Today in Las Vegas Magazine

Going The Way of The Dino

Who would’ve thought that a former hairdresser from Florida would be headlining a show on the Strip? Well, if you’re Tom Stevens, currently writing, producing and starring in “An Evening with Dean and Friends” at the Riviera, this was ‘almost’ a given. Well, almost.

Originally from Long Island, NY, he honed his “craft” in Florida, where he lived for 12 years, often regaling the customers at his salon with his impersonations and singing. Tom laughingly added, “I became known as the singing hairdresser!” All the while, he was also ‘practicing’ while doing ‘corporate gigs’ and private parties on the side. He also hooked-up with two other performers doing tribute acts and they called themselves “The Italians are Coming” comprising Tom, as Dean, with two others, one as Frank Sinatra and the other as Perry Como. Their show brought them up and down the east coast, even to the famed Westbury Music Fair in Long Island.

His big breakthrough, if you can call it that, was almost a ‘trial by fire,’ when he attended the third annual Dean Martin Festival, held in Steubenville, Ohio in 1998. As Tom recounts, “I was 40 when I went to my first Dean Martin Festival. It was great, I got to see where Dean was born and I went there, paid my own way, sent the organizers a video of myself performing as Dean, and asked then if they’d like me to perform. I ended up entertaining the crowd for an hour and forty five minutes; they wouldn’t let me off the stage!”

He’s particularly proud of the fact that the audience at the festival, largely made-up of those who knew Dean way back when (when he was still Dino Crocetti), was so impressed and awed by Tom’s portrayal of Dean, the likeness in looks and style; and even prompted Dean’s daughter, Deana Martin, to say she’s “…never seen anyone look or sound more like my daddy…” High praise indeed coming from a family member.

Tom says that the family (Dean Martin’s kids) is aware of what he’s doing, and they’re excited that he’s now in Vegas at the Riviera, because Dean Martin used to be a partner at the hotel.

As for his Vegas break, this happened only five years ago, when he used to perform afternoon shows at the Suncoast for a couple of years, which was then followed by a string of outside gigs and performances in cruise ships, before settling back here again to pursue the bright lights and the Strip marquee. Tom credits his wife, Perla, as the show’s driving force, who also doubles (or triples) as the musical director and production manager.

His current show at the Riviera is a 90-minute production of Tom and Tom to the power of 30 – the average number of voices he does in the show. There’s Dean, of course. In fact, the first part of the show is an homage to The Rat Pack with Dean, Frank and Sammy. He calls himself a tribute artist, rather than an impersonator, because “I sing the entire song and pay tribute to these people,” rather than perform snippets of the celebrities. And it’s not just Dean Martin as a singer, but also the likes of Elvis, Tom Jones, Neil Diamond and even Cher; which by the way, is surprisingly spot-on.

The show just recently opened, but already, the audience favorite seems to be the “Hollywood Karaoke” segment, an eight-minute medley of Sinatra songs featuring “13 stars who can’t sing” among them the likes of Peter Falk, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Clinton, Sylvester Stallone and more.

While Tom holds over 100 voices in his repertoire, he says he didn’t take singing or voice lessons. He adds, “It’s all self-taught and it doesn’t come naturally. I practice everyday.”

Asked what his end goal was and Tom replied, “To have my own showroom, with an eight-piece band, doing the show five nights a week.” He admits that “It’s a whole different animal being on the Strip,” but considering his very quick rise in the industry, it may not be long before he gets his wish.

-Rachel M. Sugay