LAS VEGAS >> Hawaii’s Society of Seven, led by co-founder Tony Ruivivar, is back in action, having completed two Valentine’s weekend shows at the Suncoast Casino. And “Steve Wynn’s ShowStoppers,” an ambitious ongoing valentine to the musical comedy, continues to wow ’em at the Wynn’s Encore Theater. .
I caught both shows and can report that Ruivivar, 74, has made steady health gains. He’s cancer-free but dons a hat while awaiting regrowth of his hair. He said the SOS will return to the Suncoast in December.
“ShowStoppers” tweaks the jukebox musical concept, collating some of the most beloved Broadway hits, performed by a mammoth cast of 29 amazing dancer-singers and an ensemble of six lead vocalists, three males and three females.
These two shows provide the contrast of homegrown show-band medleys and impressions at an off- Strip casino club with modest theatrics, and a grand tableaux of hit Broadway songs reinvigorated for a new generation that expects the megabucks glitz of a Strip showroom. …
The SOS again features Lhey Bella, the Filipino songbird who has performed in Hawaii with the group. She retains her impeccable tribute to Whitney Houston, which earned her a standing ovation, along with impressions of Cher (with Michael Laygo and Bert Sagum in bodysuits acting as musclemen) and Diana Ross (the same gents play the Supremes). Hoku Low as both Frankie Valli and Wayne Newton, and Wayne Wakai on sax as Kenny G are part of an informal impression convention.
Vocally, the workhorses are Bella and Laygo; they bring operatic power to “The Prayer,” but Laygo also struts as rock balladeer Michael Bolton and the pair shines on “How Great Thou Art,” performing with gusto in Hawaiian and English while accompanied by hula stylist Hualani George.
All this is formulaic Vegas show-band stuff: comedy paired with awesome and powerful harmonies, notably on the medleys, and soul-stirring patriotic tunes.
The group also features Roy Venturina on keyboards and Jun Estanislao on drums, with Ruivivar as commander in chief, navigating from an occasional vocal lead to emceeing. …
Wynn’s “ShowStoppers” has emerged as the Broadway-style blockbuster on the Strip because every title is familiar, every number is fashionably costumed to suit the theme and every move is staged as theater.
Boasting 22 tunes (well, 21, since the opening, “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” also closes the show), the titles reflect mostly classic hits with three tunes from the still-running Broadway hit “Chicago.” My kind of moment: “Razzle Dazzle” establishes the mood and sets up the brilliant prison number “Cell Block Tango,” with cast members performing from behind bars and out of their cells. Of course, that “All That Jazz/Hot Honey Rag” medley is the nightcap, a stunning and sizzling tribute to composers John Kander and Fred Ebb.
The same tunesmiths get another trio of show pieces from “Cabaret”: “Willkommen,” “Money, Money” and the title song, all produced with costumed glory and choreography befitting the hit.
You could argue why “It’s Today,” not the title song, is the “Mame” moment, or why “Elegance” instead of “Hello, Dolly!” represents composer Jerry Herman’s repertoire. No matter; the salutes enable the ensemble to delve into the fabric of each show.
Considering vocal soloists Randal Keith (“Les Miserables”) and Andrew Ragone (“The Phantom of the Opera”) have been in Broadway blockbusters, tunes from these shows are not included — but then again the other soloists, David Burnham, Nicole Kaplan, Lindsay Roginski and Rachel Tyler, have enviable credits from a variety of shows, too. Plain truth: It’s always a task to exclude when everyone has different favorites. Like someone mumbled on the way out, “Where was ‘Fiddler on the Roof’?”
Still, the common crowd-pleaser was that still-riveting “A Chorus Line” formation to “One,” with the ensemble decked out in spiffy tuxedos and top hats and executing classic struts, with entrances from the right then left, then finally moving as one unit for the grand finale.
A singular sensation then, and still a sensation now in “ShowStopppers.” …
And that’s “Show Biz.” …
Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist. Reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com. Read his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at staradvertiser.com.
