Pink was green with Gaga envy.
The Candy Man twisted the night away.
Mariah kept time with a “real good man.”
It all happened at Petrina’s “Vegas in The Villages” revue, Sunday night before a sellout crowd at American Legion Post 347.
This tribute show lineup featured Villages favorite Petrina as Pink and Steve Roman as Sammy Davis Jr. Also, the red-hot Angela DiBuono played Lady Gaga; while Jessica Castro seemed like Mariah Carey’s twin and alpha male Jeff Richards played hunky cowboy Tim McGraw.
When asked the toughest part of being McGraw, Richards replied: “Finding a hat that fits and jeans that are tight enough.” His voice sounded tight enough on the McGraw standard, “Real Good Man.”
Put these energetic and sexy performers all together in front of a raucous crowd and you have a wild night at the old Legion Hall. Part of the proceeds was donated to the “Sparkle Scholarship” fund, through the VHA Community Foundation.
One of the highlights came when Petrina put on her slinky Pink outfit and teamed with Roman for a Sammy Davis version of “The Lady Is A Tramp.” Only Pink Petrina changed the words to “Lady (Gaga) Is A Tramp.”
Catty Petrina then danced and pranced through the audience as Roman sang the lyrics. Then she joined him on stage until DiBuono came out in her skimpy Gaga duds and booted the Pink Lady off the stage.
DiBuono, who moved like an aerobics instructor overdosing on testosterone, filled the place with energy all night long. She romped through Gaga’s pulsating “Poker Face” and “Gypsy.”
She showed Gaga’s softer, more legitimate side singing “Anything Goes,” off the singer’s album with Tony Bennett.
“I’ve always wanted to be an entertainer,” DiBuono said before the show. “It’s creepy that we look much alike, but I did a lot of work and research on Lady Gaga. It’s not just looks, it’s the voice, the costumes, the songs and the choreography.”
DiBuono has been performing as Gaga for about two years, and despite the sometimes racy show, she has strong, family values. Her grandfather, Sylvester LoPotro, 94, inspired DiBuono to become a performer.
“I owe so much to him,” she said. “Every night, before I go on, I call him up. I called him tonight.”
Roman has been doing Sammy Davis for about 15 years. He toured the country with various Rat Pack Shows and said he has performed on the bill with such stars as Tony Orlando and Tony Bennett. Roman had to take tap-dancing lessons and watched hours of film on Davis to perfect his act.
“I love Sammy Davis Jr. and I became a fan when I was kid and saw him in the movie, ‘Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,’” Roman said. “He sang the ‘Candy Man’ song and I was hooked. I wanted to be Sammy.”
He sounded and looked like Sammy Davis on a number of songs throughout the evening. Roman got the crowd singing along to “The Candy Man Can” and “Call Me Irresponsible.” The place really went bonkers when Roman asked the ladies in the audience to stand up and then did a rocking version of Chubby Checker’s “The Twist.”
Petrina was jumping and jiving and was by far, the crowd’s sentimental favorite. She came out in a tight black outfit and had the people cheering and toasting her on Pink’s “Raise Your Glass.” Then she darted into the crowd, wearing a white tee-shirt and black mini-skirt and got the gang chanting along with “I’m Gonna Start a Fight.” Petrina also showed her softer side on Pink’s “Just Give Me A Reason.”
Richards played the cowboy stud on McGraw’s rocking tunes but also showed a tender side and strong voice on the Grammy-Award winning ballad, “Live Like You Were Dying.”
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Richards got emotionally wrapped-up in the tune and accidentally turned off the microphone near the end of the number.
“That song means a lot to me, I hope it means a lot to you,” Richards said.
Jessica Castro as Mariah Carey added some classy glamor to the night. “Mariah was my idol when I was growing up,” she said. “I always wanted to be like her, but up until a year ago I was a brunette. Now I’m a blonde and here I am. I want to do this forever.”
Castro’s best moment came on Carey’s uptempo holiday remake of the classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”