February 7, 2000: The Las Vegas Review-Journal writes:
The Scene and Heard: The deal is all but done and look for the announcement any day now: David Cassidy's well-received "The Rat Pack is Back" is set to open next month at the Sahara. (Norm Clark)

"The Teen Idol Tour":
May 27-28 -- The Silver Legacy, Reno Nev.
Aug 9 -- Clio Amphitheatre, Clio MI
Oct. 7 -- State Theatre, Easton, Pa.

And for those who miss Sherman's series, "Here Comes the Brides," according to a Sherman web site, a book, "Mountain of Dreams," re-visits the characters from that show 25 years after the series ended. If you would like to order a copy you can contact the authors Nancy Atwood and Pamela Nicholas.

(Internet source: www.cbs.com/network/htdocs/earlyshow/0209yikes.shtml)

February 13, 2000: Interview with Sheena Easton in the Las Vegas Sun:

To the question what attracted her about the "Copa" show, Sheena answered: "I've done Broadway before, and concerts, so I'm familiar with both mediums and David described the show as a mixture of the two. He started to talk about music we would be doing, from the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s, which is unusual, too, for a show like this. I thought it was an interesting way to go. There's so much freedom. You are a character yet you get to be yourself with your songs. We are out there being ourselves and it's great having the energy of both of us to bounce off of.
And what's David like to perform with?
"He's got a real devilish energy up there and he is always trying to crack me up. The audience can tell we are teasing each other. He'll be in the wings and he'll always say something to make me laugh as I'm going on stage when I'm supposed to have a serious look on my face."
(To read the whole interview, go to: www.lasvegas sun.com/sunbin/stories/archives/2000/feb/13/509841599.html)

It's official. "The Rat Pack is Back" has signed with the Sahara. The David Cassidy/Don Reo-produced show is scheduled to open at the 500-seat Congo Room on March 25. Despite ongoing legal issues with the show and its former venue, the Desert Inn, the Sahara gladly opened its doors to the popular production.
Although final details have yet to be released, the original cast is scheduled to return, but whether Cassidy -- who occasionally took the stage in the Bobby Darin role -- will be able to perform is up in the air, considering his current obligations to his own show at the Rio.
(Internet: www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/ archives/2000/feb/15/509850694.html)

February 17, 2000: The Las Vegas Sun writes: Cassidy and Easton had a "soft opening" at full price, followed a week or so later by an official press opening. ... We were there for the so-called soft opening and again the day before the "official" opening and found it still a work in progress. ... The point is that a new show is subject to review the day that it is open to the public and those attending are paying to see the show. ... An opening is an opening. (Columnist Joe Delaney. Internet: www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/archives/2000/feb/17/509862577.html)

Showroom crowd counts are not closely guarded statistics kept secreted away in executive vaults before they are turned over to county fire officials via guys in gray suits and sunglasses toting attach cases handcuffed to their wrists.
Nor do the weekly tallies, required to presage the possible fire danger of an overcrowded venue, function as a sure-fire gauge of whether a Las Vegas show is going to be a smash or just a splat.
But they do provide a chance for instant, if admittedly superficial, overviews of how shows in Las Vegas hotel venues are doing over a four-day period; in this case, between Feb. 1 and 4.
And, fortunately, there are caveats that should dull any fears that might invade the souls of supporters of upcoming shows such as the Blue Man Group at Luxor or singing-impressionist Danny Gans at The Mirage.
That's because the crowd counts are anything but spectacular for three of the just-arrived new shows -- singer Clint Holmes' "Takin' It Uptown" at Harrah's Las Vegas; David Cassidy's "At the Copa," co-starring fellow former teen icon Sheena Easton, at the Rio; and the transplanted French award-winning musical spectacular "Notre Dame de Paris" at Paris.
All of the new shows, admittedly barely out of their boxes and minus much word-of-mouth advertising, detailed critiques or time to get their feet planted firmly, are struggling to achieve half-houses at their respective properties. Nothing to panic about, of course, unless the counts remain relatively frozen several weeks down the road as those new competitors prepare to open.
The likable and quite talented Holmes, still a relative stranger to some Las Vegans for having honed his act in Atlantic City lounges for more than a decade, had crowds numbering between 110 and 260 during the four-day period, according to statistics passed along by an entertainment official.
Holmes, his excellent band and just-added support singer Natalie Reider work in a midsized showroom that can hold up to 550 customers, so those crowd counts can't be provoking nonstop celebrations.
Thing is, Holmes is a special if still undefined performer -- those cryptically stupid singing-in-the-shower ads when he worked at the Golden Nugget last year surely didn't help any -- but the hotel rightfully has confidence word will spread via locals' praises; the real secret behind a then-unknown Gans' rapid ascension to superstar status in the desert.
Without apologies -- and none are needed -- hotel marketing staffers are shipping out postcards redeemable for not one but two free tickets to one of Holmes' high-energy shows on a first-come, first-served basis. A tough deal to beat -- tickets are $44.95 -- and one that should help spread the word and generate the crowds Holmes and company deserve.
Wayne Baruch, co-producer of "Notre Dame de Paris," says "people who have been working here a long time tell me that I should be happy getting crowds that are about a half-house for our shows because we've only just got started." The musical, plagued by injuries because of its demanding physicality and the denied entrance to the country of additional dancing veterans of the French musical, is a retelling (sung in English) of author Victor Hugo's empathetic Hunchback character.
Still, Baruch no doubt would be happier with counts better than between 400 and 620 patrons per show in a theater-styled showroom that can accommodate 1,260 customers. Time is an ally  for now.
Two weeks of free employee previews and a recent press debut of David Cassidy's "At the Copa" seemed to yield little in the way of positive buzz for the Broadway-meets-Vegas tale of lovesick singers. It certainly would have benefited from more rehearsal time.
The fire counts list audiences of about 350 per show, still less than half a house in the Rio's 825-seat room.
Again, it's no time to panic just as there's no chance today to declare a runaway winner among a trio of new shows that will soon draw added competition from the arrival of Blue Man Group and the return of local hero Gans.

February 22, 2000: The Las Vegas Sun writes: Don't look for David Cassidy when "The Rat Pack Is Back" opens at the Sahara hotel-casino next month. Cassidy, whose tribute to singer Bobby Darin was a hit with audiences when the show was at the Desert Inn, is under contractual obligation to only perform in his new show at the Rio, "David Cassidy at the Copa, Co-starring Sheena Easton."
Cassidy will, however, co-produce the show, which he created with partner Don Reo. As of last week the original cast members -- minus Cassidy, obviously -- had all signed on to reprise their roles as Rat Packers at the Sahara.
If you do get the urge to hear Cassidy sing "Mack the Knife" -- which was the song he performed as Darin -- catch his show at the Rio: He does it there, too. (Internet: www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories /archives/2000/feb/22/509883654.html)

February 24, 2000: Joe Delaney of the Las Vegas Sun writes that "it's beginning to look more and more like the old Las Vegas". (Internet: www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/archives/2000/feb/24/509895449.html)

February 27, 2000: Michael Paskevich of The Las Vegas Review-Journal writes:

'Chicago' to close after impressive showing on Strip

A job well done ends today at Mandalay Bay.
"Chicago -- The Musical," the darkly funny satire of a judicial system that's star-struck by celebrity murderers, entertained by attorneys who are graduates of Razzle-Dazzle U and tied to a jury system that can turn a blind eye to facts when faced with a well-turned leg, wraps up its nearly yearlong run.
Chita Rivera, one of several rotating Roxies in the Bob Fosse adaptation of the musical, showed she still has the sensuality and fast-moving legs to dominate the big stage. Stunning Stephanie Pope's sparkling take on Velma meshed to perfection with Marilu Henner's murder-minded Roxie, leaving plenty of room for veteran screen and stage star Hal Linden's steadying work as sleazy lawyer Billy Flynn. Charlotte d'Amboise also was among the standouts as Roxie.
It leaves Las Vegas as an influential show that proved normal folk -- you know, the ones who rent their tuxes and motor homes for family summer getaways -- could sit still and even enjoy a theatrical evening that lasted 2 1/2 hours, intermission included.
Still, people behind the scenes at Mandalay Bay say there's no rush to get the 1,700-seat theater back in action with a replacement show.
This will allow more focus on Mandalay Bay's sister property, Luxor, where the offbeat boys with blue heads, aka the Blue Man Group, opened Friday in a 1,200-seat theater. Seven shows a week are planned, meaning 8,400 seats will need to be filled.
And when Danny Gans moves into his customized 1,260-seat showroom at The Mirage with six shows, that adds another 7,560 seats to fill each week.
The weekly showroom capacities for the city's newest trio of shows -- David Cassidy's "At the Copa" with Sheena Easton at the Rio; Clint Holmes' "Takin' It Uptown" at Harrah's Las Vegas and "Notre Dame de Paris" at the Paris -- collectively add about another 19,400 seats.
Wayne Newton's seven schmoozes per week at the Stardust add another 6,440 seats to the mix.
The upcoming show schedule at the Sahara -- Cassidy's co-produced "The Rat Pack Is Back" and magician Steve Wyrick -- will add even more seats to fill.
In all, about 25,000 new seats were added citywide in 1999, highlighted by the opening of the 13,000-plus Events Center at Mandalay Bay. Therefore, on any given night there could be thousands of empty seats in Strip hotels.
It's likely many venues will feel the pinch.
The good news, following up on last week's column, is that crowd counts are growing for "At the Copa," "Takin' It Uptown" and "Notre Dame de Paris." The counts earlier this month were not all that impressive.
"We're getting bigger crowds every night," says co-producer Wayne Baruch, who expects sellouts are not far away for the impressively sung and staged adaptation of author Victor Hugo's "Hunchback of Notre Dame."

Harrah's publicity director Madeleine Weekly faxed over recent crowd counts for the Strip resort's new showroom headliner, reporting the multifaceted Holmes has drawn some 500-plus customers in an intimate 550-seat showroom. Pretty encouraging.
And finally, Cassidy checked in to say that counts are on the upswing for his "At the Copa" with Easton and a solid supporting cast of singers and dancers backed by the powerful Lon Bronson band. 

"The show has finally come together, and the other night we had to turn away more than 100 people because we were sold out," Cassidy said. "We've been making a lot of small changes and the show is hot and ready for your review.
"The response is getting better and people who saw it (and mostly panned it) a few weeks ago won't even recognize all of the changes we've made ... like getting right into the show at the Copa without me coming out first (dressed as an old man looking back fondly on the nightclub's past).
"It sounds better, looks better and the combined changes are fabulous to me," said Cassidy.
(Internet source: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000 /Feb-27-Sun-2000/lifestyles/13026213.html)

February 29, 2000: The Las Vegas Sun writes:

Not all of the original gang is returning to "The Rat Pack Is Back," as previously reported.
Steve Apple, who played the Dean Martin character in the popular show's original run at the Desert Inn, has decided not to return when the show re-opens in the Congo Room at the Sahara hotel-casino in March.
Apple, who said his choice not to return was a "business decision," works as Groucho Marx at Universal Studios in Hollywood -- where he entertains crowds along the theme park's tour route.
Apple says that he had been willing to rejoin the "Rat Pack" because he loves his old castmates and truly enjoyed working with them, but he said that when the show closed at the Desert Inn, most of the gang was promised the opportunity to do the show again at another larger venue -- and Apple presumably assumed that that would mean more substantial "allowances." He found out that wouldn't necessarily be the case and, although he was in talks to return, he ultimately decided that his Universal gig would be the better ticket.
Both the Sahara and co-producer David Cassidy were saying as recently as a couple of weeks ago that the full original cast was slated to return for the show's second-coming, but it looks like that won't be the case.
According to the hotel, the role of Dean Martin will be played by Rick Michael, Apple's understudy at the Desert Inn. Apple, meanwhile, wishes the crew "the best of luck" and says he'll miss the cast as well as working with Cassidy, whom he described as "talented" and "full of show-biz knowledge." (Internet: www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/archives/2000/feb/29/509917618.html)

New 'Dean' is a virtual one-man Rat Pack

In all fairness to the performer who will soon be starring as Dean Martin in "The Rat Pack is Back" at the Sahara, Rick Michel has done a lot more than merely understudy previous Dean, Steve Apple.
Michel, who describes himself as a comic/singer/ impressionist, was actually the "Rat Pack" sub for Martin, Frank Sinatra and Joey Bishop. The former star of a multitude of local comedy and big band shows, Michel said it was prompting from "Rat Pack" co-producer David Cassidy that really helped him nail down the original job at the Desert Inn production of the show.
Michel was performing with the Gene White Orchestra at a function at the Bellagio as Frank Sinatra. The crowd, which included Cassidy, loved it and Cassidy yelled out for Michel to "do Dean!" Michel switched gears and started doing his Martin impression. Cassidy was impressed and although the show was already cast at that point, he wanted Michel to have a piece of the action.
During the course of the show's run at the Desert Inn, Michel subbed for Bobby Caldwell -- who played Sinatra -- about a dozen times and he also took over for Apple a few times. And when the show was in a pinch, Michel even filled in as Joey Bishop.
Needless to say, Michel feels like he could probably save the new production a couple of bucks in the understudy department.

(Internet: http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/ archives/2000/mar/05/509943684.html)