David Cassidy on the Web
Make you happy
David Cassidy at work on one of his many Las Vegas ventures
June 28, 2000
By Jan Hogan
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (Las Vegas Review Journal) -- Though most people will always associate him with his character Keith Partridge, David Cassidy is a man of many faces.
Born to theatrical parents, he acted on Broadway at age 18, shot to stardom on the 1970s show "The Partridge Family," wrote hit songs, performed at sold-out concerts, authored a book and produced television shows.
Today, he produces two Las Vegas shows, one of which he has a starring role. He also has a horse breeding business and is involved in charity events. All that, plus he says he's happier than ever.
"I've always felt an internal drive in areas other than people perceive me in," he said. "I've hungered to write and produce. A lot of things I've wanted to do, I've accomplished."
With partner Don Reo, Cassidy produces "The Rat Pack Is Back," a throwback to the Sinatra days. The nightclub-style show first appeared at the Desert Inn and cost him $100,000 to stage.
The show received positive reviews and drew a lot of attention. But some of that attention came from the estates of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., which brought litigation against the show. Undeterred, Cassidy found a new home for the show at the Sahara in a deal that was approved with lightning speed and circumvented litigation.
"We had one meeting and it happened. It's so much easier to make a deal when there's just one person in charge," Cassidy said, speaking of Sahara owner Bill Bennett. "When you present an idea to a corporation, it takes forever because it has to be approved by 15 different people."
The fast-track moved against the show, though, when it opened with only three days of publicity to kick it off. Crowd counts initially foundered and the Sahara gave away tickets to fill the 550-seat room. But Cassidy said the show is now averaging 250 to 300 paying customers each night and, two months after opening, it is starting to make money.
Cassidy also headlines in the Rio's "At the Copa." He created the show's story line and serves as its executive producer.
"It has to sell $40,000 in tickets for it to make a dime," he said. Even though "Copa" is not sold as part of a hotel package, he said it, too, is bringing in people and making money.
Without giving away numbers, he said both his shows are extremely costly. Perhaps because of his own acting experience, he believes in paying top dollar for top performers.
"Live talent costs a lot to produce," he said. " `The Rat Pack' is the most expensive show to produce per person in Las Vegas, bar none -- it has 13 musicians plus the main guys."
Cassidy's contract lets him take a year off after the first two years and he said he is unsure if he will exercise that option.
In a town long-known for its showgirls, Cassidy called production shows without a headliner a "tired genre" and thinks performance-oriented shows are the next wave.
He came to Las Vegas in 1996 to revamp the "EFX" show at the MGM Grand. After 1,000 performances on the steel stage, Cassidy suffered Morgan's neuroma in his foot and had to have an operation. He is careful not to do anything physically stressful because one misstep can mean putting people out of work. But that doesn't keep him from attending his son Beau's baseball games or taking the family to Disney World.
Cassidy considers the entertainment climate in Las Vegas highly competitive, even bullish. Just this year, Las Vegas has seen 50,000 more theater seats added.
"There's an imbalance here that I'm uncomfortable with. The people in charge of developing entertainment are not entertainment people per se. That's why I'm successful. I know this business. For an executive to tell me how to run a show," he said, "is like me telling him how to run a hotel."
