‘Jersey’ star weds ex-dance partner
They met on stage as tango dance partners.
Seven years later, newlyweds "Jersey Boys" star Rick Faugno and choreographer Joyce Chittick performed the tango as their first dance.
"We've kind of gone full circle," Faugno said.
Make that a double full circle.
When Faugno, who grew up in New Jersey, landed the Frankie Valli role in the "Jersey Boys" production in Las Vegas, Chittick played Mary Delgado, Valli's first wife.
Proving that love indeed takes two to tango, they got hitched, in real life, Sept. 2 at the Springs Preserve.
They met in Sag Harbor, N.Y., during a show directed by Broadway icon Julie Andrews.
It was called "The Boyfriend," and they danced their wedding tango to the same music, but they had it choreographed by local dance studio owner Sergei Shapoval.
Faugno, a career song-and-dance man who started on Broadway at age 12, not only teamed up on a tap jam with his drummer, Brian Czach, but sang "Fly Me to the Moon," "Got You Under My Skin" and "Unchained Melody," the latter while dancing with the bride.
His "Jersey Boys" cast mates attended the wedding, Matt Goss' seven-piece horn section performed, and Ronnie Rose sang.
Chittick left the "Jersey Boys" a couple years ago to choreograph the national tour of "Grease."
She's signed up to choreograph the second tour as well.
She is a graduate of Sparks High School in Nevada.
REPORTING FOR DUTY
Ten miles into a morning bike ride on Monday, KXNT's new general sales manager, Lee Jamison, saw a plume of black smoke and investigated the source.
Within minutes, he found himself at the scene of a breaking news story: the crash of a small plane on a street in Henderson.
Jamison, who recently came out of retirement and moved here after a long career in radio sales in the San Francisco Bay area, called the talk station and provided the first reports of the heroic efforts from neighbors.
They rushed into action with water hoses and teamed up to turn over the smoking wreckage to remove survivors.
The pilot died in the accident. The three passengers in the plane remain hospitalized.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil is under investigation after a woman alleged he pushed her in an elevator at the Hilton late Sunday, according to the celebrity website TMZ.com. Neil, who owns a tequila restaurant at the Hilton, was arrested on suspicion of DUI in June. ...
The Henderson home of former Harrah's headliner Toni Braxton is in foreclosure. The website Realtor.com said the home, purchased for
$2.6 million in 2007, is currently being listed at
$1.15 million. ...
The Las Vegas Epicurean Affair takes place tonight at the Pools at the Palazzo, with the doors opening at 6 p.m. for the VIP ticketholders and 7 p.m. for the public. About 75 restaurants and beverage purveyors are participating. Tickets: Nevada Restaurant Association, 878-2313; Palazzo: 414-9000 or wwww.epicurean affairlasvegas.com.
THE PUNCH LINE
"Police were forced to escort three fans out of the U.S. Open after a brawl broke out. When is this wealthy-white-guy-on-wealthy-white-guy violence going to end?" -- Jay Leno
Norm Clarke can be reached at (702) 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
