Mere musical aptitude does not make good ‘Knights’

Friday, April 16, 2004 | 8:27 a.m.

He has assembled an outstanding cast of vocalists for "Neon Knights," a revue that will be at Boulder Station's Railhead on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at least through April.

The nine-piece band, under the direction of Woody Wood, might be an assemblage of some of the best musicians in Las Vegas.

However, just putting five good singers onstage and letting them sing, backed by first-rate musicians, does not make a production.

"Neon Knights" is a bare-bones show that suffers from a lack of direction and production values.

It has tremendous potential, but whether it can survive long enough to achieve that potential is in question.

At a recent performance there were fewer than 30 fans in the audience, lost in a room that can seat about 300.

If the production can survive April, Cammisa says, it will be back in May. If it survives May, it will move to Sunset Station in June.

"Neon Knights" deserves the chance to grow, to make the changes necessary to make it a full-fledged production rather than a mere wanna-be.

Cammisa hastily threw the show together in two weeks, after another production at the venue failed to materialize.

With his ear for music and contacts in the entertainment world, the producer was able to create the core of a show that might develop into something -- but unless it is given that opportunity, which would require time and energy, the production is doomed.

The current cast (and it probably will fluctuate if it is around long enough) features Paull Casas, Laurence T, Genevieve DuCraig, Michael Cagle and "Rusty" Russell Varney.

And it also included Mark Jovi, a new talent to Las Vegas who practically stole the show with his heart-wrenching vocals.

Tony Sacca was the guest host for the evening, singing several songs along with introducing the roster of talented singers.

Casas, who has gigs at Fitzgeralds and the Sahara, led off the lineup with a high-energy performance that pumped up the sparse audience. No one entertains with more enthusiasm than Casas, who obviously loves being in the spotlight.

Casas bounces around the stage and into audience, mugging and drawing people into the action.

Unfortunately, he and the rest of the entertainers were performing for empty tables.

Laurence T, who has performed in lounges all over Las Vegas, is a jazz singer whose vocal tone is somewhere in the range of Lou Rawls and Barry White. His "smooth funk jazz" was great for jazz fans.

Rusty, who performs regularly at the Imperial Palace's Tequila Joe's, is pure country. The former heavy-metal guitarist sang a couple of Toby Keith numbers, including "Red, White & Blue."

Another highlight of the evening was Cagle, who describes himself as "Patti LaBelle meets Nathan Lang."

Cagle has a booming voice that fills every corner of a room. He sings with power and passion.

Genevieve closed the show. The former vocalist with the St. Louis Philharmonic Opera has a regular job as a "Bevertainer" at The Rio, where she is a cocktail waitress who occasionally stops serving drinks to sing for the patrons.

Genevieve is wasted serving drinks. She is talented along the lines of Aretha Franklin.

The concept of "Neon Knights" is twofold: to discover new talent and to provide a venue for local artists who are either established or looking for a means to become established.

Cammisa says the new artists will appear on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on ABC.

With so much talent onstage, it is difficult for each performer to establish himself, or herself. With the constraints of a 90-minute production, each vocalist is limited to two songs -- three at the tops.

Cammisa might consider reducing the number of the cast for each performance to give each a bigger piece of the spotlight -- perhaps rotating the artists for each show.

Whatever Cammisa decides to do, hopefully he will have the opportunity to do it.

"Neon Knights" is a modest show with big potential.

It needs a lot of things, but mostly it needs a chance to grow.