Yes, the "Little Sparrow" from France did perform in Las Vegas! In the days when the Las Vegas Strip was home to just a handful of Hotels and Casinos, there was a competitive fervor among the owners to book top acts of the time to draw more patrons into their establishments (hmm, sound familiar?). In 1953, The Sands resort wanted to make a big splash for their opening year. Their strategy? To pay for the world's top talents to perform at the "Place in the Sun". But, how to get to these performers? Las Vegas wasn't a very hospitable place for artists - dry desert air reeked havoc on vocal cords and black artists like Nat King Cole and Dorothy Dandridge were welcome on stage but not in the rooms of the hotels in which they performed. The artists would need to be wooed by someone they could trust. The Sands operators turned to impresario Jack Entratter of New York's famed Copacabana, to handle the entertainment booking and publicity. Entratter later became Vice President then President of the Sands. In that opening year, alongside Entratter's headliners like Danny Thomas, Jimmy McHugh, Judy Collins, Chuck Nelson, Lena Horn and the Copa Girls, Edith Piaf had a six week run. One could say Edith Piaf in her plain black dress, who stood only 4'10" was the antithesis of the glam and glitz Las Vegas was associated with, but her powerful voice and passionate songs were drawing top dollar bookings all over the world. Entratter in later interviews admits the run was not as successful as hoped, "people just want to see folks they have seen on TV" (again, sound familiar?)
Today, Edith Piaf is almost a household name across the globe and definitely her music is the soundtrack of a nation. Most people when asked, have some memory of hearing her music or voice either from a grandmother's stereo, in a cafe in France or even in a TV commercial. Las Vegas receives the world everyday and is now ready to say "bienvenue" to a "vielle amie" - La Mome, Edith Piaf!
Naomi Emmerson will reprise the role of Edith Piaf in a Las Vegas premier of Piaf: Love Conquers All in March 2016 at The Winchester Cultural Center.
Today, Edith Piaf is almost a household name across the globe and definitely her music is the soundtrack of a nation. Most people when asked, have some memory of hearing her music or voice either from a grandmother's stereo, in a cafe in France or even in a TV commercial. Las Vegas receives the world everyday and is now ready to say "bienvenue" to a "vielle amie" - La Mome, Edith Piaf!
Naomi Emmerson will reprise the role of Edith Piaf in a Las Vegas premier of Piaf: Love Conquers All in March 2016 at The Winchester Cultural Center.
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