, referring to the color commentator for NFL games on ESPN who also owned a club in Buffalo.

"It was a 150-seat room," Joe said. "He paid us $200 a week apiece and we thought we had hit the jackpot."

They packed the house every night, and before long the brothers got a call from the Playboy Club in Buffalo.

"We packed the Playboy Club," Joe said. "Then we toured Playboy Clubs all over the country."

Country and family

From the beginning their shows have been imbued with a theme of family and patriotism, even when those themes were not necessarily popular among the general public.

"It's something we did from the first day Joe and I performed at that little piano bar," Frank said. "We have always been family oriented and patriotic. Patriotism wasn't always fashionable, but we always got a great response from our audiences.

"Some people think we are opportunistic with this thing," Frank said. "But what they don't know is we've been doing it for 25 years. I saw the vets coming back from the Vietnam War and they were spit on, and I felt bad."

With the signing of a new contract, the Scintas have changed some parts of their show. They have added an Elvis tribute by Chrissi (instead of one performed by one of the men), giving her a few more numbers to perform and beefing up their Beatles tribute.

Backup musicians include Tom Marth (bass and guitar); Marc Cahuvette (guitar and keyboard) and Chris Hoffman (keyboard).

Joe's classic Joe Cocker impression has been put on hold because of a hernia -- when he performed as Cocker, Joe would extend his stomach and sing intensely, a routine that over the years caused the hernia and forced him recently to have surgery.

But family and patriotism are still strong themes.

"We always have a message at the end of the show of unity," Frank said. "As different as everyone is, we really are all the same."

"Sometimes we look at the show as a ministry for family, almost." Joe said.

"The amazing part is the diversity of ages or our audiences," Chrissi said. "There's everyone from 18-year-old girls and boys to 80-year-olds."

"Sometimes there will be four generations at one table," Joe said.

"Our message is, love your family because you never know when they may be gone," Frank said.

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