New SHADES OF SINATRA Shows!

Hiya folks,

As many of you know, in addition to freelancing as a jazz & big band singer here in Las Vegas, I also sing with well-known tribute group SHADES OF SINATRA. Ever since they closed our showroom last year (and, um, IMPLODED the entire hotel a few months ago), we don’t get as many opportunities to perform here in town as we used to. LOL But THIS month you can catch us on 2 different occasions!!!

First, on Wednesday, May 6th, SHADES OF SINATRA (Carmine Mandia, Lisa Smith, Ryan Baker, Ron Smith) will be performing at the 36th Annual San Gennaro Feast in Las Vegas. We will be doing a full 45 minutes to kick-off the evening’s entertainment! Here are all the details:

LOCATION:
4245 Grand Canyon Dr
Las Vegas, NV 89147
(West of the 215, exit Flamingo Rd. Held in the Grand Canyon Shopping center, near Sears, JCPenny’s and Kohls.)

FESTIVAL HOURS:
May 6, 2015 – Wednesday – 5-11pm (SHADES OF SINATRA performs at 7pm)
May 7, 2015 – Thursday – 5-11pm
May 8, 2015 – Friday – 5-Midnight
May 9, 2015 – Saturday – 12pm-Midnight
May 10, 2015 – Sunday – 12pm-11pm
(Fireworks at 9pm)

TICKETS:
Adults & Children = $9 (2 adults for $14)
Seniors & Military = $8
(children 54′ and under are free)

Then on Sunday, May 31st, SHADES OF SINATRA will be doing a show in the main showroom at Sam’s Town Casino on Boulder Hwy. It is a FREE show for all B Connected Members (see players club desk for details). Seats are first come, first serve, so arrive early!! Here are the details for that one:

LOCATION:
Sam’s Town Gambling Hall & Hotel
5111 Boulder Highway
Las Vegas, NV 89122

DATE/TIME:
Sunday, May 31, 2015
1:00pm Show

If you can’t make it to one of these shows, we do have another date coming up at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino, but that isn’t until July 9th…so hopefully you can come see us at one of these shows!! ;-)

As always, you can stay connected with us through our WEBSITE (www.ShadesLasVegas.com), our FACEBOOK PAGE and our TWITTER FEED.

ABOUT THE SHOW: Awarded the 2012 & 2014 Excellence in Entertainment Award for TRIBUTE SHOW OF THE YEAR, Shades of Sinatra is an original musical production celebrating the extensive music and career of the great Frank Sinatra. Featuring over 30 of Sinatra’s biggest hits, this show pays tribute to most of the signature Sinatra tunes one would expect, as well as several that may be new to casual fans. Often drawing on experiences from their own lives, its cast members celebrate the legend in their own ways; and in between songs and poignant stories, there is plenty of good-natured ribbing among the cast, creating that vintage, off-the-cuff Vegas show atmosphere associated with Ol’ Blue Eyes himself.

PRESS REVIEWS
“Lightning struck again this summer with the Sinatra-themed revue…”
Mike Weatherford, Las Vegas Review-Journal

“…Singing hit after hit and medleys filled with the songs you came to hear….The Man would have been proud of what these four fine entertainers have done.”
Norm Johnson, “It’s The Norm” – Las Vegas Entertainment Events

“…Each is an excellent vocalist who does justice to Sinatra’s music….a highly entertaining little show – well conceived, perceptive and intelligently assembled….”
Jerry Fink , The Las Vegas Sun

“We need to see more of this show after this four night run. The show has been selling out and I’m sure as the word spreads there will be a big demand for future shows”
Steve Tuminello, Las Vegas At Its Best

“…This is a very seasoned and very in-sync team… They clearly still enjoy working together and give the numbers all their worth. These folks can sing. If you want an hour and fifteen minutes of songs you know, sung with passion, this show will make you happy.”
Richard Lane, Vegas Chatter (in association with concierge.com)

Shades of Sinatra: SATURDAY Shows Added!

EXCITING NEWS!

Beginning this month, SHADES OF SINATRA (starring Carmine Mandia, Lisa Smith, Larry Liso & Ryan Baker) will be adding Saturday shows to our weekly line-up!

So we will now have shows EVERY Tuesday, Thursday AND Saturday evening at 8:00pm, at the Clarion Hotel & Casino, Wolf Theater. AND you can now access a SUMMER ‘ONLINE ONLY’ SPECIAL of 1/2 price show tickets by going directly to the theater website to purchase your tickets…here is the link: http://www.wolftheaterlasvegas.com/

SUMMERTIME SATURDAYS with the SHADES! We look forward to seeing you there…

Shades of Sinatra is an original musical production celebrating the extensive music and career of the great Frank Sinatra. Featuring over 30 of Sinatra’s biggest hits, this show pays tribute to most of the signature Sinatra tunes one would expect, as well as several that may be new to casual fans. Its cast members create unique characters that celebrate him in their own ways, often drawing on experiences from their own lives; and in between songs and poignant stories, there is plenty of zany humor and good-natured ribbing among the cast, creating the vintage, off-the-cuff Vegas show atmosphere that is associated with Ol’ Blue Eyes himself.

Tournament of Kings Show at Excalibur: EXCELLENT for Gluten-Free!

Getting ready to enjoy a FABULOUS dinner and show at "Tournament of Kings" Show at EXCALIBUR Hotel and Casino

I just have to tell you about our recent trip to see the Tournament of Kings show at Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas!

It has always been one of my niece and nephew’s favorite places to go, and when they come for their annual visit it is of course the FIRST thing they want to do.  The last time I went with them was a couple of years ago, BEFORE I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Well, my husband was recently cast in the role of “King Arthur” in the show, so of course THIS year we wanted to SURPRISE them by taking them to see the show (without telling them ahead of time that their Uncle was in the show).  Anyway, as many of you know from some of my past posts, I get EXTREMELY sick from even the slightest bit of cross-contamination…so needless to say, I was a nervous wreck thinking about going.  I mean, I could always go and not eat, but at $60 a ticket, what fun is that???

Well, I had NO NEED to be worried! They were SOOOO accommodating…in fact, I think my gluten-free meal was possibly even better than what everyone else got to eat! :)

Here’s what we did to ensure a wonderful, and SAFE, experience:

• We bought our tickets a day or two ahead of time, AT the box office, in person.
• When we did so, we informed them that we had two people in our party with Celiac Disease (my mom and I) and would need two gluten-free meals, and would they be able to help us?
• I brought along a copy of my Triumph Dining Card (outlining what I could and could not eat), so that we could leave it with them if necessary.
• From the box office, they actually called their food and beverage manager to talk with us in person about the menu, and she went through every single item and ingredient, just to be safe.  She was fairly knowlegable about Celiac, but said she didn’t want to take any chances.
• Instead of the soup appetizer, she suggested a Salad with balsamic vinegar & oil on the side — which was beautifully prepared. QUICK NOTE: Although we had informed our server upon arrival that we had two gluten-free meals (which he had already knew), when the soup came out it was brought by a food “runner” who didn’t realize we had special meals.  My mom wasn’t with us when we made the reservations, so she didn’t realize we weren’t having soup and almost ate it. Fortunately, the server and I caught the mistake before she had any, so all was okay. In case this happens to anyone in your party, just remember, the tomato soup is NOT gluten-free.
• When preparing my Cornish Game Hen they used just salt & pepper.  No extra seasonings…it didn’t need any, it was FABULOUS with just the salt & pepper.
• I had a large Baked Potato with butter & sour cream on the side, instead of the fried “potato boats.”
• The meal came with steamed Broccoli, which was fine.
• For desert they prepared my mom and me a HUGE plate of fruit (fresh watermelon, strawberries, cantelope, honeydew, grapes & pineapple)! We had several people around us asking how we got so lucky to get Fresh Fruit!

To top it off, we were all able to get in on a “locals” discount of 2 FOR 1 (so about $30 per person, with tax, and that INCLUDES dinner & show!), which they do quite often…you just need to be sure and ask when you make your reservations if they have any locals discounts.

So, it turned out to be a WONDERFUL experience. My neice and nephew were totally surprised (and haven’t stopped talking about it for a week), the food was AWESOME, and the show was FANTASTIC.  Very, very fun! I would highly recommend it.

To find out more, please visit the “Tournament of Kings” page on the EXCALIBUR website by clicking HERE!

To order your own Triumph Dining Cards for safe, gluten-free ordering in ANY restaurant, visit their website: www.TriumphDining.com