Vegas lounge legend Bob Anderson takes on Carnegie Hall

NEW YORK — The antheral successful the tux rekindles a clip truthful agelong ago. “When I was 17, it was a precise bully year,” helium sings, evoking images of small-town girls, and brushed summertime nights.

But there’s nary hiding from the lights, not tonight. We cognize wherever Bob Anderson is taking us, to the autumn of his years. The Las Vegas lounge fable is present halfway signifier astatine Carnegie Hall this Saturday night, filling the hallway with the dependable of Frank Sinatra.

The classical Sinatra timbre rides a question of euphony by a 32-piece orchestra. Anderson has been remade to look conscionable similar Sinatra, the artwork from constitution decorator Rob Wild. The vocalist wears a $3,500 tux helium bought conscionable for this show. His mannerisms, the cock of caput and casual flip of the backhand, are each there.

At times you consciousness Old Blue Eyes himself has inhabited Anderson’s carnal being. In an property wherever a hologram could beryllium created to play this show, Anderson is starring successful a benignant of movie travel to life. The vocalist is starring america to a Sinatra amusement astatine Circus Maximus astatine Caesars Palace, oregon earlier past the Copa Room astatine the Sands.

Are we watching the autumn crook to wintertime tonight? It feels the culmination of Anderson’s affluent vocation arsenic an all-time impressionist, oregon “interpreter,” arsenic the statement has evolved.

But it’s not the end, not for Bob Anderson, who starred astatine the Top of the Dunes for a decennary ending successful 1985, and was a fixture connected the Strip and national-TV speech shows for a generation. He and is squad are convinced it is the start. Sinatra’s 106th day would beryllium Dec. 12, conscionable a nighttime aft this show, but they are treating this tribute arsenic a caller adventure.

Luck Be a Lady

For Anderson’s Sinatra show, Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage is without question the level for thing bigger. His accumulation squad rented the space, spending astatine slightest $150,000 for to wage for the venue for this 1 show.

In effect, Anderson has turned the historical hallway into a regal auditioning platform. Between a half-dozen and 10 owners and representatives of Broadway theaters arrived to cheque retired this show, formally titled, “One More For The Road.”

“I privation to radical to cognize what’s happening implicit here,” Anderson said successful his edifice suite overlooking Manhattan the greeting of the show. “They whitethorn deliberation that Carnegie Hall took Bob Anderson, alternatively than our radical paying for the happening for Bob Anderson to beryllium connected that show. That is the case.”

The amusement was performed for members of the Nederlander Organization, which controls 9 theatres; and Jujamcyn Theaters, which ain 5 Broadway venues. The Shubert Organization, which owns 17 theaters, is reviewing movie from the footage that was taped by the Carnegie crew.

And hey, Anderson mightiness crook the full saga into a world show. The scramble for the amusement to adhere to the authorities and venue’s pandemic policies itself would beryllium worthy an episode.

Anderson said the Carnegie Hall accumulation was capable to recoup its investment. Official numbers are 2,238 tickets sold, astir 150 much comped — the immense bulk to archetypal responders invited to the amusement — successful a hallway seating 2,804. It is easy the largest theatre assemblage successful New York connected the nighttime of the performance.

It’s besides the largest assemblage assembled astatine Carnegie Hall during COVID, a stat that should basal for the foreseeable aboriginal arsenic New York’s mass-gathering policies alteration by the time due to the fact that of the Omircon variant surge.

Anderson’s entourage is led by superior backers and co-producers, Keith Maas and Carolyn Klucha of Twin Palms Entertainment. They came successful arsenic fiscal angels and creator supporters astir 5 years ago. The narration is familial, arsenic Klucha is besides Anderson’s niece.

Maas and Klucha jumped onboard successful 2018, having not invested successful specified a mode successful a accumulation show. They reasoned that the maestro impressionist performing arsenic the legendary entertainer was an large spot to start. Stephen Eich is backmost arsenic director, Dianne Russomanno arsenic enforcement shaper Patricia Dockswell arsenic signifier manager. This is simply a tight, dedicated group.

The Sinatra amusement has been Anderson’s passion, and adjacent creator obsession, for upwards of a decade. He tin execute galore impressions, of course, from Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Tom Jones, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin and Nat King Cole. But it was his Sinatra mentation that led to his tally with “Frank. The Man. The Music” astatine Palazzo Theater. That amusement performed for a twelvemonth connected the Strip, closing successful November 2015, conscionable earlier what would person been Sinatra’s 100th birthday.

That determination stung Anderson. He wanted to beryllium onstage, arsenic Sinatra, for No. 100. As it was, helium refused to let his amusement to perish. He built a squad to contiguous a performance video astatine Avalon Hollywood theatre successful Los Angeles successful 2017, with Todd Fisher’s accumulation institution astatine the helm. That footage was besides sent to Broadway operators.

In December, Anderson forged a concern with Tony Award-winning theatre exec Eva Price and her partner, Carl Flanigan, and their Maximum Entertainment Company. Price’s credits see by “On Your Feet,” the Gloria and Emilio Estefan story; “Dear Evan Hansen” and the revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma.” She’s worked with much than 15 Broadway musicals, plays and concerts and is simply a subordinate of The Broadway League’s Board of Governors.

As a result, Anderson’s Sinatra revival was successful enactment for a theater, with talks ongoing, until COVID wiped retired each Broadway shows. Carnegie Hall was Anderson’s adjacent destination, to relaunch his Sinatra philharmonic for funny theatre operators and support this imagination alive. As Anderson said, “We wanted to beryllium capable to marketplace this amusement arsenic being Sinatra from Carnegie Hall. That would beryllium a almighty selling point.”

In that regard, the triumph was in, the infinitesimal Anderson stepped onstage.

“To me, having not sung arsenic Sinatra successful truthful long, I felt good,” Anderson said. “But much important, I felt the assemblage loved it. I truly felt the vigor connected that stage.”

Come Fly With Me

Anderson took a quartet of classical Vegas musicians to marque up the halfway of his orchestra, different filled with galore of New York’s finest players.

Joey Singer, who spent much than a 4th period touring with Debbie Reynolds, is pianist and euphony director. Bob Sachs, whose Vegas performances day to Sam Butera and Keely Smith and who backed Wayne Newton, is connected bass. Bob Chmel (Frank Sinatra Jr., Pia Zadora, Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope and Doc Severinsen), plays drums. And a subordinate of Sinatra royalty Danny Falcone, whose father, Vince, was Sinatra’s bandleader for 10 years astatine the extremity of his career, is connected trumpet and besides contracted the full orchestra.

All are made their debut astatine Carnegie Hall. It’s an absorbing spot to sound disconnected the rust.

“You cognize the past erstwhile you locomotion in, you cognize that Tchaikovsky opened the country and Vladmir Horowitz played here. Everyone successful the satellite has played here,” Singer said astatine the show’s after-party. “There is nary different spot for Carnegie Hall. So yeah, it’s a existent thrill, it’s hard to enactment into words what an awesome feeling it is to beryllium here.”

Sachs said the gravity of the amusement did not flight him.

“It is beauteous astonishing that the archetypal amusement we bash aft being disconnected for 2 years is astatine Carnegie Hall,” Sachs said. “Sometimes you privation you had an accidental to bash the amusement elsewhere, successful preparation, yeah. But, you know, you conscionable person to measurement up to the sheet and bash your thing. Overall, I thought it was a large experience.”

Chmel said, “The closest I ever came to Carnegie Hall was a municipality hallway amusement present with Frank Jr. portion ago, truthful this was a archetypal for me. I’m 78 now, truthful it took a agelong time, but present I be! Thank you Jesus, right?”

Falcone often referred to Sinatra arsenic “Grandpa” erstwhile helium was a kid.

“I’m sitting there, looking retired astatine the audience, and it’s conscionable mind-blowing,” said Falcone, who has backed Celine Dion, Lady Gaga connected the Strip and is simply a subordinate of Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns. “It was conscionable excessively much. I thought the set sounded phenomenal.”

My Way

Anderson has had to marque immoderate hard decisions astir wherever to walk his partners’ capital. The orchestra is not positioned connected risers. They beryllium flat, onstage. Risers are expensive, Anderson says, $45,000 to bring successful and different $45,000 to haul away. An precocious onstage show setup, to assistance the set perceive what they are playing much clearly, has besides been scrapped.

Of people determination is nary video oregon accumulation effects successful the show. If you are looking for LED and fume machines advertisement Carnegie Hall, you’re successful the incorrect place.

It’s wholly euphony and singing, Anderson astatine the mic and Singer astatine the rudder.

Anderson glides into the performance, seeming to consciousness his mode astir the stage. He’s moving retired the kinks, close successful beforehand of us. He’s thinner than we remember, having mislaid value aft his ain conflict with COVID respective months agone (which took him retired of a play of shows astatine South Point Showroom successful August).

But Anderson is everlastingly a earthy showman, having performed for 5 hours, unscheduled, precocious astatine the Italian American Club’s dining-room lounge. This, astir a week earlier what was apt the astir important gig of is career.

Anderson is comic that way, taking a lounge gig arsenic earnestly arsenic Carnegie Hall. Finally playing a afloat amusement arsenic Sinatra, helium catches his groove astir a 3rd of the mode through, flying done “Get Me to the Church On Time,” “Lady Is a Tramp,” “My Kind of Town,” “New York, New York,” gathering to the closing coupling of “That’s Life” and “My Way.”

Anderson introduces Deana Martin, Dean Martin’s headlining daughter, and her husband, John Griffeth; and shot fable Joe Torre from the audience. Anderson earns each of his 4 lasting ovations from that Carnegie crowd.

And for what is next, Anderson relates talks astatine respective venues, among them Mohegan Sun successful Connecticut, and besides Resorts Casino Hotel successful Atlantic City He’s booked astatine Key Largo Anglers Club successful Florida successful March, and is looking astatine adjacent Coral Reef Reef (a favourite of Jimmy Buffet). His existent Broadway wide absorption firm, KGM, is mounting up meetings with Broadway reps successful January.

But arsenic always, the timepiece is ticking and the calendar’s dates flipping for the headliner successful the autumn of his years. Frank Sinatra’s contemporaries are nary longer with us, his archetypal fans dwindling. Few musicians ever really performed with him successful his Las Vegas heyday. And the pandemic is not cooperating. The amusement is beholden to forces the showman can’t control.

But the music, helium says, volition past for each seasons.

“I’m showing you the mode helium was, and if you similar Frank Sinatra, you volition cognize astir of the songs,” Anderson says. “But determination volition beryllium immoderate younger fans who volition not cognize him, they are not gonna cognize these songs. OK, possibly they’ll larn something, due to the fact that this is what Frank Sinatra was each about.”

John Katsilometes’ file runs regular successful the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast tin beryllium recovered astatine reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him astatine jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats connected Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 connected Instagram.