Legends loom large in stunning ‘Serendipity’

Friday, June 20, 2003 | 9:17 a.m.

What: "Serendipity."

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Mondays.

Where: Gold Coast Showroom.

Tickets: $19.95 (show only), $26.95 (dinner and show package).

Information: (702) 367-7111.

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

"Serendipity" impressionist Bobby Brooks Hamilton, in the persona of Little Richard, recently said to a showroom full of fans, "I don't know what it means, but we're here."

What it means is a great time for everyone who loves the classic music from the '60s, '70s and '80s.

Webster's New World Dictionary defines "serendipity" as: 1. A seeming gift for finding something good accidentally; 2. Luck, or good fortune, in finding something good accidentally.

Based upon those two definitions, the title of this nostalgia revue at the Gold Coast is wrong.

It's good, but it's no accident.

There was nothing serendipitous about this low-budget production put together by talented producer Sharon Haynes as a summer replacement for her other hit show, "Honky Tonk Angels" (in which she plays the part of Patsy Cline).

Haynes, who does not perform in "Serendipity," has put together a superb cast that does an outstanding job, proving it isn't necessary to spend a lot of money on a production if you have the talent to make it work.

It's hard to pick a single stand-out in this ensemble of impressionists, who have performed in the past with either "American Superstars" or "Legends in Concert." It's a solid lineup of entertainers.

Two of the cast members were with "Honky Tonk Angels," Corrie Sachs and Lori Legacy.

In my mind, Sachs is so closely associated with her impression of Reba McEntire in "Honky Tonk" that I found it difficult to adapt to her Nancy Sinatra and Petula Clark characterizations.

Sachs' renditions of some of Clark's hits, "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep in the Subway," were excellent and demonstrated for those who didn't know that Sachs is a singer with immense talent.

Legacy was all over the place in "Serendipity," including opening the show with a classic bit from "I Love Lucy" in which she portrays Lucy doing a commercial for an alcohol-based vitamin drink. With each re-take of the ad, Lucy becomes increasingly intoxicated.

The opener was the only bit that was slow in the fast-paced production. It took too long and wasn't particularly funny.

Legacy's impression of Connie Francis was a crowd-pleaser. Among the songs she sang were "Where the Boys Are," "Stupid Cupid," "Who's Sorry Now" and "Everybody's Somebody's Fool."

Sheri Rae Parker probably could make a career out of performing as Phyllis Diller, now that Diller has retired.

Parker has the mannerisms and the shrill voice down pat, and her delivery of some of Diller's most memorable lines couldn't be better.

"The day I grab my crotch it will mean it's falling off," she said. "And at my age, it could."

"I was so ugly, when I was born, the doctor slapped everybody."

"One more face-lift and it will be a Caesarean."

Parker was equally as good at her impressions of Janis Joplin ("Oh Lord, Won't You Buy Me a Mercedes Benz") and Bette Midler ("Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B").

But they weren't any better than Hamilton as Little Richard ("Tutti Frutti") or Jackie Wilson ("Lonely Teardrops").

Hamilton's weakest character seems to be Stevie Wonder, but even so, when he sings some of Wonder's most well-known numbers ("Superstition," "Signed, Sealed, Delivered") the words are so compelling you aren't concerned that the impressionist does not have the voice down perfectly.

A surprise in the cast was Mark Maynard, a highlight of the show.

His vocalizations of several hits by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, including "Sherry," "Rag Doll," "Walk Like a Man" and "Big Girls Don't Cry," were so close as to be eerie.

With the four-piece band Incognitos supplying backup music, "Serendipity" provides a nice stroll down memory lane.

The question is, will the new production make us forget "Honky Tonk Angels?"com