Love Is All That I Ever Needed. Chapter 32. Let Him Shine..
In the fall of 1995 David came with Sue and their son to the UK. He toured with ‘Blood Brothers’
and got a very warm welcome. The tour was a great success and there were many fans who
watched the musical several times because of him.
In Bristol he was invited with his family to
turn on the city’s Christmas lights.
At the end, he performed in London, at the Phoenix Theatre, and every show was sold out.
His co-star as Mrs Johnston was Stephanie Lawrence, who played his girlfriend in ‘Time’, in
1987.
He left London at the beginning of January, in the last TV interview telling about his
plans - finishing a new album.
But life is really unpredictable...
Las Vegas, Nevada. The Entertainment Capital Of The World, as the city calls itself, founded
in 1905 on the floor of Mojave Desert and surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides. Nevada
is the third seismically active state in the USA. The climate is subtropical hot desert. The
average temperature in July is 40C. One of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.
The MGM Grand Hotel was opened in 1993. At the time it was the largest single hotel in the
whole country and the largest hotel complex in the world.
‘EFX’ was a $45 million spectacle, produced to mark the opening of the 1700 seat Grand
Theatre in the MGM hotel. The show was built around its star, the famous British musical
singer and actor, Michael Crawford.
It was a great spectacle with the cast of more than seventy
singers and dancers. When the show premiered on March 23, 1995, it was the most expensive
and largest-scaled theater installation in the world. Crawford played five characters, there were
a lot of stunts and the show was very physically demanding.
In 1995 Michael Crawford was 53 years old. At the very beginning of the show’s run, he injured
his hip and was taking pain-killers. In August 1996 he fell again and had to resign.
It was a real disaster for MGM, because the show needed a big star. Someone who was very
unique, who could sing and act, had charisma, and last but not least was very fit.
There were
some candidates - Donny Osmond, Barry Manilow, John Stamos and David Cassidy.
David learned that the producers wanted him as the Crawfors’s replacement in August 1996.
He could earn an enormous amount of money, but it was also a commitment he would have
to give himself to. It also meant that he, Sue and Beau would have to move to Las Vegas for
at least two years.
Negotiations lasted nearly a month. David agreed but under the condition that he would be
given creative control and a decisive voice. He also asked for a major overhaul. About half the
original songs were cut or replaced by new ones. The new music was written by Bill Wray,
David Cassidy, Sue Shifrin-Cassidy, Andrew Gold and members of the group “One Spirit’. Its
singers became David’s backing vocals.
The new libretto was written by David Chisholm, Don Reo and Shaun Cassidy. The plot was
rewritten. In the original the main hero was the EFX Master, but now it was a busboy played
by David. His lost love was always someone from the audience selected before every performance.
David’s EFX had a happy ending and was much funnier and brighter than the
original.
The rehearsals were insane with many changes and very difficult because of the special
effects and impressive cast.
The new show was an overnight sensation. It had great reviews.
“Cassidy is slightly built but full of rock’n’roll bravado, he enhanced the dialogue, added three
songs and took full advantage of his still boyish charm. (...) where the former Partridge
sibling truly does shine through, is in his ability to connect with the audience.’
“He is a well chosen, albeit different replacement for Michael Crawford. The difference is a
cohesive storyline and a more youthful, romantic approach."
David Cassidy for two years was the biggest star in Las Vegas. He received a lot of awards
for his performance. ‘The Best Singer’. ”The Best All Round Performer’. EFX - ‘The Best
Production Show’. He was responsible for bringing in over 1 million paying customers who
came to see the show. Not only from the USA.
David paid a price for that constant working. To say that the show was physically demanding
and dangerous was an understatement. David performed in EFX 10 times a week, 50 weeks
a year. In total, there were over 1,500 shows. Just insane. His marriage suffered because of
it, or even more. He physically couldn’t take part in his family’s everyday, normal life.
In
addition to performing, he made a film promoting Las Vegas. There were meetings with fans
(from all around the world) who came just for him. He was surrounded again by a lot of women
- old and new fans, and young and beautiful dancers and singers performing by his side in the
show every night...
He also had serious health problems. The stage was made of steel because of the heavy
installation, and David damaged a nerve in his left foot. He had to get cortisone shots but it
got worse with each day. He had back pains. He was working very hard again, and he wasn’t
twenty anymore. His body and soul had enough. There was too much stress and responsibility,
and too much work.
But how incredible it looks, performing in EFX was not everything that David Cassidy did while
he was in Las Vegas. It seemed he was afraid to lose time and opportunities. The good luck
he had again as an artist. Once a millionaire in the early 70s, the loss of that fortune must
have haunted him, even if David never was materialistic. And the loss of fame.
He earned big
money in Las Vegas, but he didn’t slow the pace. Or couldn’t. He felt that he was at the peak
of his possibilities. He wanted to use this time as much as he could.
With Jonathan Prince and Billy Riback, he created the TV sitcom, ‘Ask Harriet’. David wrote
the theme song and co-wrote the pilot. He wrote the show for himself. He wanted to act in it,
and he would have been sensational. The character, Jack Cody loses his job and has to dress
as a woman. But someone else played it, and the show was very short lived. Thirteen episodes
were produced but only four aired in January 1998 on Fox TV...
Photo credit - Amy Schatzen. The Davud Cassidy Official Website
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