Hefner, pals drop in on singer’s new gig

By Jerry Fink

Monday, April 14, 2008 | 2 a.m.

It was one of those surreal moments in a town where the surreal often outweighs the real.

Singer Jimmy Hopper found himself serenading Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and his entourage at the Lava Room at Trader Vic’s.

Hefner was in town to celebrate his 82nd birthday, along with five female companions and a camera crew taping it for Hef’s reality series “The Girls Next Door” and for a documentary.

Hefner, not as steady on his feet as he once was, sat while drinks were passed around and a chocolate cake with sparklers was brought out.

All the while Hopper was singing — “Happy Birthday” for Hefner and “White Rabbit” in honor of the Playmates.

After 10 minutes the cameras followed Hef and company out of the bar, leaving Hopper to continue performing as the Bellagio fountains erupted behind him.

Hopper is used to the backdrop. He performed for several years at the Bellagio’s Fontana Lounge, which overlooks the lake and fountains, before moving across the Strip.

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge between the two engagements.

After leaving the Bellagio three years ago, Hopper went on tour, moved to Manhattan, lived in Los Angeles and began writing a musical he thinks is destined for Broadway.

Hopper chatted while waiting to begin performing in the small but elegant Lava Room, which holds about 125 fans who sit in overstuffed chairs.

Hopper was doing a 16-month run in Orange County when Trader Vic’s opened in the Miracle Mile Shopping Center at Planet Hollywood in November. Hopper is an investor in Trader Vic’s Las Vegas, built by his pal Doc Wiener, head of DW Enterprises.

“They were going to turn this room into an ultralounge,” Hopper said as he grimaced.

Instead, he took over the room, where he plays piano and sings his versions of opera, rock, ballads, show tunes and songs from the Great American Songbook.

He is backed by guitarist Gary Bruno, who has performed with the likes of John Denver, Dave Mason and Theo Bishop, and by violinist Mira Khomik, who performs with several orchestras in Southern California.

“I always thought of myself as a classical, Broadway kind of rock singer — sort of Meatloaf meets the Phantom,” Hopper says. “I love rock. I love ballads. I love opera.”

He has a group for every occasion. Just he and his two backups for an intimate place like the Lava Room. He has a five-piece group for his “Journey of the Heart” show, which recently staged at the Suncoast. And he has a 17-piece orchestra for bigger venues.

For now he spends a lot of time with the guitarist and violinist.

When he performs he is intense and animated. When he speaks to the audience it is heartfelt as he discusses his family, especially his 6-year-old daughter.

He describes his fledgling musical, “The Day There Was No More Music,” as a fantasy. It takes place in a town called La Di Dum where the world revolves around music — a saxophone is a slide in a city park, a microphone boom is a traffic signal, percussion instruments grow on trees. The plot: A wicked witch puts a spell on the king that causes music to hurt his ears. He’s forced to do away with music in his kingdom, which begins to wither away.

So far, he has written 18 songs for it.

“Our first presentation will be in July,” Hopper says, when he and partner Mickey Charles will present the music and the concept to potential investors.

“We’ll introduce all the characters in the play, present a story board, hire some actors for a read through,” Hopper says. “I will play the witch till we get the people we want to do it.”

He thinks his musical will be compared with “Wicked,” the 2003 Broadway hit based on “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” Gregory Maguire’ best-selling novel that takes off on L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz.”

But Hopper says his show will be better.

“It’s really cute and fun and it doesn’t hurt anybody.”