Park Theater’s stage comes alive anew
LIVE entertainment lit up Park Theater on Wednesday afternoon for the first time since March. These were “closed” performances, recorded for a U.S. Air Force online event scheduled for next week.
Nonetheless, the stage was alive, with several familiar
Las Vegas performers contributing to AFWERX, the
Air Force program set up to instill a culture of innovation in the service. The organization is producing its first AFWERX Fusion
2020 showcase July 28-30.
The recorded performances from Las Vegas link a series of speeches by innovators from the military and private sector, and appearances by Jay Leno, Wayne Newton and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top are featured.
Entertainers who played to the cameras sang original songs. The lineup included Anne Martinez and Red Penny Arcade; Lisa Mariesmith of Mayfair Social Club; Noybel Gorgoy of Paul Shaffer’s show at Caesars Palace; Sarah Hester Ross of Bar at Times Square at New York-new York; Chadwick Johnson, a performer at several Vegas venues including Myron’s Cabaret Jazz; Scott Foster Harris and Lisa Marie Schalk of Orchids Bloom; Vegas singer/songwriter Kaylie Foster; multilingual vocalist and songwriter Angelina Alexon; stage performer Frank Lawson, late of “Marilyn — A New Musical”; “America’s Got Talent” finalist Daniel Emmet; percussionist Steve Weiss and his stomp drum act; Lashonda Reese of Mayfair; Lannie Counts of Santa Fe & the Fat City Horns; Vegas R&B headliner Bobby Brooks Wilson; and longtime Vegas vocalist and former “Fantasy” singer Stephanie Sanchez.
Mark Shunock of The
Space and Mondays Dark contracted the artists through his Marshun Entertainment production company. Emmet sang the national anthem.
“It’s what all of us have dreamt about since the shutdown started, and to be back onstage,” Emmet said. “This was kind of a bucket-list moment for me. The last time I was in that theater was to see Cher, and before that, I was in the standing section for Lady Gaga.”
Hester Ross, who mixes comedy and music in her piano act, said, “It was different but a lovely experience, performing in that huge, beautiful room with no audience. It’s hard to do comedy with no feedback, but the crew guys were great. They laughed at all my jokes.
“I was pretending to be Lady Gaga. I felt like a freakin’ star until I had to carry out my own piano. Then back to real life.”
The last PRE-COVID shows at Park Theater were 311 Day, which took place March 11-13. Bruno Mars played the theater March 6-7, and Cher played six shows from Feb. 19 to Feb. 29. It was a rare chance for Las Vegas performers to grace that stage.
“I loved that it was showcasing Vegas talent,” Emmet said. “I love that it showed how strong that talent is and how strong we’re going to come back.”
They’re back!
Tina Turner is back on the charts, and Larry Edwards is back in our hearts.
Turner collaborated with star DJ Kygo for Friday’s re-release of the 1984 hit “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Edwards seized the moment to return to his Turner persona, famous in his days in “Evening at La Cage” at the Riviera and Frank Marino’s “Divas Las Vegas” at Linq Hotel.
He’s been posting a series of photos and videos in his “Quaran-tina” character. Turner, at 80, is coming out of retirement for this one-off collab with Kygo. The whole experience is a strut down Memory Lane.
“My first Tina Turner concert was in Houston in 1982 at the Windmill Theater, and I’ve been taken aback with her performances ever since,” Edwards said. “She is my icon.”
Though Turner has effectively retired and lives in Switzerland, Edwards is still keeping her image onstage. He still busts out the character at Piranha nightclub. He’s still receiving residual checks for his role as Turner in “Miss Congeniality 2.”
Edwards debuted his character at Bally’s in Atlantic City in 1984. He transferred the act to “La Cage” two years later. He’s also performed as Beyonce in a “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” number, but Turner is his first stage portrayal.
Edwards met Turner after a taping of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in Chicago in the late 1980s.
“I thanked her for allowing me to do the portrayal of her. She was just so wonderful,” he said.
Edwards was also in the biopic “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” in the scene where Turner (played by Angela Bassett) has just split with Ike and is performing “Disco Inferno.”
“You can see me in the front row,” Edwards said. “And I’m dressed as Tina.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His Podkats! podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/ podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal. com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @Johnnykats1 on Instagram.
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