Showbiz WeeklyMagazine
March 2000
David Cassidy's "At the Copa" catapults to success
By Hilary L Green
It has been a long time since David Cassidy first crooned his megahit "I Think I Love You" to millions of fans all over the world. The former teen heartthrob has enjoyed a long and varied career since those heady days when his photograph was plastered on magazine covers and posters, and his every move was documented on camera.
After a string of Grammy Award nominations, 18 gold and platinum records, worldwide sold-out concerts and the largest fan club in entertainment history, Cassidy emerged from his overwhelmingly popular teenage success with a strong work ethic. He applied his early training and went on to hone his considerable talents as an actor and a singer, adding songwriting to his ever-expanding creative skills.
Cassidy was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role in the television movie, A Chance To Live, and he starred in the original production of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." He appeared with Lord Olivier in "Time in London," and in 1994, Cassidy broke box office records with his performance in "Blood Brothers" on Broadway.
After a successful national tour with "Blood Brothers," and a sold-out run at the Prince Albert Theater in Toronto, Cassidy was offered the opportunity to star in MGM Grand's "EFX." By accepting the role, Cassidy was able to participate in the restructuring of the part, including writing some of the music for the show. Within four months of Cassidy's November 1996 opening in "EFX," he was voted "Best All-Around Performer" and "Best Singer" by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and the show was voted "Best Production Show" in the same poll.
Cassidy's next project was writing and producing "The Rat Pack Is Back" with partner Don Reo. The show enjoyed enthusiastic crowds and critical acclaim at The Desert Inn Resort and recently moved into new digs at the Sahara Hotel. Buoyed by his success, Cassidy entered into an agreement with the Rio to create and star in his own show, "At The Copa."
Cassidy wrote and produced "At The Copa," in which he co-stars with Grammy Award-winner Sheena Easton. They play Johnny Flamingo and Ruby Bombay, performers whose love affair ignites the show's plot. The story chronicles their lives over several decades and incorporates a wide spectrum of musical styles. With support from the 19-piece Lon Bronson Band which is onstage throughout the show, Cassidy and Easton perform a string of powerful standards, as well as a couple of their individual hits, thanks to the show-within-a-show format.
"At The Copa" is a high-energy tale of love and mystique surrounded by marvelous music and dancing, mixed with a lot of humor.
"My character is somewhat autobiographical ... humorous, ironic, tragic and a survivor," Cassidy explains. "The story has a wide and dramatic arc. We never take ourselves too seriously. It's about making people laugh while blowing the roof off the joint!"
"At The Copa" is fun for the whole family. Cassidy thinks you'll love it.
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