| |
|
With “Legends,” considered the granddaddy of the celebrity impersonation
shows, John turned a six-week engagement that began in May 1983 at the
Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino into a show that keeps going and going
and going on a nightly basis. The state-of-the-art internationally
acclaimed show, in which performers look and sound like the stars they are
portraying (no lip synching), has become its own entertainment empire with
productions appearing in casinos, theme parks, cruise ships and legit
theaters worldwide.
In February 2003, John,
a 22-year veteran of Las Vegas entertainment, resigned as Chairman of On
Stage Entertainment Inc. to pursue other dreams and projects, with
producing and directing “Ovation” being at the top of the list. A former
star of the legitimate theatre with a career as a producer and performer
that has spanned almost half a century, John has throughout his
illustrious career produced many variety shows, ice skating shows, magic
shows, flying apparatus shows and circus shows. All told, he has produced
more than 40 themed shows, none of which have run less than six months and
some of which are still running after 10 years.
In April 2004, John
opened the Blues Brother Revival
at the Chicago Center of Performing Arts as the associate producer in
association with writer/director/producer Victor Pisano and Judy Belushi
Pisano, as well as the House of Blues, Chicago. The show broke all records
in it's initial run in Chicago, and is set to open in Las Vegas at the
House of Blues in Mandalay Bay, as well as in the House of Blues in both
Myrtle Beach and Orlando.
John is also producing
"Dick Clark's American Bandstand", a live show that utilizes multi-media,
live celebrity impersonators and well-known guest stars to create a live
version of the popular television show, "American Bandstand". This all new
production is set to open in other cities around the U.S.
John is also the
Associate Producer of the Theater of the Americas in Anaheim, California.
Some of the previous
variety shows to his credit include “Oba Oba” (associate
producer/director; 4-year-run at the Aladdin); “Abracadabra” (associate
producer/director; played 5 years at the Aladdin); “Glitz 2” (single
producer/director; last major production show at the Sands before it was
imploded). John also produced the majority of shows at the MGM Grand
Adventures Theme Park, including “Going For Gold,” “The Fab Four” and
“Rock Around The Clock.” For the latter, he brought in a then young
unknown to be featured in the production named Wayne Brady.
“People think I just fell into this business,” John laughs. “But I have
always been a performer and a producer. I started singing and performing
when I was five and performed throughout my childhood with my parents and
nine brothers and sisters as The Singing Stuarts. In high school, I
performed with Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the founders of the Beach Boys.
I’m a dramatic tenor and have done over 300 musicals and performed in the
national road tours of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and ‘Pajama Game.’ I’ve
performed with stars such as Goldie Hawn, Howard Keel, Juliet Prowse and
many others.”
One of those many others was Steve Martin, with whom John appeared for
seven years in theatre at Knotts Berry Farm in California. John
subsequently appeared in two of Martin’s movies, “Dead Men Don’t Wear
Plaid” and “The Man With Two Brains.”
When it comes to producing, John was born with the talent to come up with
ingenious ideas and combine them with business savvy to turn any dream
into a reality, delivering the highest level of entertainment. He is the
only current show producer on the list of 300 persons nominated for having
had the most influence in the historical development of Las Vegas, his
main influence being in theatrical development.
John is also working
with partner Don Beck, president of Tool Box Productions, and On Stage
Entertainment, Inc. to produce a live reality TV show called “Idol
Worship.”
John is one of the
producers of World Pro Fighting, presenting championship events that are
both live and PPV.
John is about to open
his latest production, "Legends in Matrimony - The Ultimate Celebrity
Wedding Show", in Las Vegas. The show features many celebrity impersonator
"Legends", combined with an interactive wedding to produce a hilarious
entertainment experience for the audience.
By the way, “Father”
John and his beautiful wife, Alex, have been married since they were 20
and have six children of their own. They reside on a 20-acre Arabian horse
ranch near downtown Las Vegas and are in the process of building 30 custom
homes for sale on their property, which will be called the Legends Ranch
Estates. It will be the first and only Arabian horse community in Las
Vegas.
|
|
|