Sinatra’s granddaughter finds The Space in Las Vegas
December 13, 2017 - 6:44 pm
The KATS! Bureau took a rare day off from Wednesday’s paper to hit “El Lay” (a term I copped long ago from the late, legendary Ess Eff columnist Herb Caen). The purpose of the trip was to attend the rehearsals and live airing of NBC’s “The Voice” at Universal Studios in Hollywood.
For the live TV audience, the cast of “The Voice: Neon Dreams” performed a thundering cover of Imagine Dragons’ “It’s Time” to promote the stage show opening at the Hard Rock Hotel in early June.
Get to know those who gained fame on the NBC show: Singers Alisan Porter, Chris Mann, Mary Sarah, Matthew Schuler and Matt McAndrew; and bandleader Michael Sanchez.
Plans for this show — including an entirely new, in-the-round venue at the full band peppered with Vegas players — are wildly ambitious.
More from our scene:
Sinatra! Live in Vegas
As we’ve just passed Frank Sinatra’s 102nd birthday on Tuesday: A.J. Lambert, grand-daughter of Old Blue Eyes, has signed a monthly residency at The Space beginning Jan. 12. She performs select Fridays throughout 2018.
Lambert will unspool two of her grandfather’s more famous and influential albums “In The Wee Small Hours” from 1955 and “Only The Lonely” from ‘58. She is set to perform a number from the show during the fourth anniversary of Mondays Dark at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Lambert uses original arrangements by Nelson Riddle, backed by pianist and music director John Boswell, who has worked with Judy Collins, Andy Williams and Bob Newhart, among many other famed performers.
“It is such an honor for me to be performing in the city that has become synonymous with my grandfather’s name,” Lambert said in a release announcing the dates. “He was one of Las Vegas’ first and most well-known resident artists and I am proud to continue his legacy by performing his music here.”
Goss takes time
Having just opened Dec. 2 at 1Oak at The Mirage, Matt Goss is done for the year. He is foregoing his performances Dec. 28-30 to spend the holidays with his family in London.
He told me this much Wednesday, while he was with his family in London.
“I just want to be with them now, and come back with great show and hard opening in January,” Goss said. “The show went great, it’s moving faster than I expected and we’re going to have a great time when I’m back.”
Stirling’s standing
Stirling Club’s mystique continues to evolve after an online auction of the property Nov. 28-30. Reportedly, the top bid offered for the tony recreation fortress at Turnberry Place was $11,990,000, but that figure is not verified by officials at Colliers International, listing brokers for the property. The person, or entity, behind the top bid is not yet known.
The property closed as a ritzy amenity for residents of Turnberry Place in May 2012 and was purchased for $10.9 million by a group of Silicon Valley investors in October 2013.
Colliers issued the following statement: “Due to the proprietary nature of the process, all the details are confidential at this time. We know there’s a lot of interest in this property given its history, and we’re excited to share the specifics of the transaction as soon as they become available.”
Glusman and his scholarship
Piero’s Italian Restaurant owner Freddie Glusman is using his prominence and, um, persuasive skills to help law students at UNLV. The new Freddie Glusman Scholarship is to aid a student UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law.
Established by Glusman’s friend and onetime employee Lori Kalani, the annual scholarship is to aid a Boyd Law student who has overcome particularly daunting obstacles.
With true Glusman flair, the 80-year-old restaurateur and Vegas dignitary told me of the scholarship by sending a text note with the “invisible ink” function.
Friday night, Glusman will be honored at a reception at his storied restaurant, which a favorite over the years of such Vegas luminaries as Jerry Tarkanian and Jerry Lewis. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is among those scheduled to speak on Glusman’s behalf, and there will be pasta and old yarns shared, too.
Green’s throwback line
Tom Green embraces classic-Vegas shtick in his “Tom Green Live” shows at The Back Room at Bally’s. He opened Tuesday night’s show gazing at the audience and saying, “How’d all these people get in my room?”
That line was a favorite of Sinatra and Dean Martin, who frequently headlined the hotel’s old Celebrity Theater. Sinatra says it on his “Sinatra at the Sands” live recording from 1966.
JLY books March
Tony Award honoree John Lloyd Young, long known for his winning turn as Frankie Valli in “Jersey Boys” onstage and in film, returns to The Space on March 2-3. He was about a dozen tickets short of a sellout there Friday and filled the room Saturday.
“Having such an amazing talent come to The Space was an incredible way to help us close out our first year,” venue founder (and Vegas Golden Knights on-ice emcee) Mark Shunock says. “I never had a chance to see John in ‘Jersey Boys’ onstage, and to have the opportunity to bring another Tony winner to The Space was definitely a treat for us.”
Shunock opened the Space in April with Tony winner Alice Ripley, and has staged several first-rate productions (alternating with the bi-weekly Mondays Dark charity shows) in the main room and also The Back Space, the 80-seat cabaret room.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.