Smith Center’s Martin has sights on ‘Hamilton’
Broadway’s hottest show starts touring next year, it was announced Tuesday, and Myron Martin confirmed he’s taking aim at “Hamilton.”
“No promises yet,” said the president and chief operating officer of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. “But as you know, I love the show.”
Already a pop culture sensation, the blockbuster hip-hop musical is predicted to dominate the 70th annual Tony Awards in June.
Martin has a strong track record of landing national tours of Broadway’s biggest hits, such as “Wicked” and “Book of Mormon.”
“Hamilton” is based on historian Ron Chernow‘s biography of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers. He was killed in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr on July 11, 1804.
The national tour will launch in March 2017, starting with a 21-week run at San Francisco’s SHN Orpheum Theater. From there, it goes to Southern California for an Aug. 11-Dec. 30 engagement at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater.
The scene and heard
Former O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Shapiro confirmed in a chat last week that he’s now working for hotel magnate Steve Wynn. Shapiro was at Jennifer Lopez‘s star-studded after-party at the newly opened Mr. Chow’s at Caesars Palace. …
Flamingo headliner Olivia Newton-John was recruited to help in a worldwide search to find a Newton-John impersonator for “Legends in Concert.” Alyssa Golden and Kelly Smith will join the spring cast at the Flamingo on Feb. 13. “They sent me all these girls to look at on tape,” Newton-John said. The new lineup includes impersonators of Adele, Frank Sinatra, Prince, Madonna and The Blues Brothers. …
The art assignments of speed painter Jean Francois Detaille take him all over the world. He’s billed as an extreme artist, and sometimes that includes extreme circumstances, like a 100-degree temperature change. On New Year’s Eve, he encountered 23-below-zero cold in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to paint former Vice President Dick Cheney. Last week, he was in balmy Puerto Rico to paint a 10-by-10-foot portrait of Warren Buffett in three minutes in front of 3,000 Dairy Queen franchisees who were celebrating the company’s 75th anniversary. Detaille has painted dozens of famous people, from Pope John Paul to David Bowie. He’s hoping to add Donald Trump to the list soon.
On this day
Jan. 27, 1951: The first atomic bomb is detonated at the Nevada Proving Grounds only 65 miles from Las Vegas, sparking a decade of “atomic tourism” as the Chamber of Commerce works to attract visitors who want to feel the ground shake and see the mushroom clouds from their hotel windows.
Jan. 28, 1968: Evel Knievel wakes up from a 29-day coma resulting from his attempt at a motorcycle leap over the Caesars Palace fountains. Though the crash nearly kills him, a movie of the failed stunt makes him a hero and ignites his career.
Sightings
Filming of airborne stunt-car crash scenes for Matt Damon‘s latest “Bourne” film continued over Monday into Tuesday on the Strip in front of Bellagio and in front of the Arch de Triumph at Paris. … Lopez, French Montana, Ja Rule, Prince Royce, Adrienne Bailon and others at Martorano’s at Paris on Friday. … Swedish actress Alicia Vikander and French actor Vincent Cassell, among a group dining at Herringbone (Aria at CityCenter) on Friday night. They were in town shooting the fifth “Bourne” film. Vikander was nominated for an Oscar last week for her role in “The Danish Girl.”
The punch line
“That’s right, the Broncos beat the Patriots to win the AFC Championship last night. Tom Brady was sacked four times. Brady was hit so hard, a kid in the stands actually caught one of his Uggs.” — Jimmy Kimmel
Norm Clarke’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more online at www.normclarke.com. On Twitter: @Norm_Clarke