Is there a place for "small" entertainment in the casino culture? To find out, I went to Foxwoods, a Connecticut casino whose first distinction is
the catchiest, Sinatriest jingle on East Coast radio. As lounge singer John Pizzarelli intones it: "Living large, get on board,/ this is it, it's
your reward,/ Take a seat, and have a ball,/ Yeah, let's thrill to the wonder of it all."
Foxwoods is one of two local gaming spas owned by Native Americans; Mohegan Sun is about 15 miles down the road. I might pick the latter for swank ambiance
and loose slots, but Foxwoods has by far the classier list of entertainers. The November-March roster boasts pop singers from each of the past five decades
(B.B. King and Paul Anka; The Temptations and Four Tops; Lynyrd Skynyrd and STYX; The Commodores and Kenny Loggins; Seal), plus comedians from the
HBO-VH1-Comedy Central axis (Carlin, Gallagher, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart). Over the same span, Mohegan Sun makes do with Charo, Vicki Lawrence, Jimmy Webb,
Lainie Kazan and a Legends show called The Rat Back Is Back! Though, I confess, I am beguiled by a certain one-day-only performer, billed as "Paul
Burrell, Former Royal Butler and Confidant to Diana, Princess of Wales." Upon request, he will saw a royal reputation in two.
I was at Foxwoods to see k.d. lang, she of the pure alto voice and impeccable taste in song selection and presentation. She prowled the stage in a black suit and bare feet, creating an easy intimacy, striking as natural a rapport with her audience as with the boys in the band. All of us were family, and lang acted as if she'd just been coaxed to sing something after dinner. Or at a picnic, since hot dogs, popcorn, sodas and fries were on sale outside the theater.
Or, possibly, a union rally for lumberjacks, stevedores or teamsters - there were a lot of gruff, hefty, plaid-shirted figures in attendance. These were
kd's ladies, lang's groupie-posse. While some were content to utter a sweetly desperate "We love you, kd!", others shouted out bolder lust;
they all but threw their room keys on stage. lang, who apparently has seen this one or twice before at her concerts, tossed the randier fans a Cheshire Cat
smile and moved on to her next number, beautifully phrased and felt. She made sure the evening had something for everyone, even the two heterosexuals in the
audience (my wife and me).
