David Cassidy -- a Partridge in a good place
By Tamar
Alexia Fleishman • Bankrate.com
Reuben Kincaid managed the finances in the '70s
for the fictional Partridge family, but David Cassidy and his cousin
keep their eyes on his real-life money.
The public has become jaded when it comes to packaged
teen heartthrobs; it knows when a choreographed waif has been propped
up in front of a camera to serve as flavor of the month. Those faded
stars all wish they could be David Cassidy, with his bona fide career
and fans that have loved him for more than 30 years. Born in 1950,
Cassidy's mother was actress Evelyn Ward and his father was actor
Jack Cassidy. Jack Cassidy went on to marry the maven of musical
theater, Shirley Jones. In later years, Jack Cassidy would be plagued
by alcoholism and depression before dying in a house fire.
At 19, David was cast by sheer coincidence as the son of his real-life
stepmom in ABC's smash success, "The Partridge Family."
During that year, Cassidy had appeared on the cover of every teen
magazine in the world, had the No. 1-selling single and several Grammy
nominations. His official fan club grew to become the largest in history,
with more members than those of Elvis or the Beatles. His picture
appeared on lunch boxes across America. Cassidy's concerts sold out
stadiums across the world, making him the world's best-paid performer
at the age of 21. To date, his records have sold 25 million copies
worldwide and received more than 20 gold and platinum recordings,
including four consecutive multiplatinum LPs. Even so, at the age
of 25, Cassidy went into "retirement" for nearly 10 years.
Cassidy's acting has brought him accolades, as well.
His appearance on "Police Story" was the highest rated
in the show's seven-year history, in which he earned an Emmy nomination.
He has performed on Broadway, London's West End and toured North
America with his half brother Shaun during the run of "Blood
Brothers."
But it's Cassidy's stage and backstage expertise combined
that has amazed the industry. In 1996, he opened at the MGM Grand
for the $75 million production "EFX." Under Cassidy's
leadership, it became the most successful production in Las Vegas.
In fact, Cassidy was singularly responsible for bringing over 1
million paying customers to see EFX. After striking gold with that
show, Cassidy decided to back a show in which he did not perform
-- "The Rat Pack is Back!," which also is a hit. Cassidy
could not resist the lure of the spotlight for long; he then performed
in "At the Copa."
On Sunday, Nov. 2, the legendary performer will portray
a character spoofing over-the-top entertainers on Fox Channel's
"Malcolm in the Middle."
Bankrate: Tell me about
your latest projects.
David Cassidy: I have
a new CD out, it's being released in the U.K., but will be available
online next quarter. It's called "Touch of Blue" and it's
on the Universal label.
Bankrate: You seem
to have a nostalgic side to you, with your performances and "The
Rat Pack is Back!" Do you have other projects that capitalize
on nostalgia?
David Cassidy: Projects
that excite me are things that deal with the early '60s, the era
I was raised in. My business partner Don Reo and I feel very connected
to the genre. I'm fascinated by the artists then, like Bobby Darin,
who sang, wrote and produced. Something that I'm starting to do,
which I've never done before, is to perform with symphonies! I'm
anxious, but in a good way. I'm not nervous or anything. I've been
in the business for 35 years, so it's something to say I've never
done it before. There's not much I haven't done before. On Nov.
22, I perform with the Orange County Symphony. With the symphony,
the music is rich, really lush.
Bankrate: How would
you compare the business environment between Los Angeles and Las
Vegas?
David Cassidy: They
are very different! The nature of entertainment in Las Vegas, it's
not their reason for being; it's the gaming. It used to be, gaming
was the No. 1 attraction. While I was there, that all changed. Gaming
is now the No. 3 attraction, behind entertainment, which is No.
1, and shopping, restaurants. In Vegas, most of the system is corporate;
they do what they do -- gaming -- very well. They don't do entertainment
well. I don't recommend it. They are very difficult, they don't
want to hear why you know an act will work. They have no expertise
in it. They say, "Oh, this works. Let's do it, too." That
is why in Vegas, you have six Cirque du Soleils. It's just impersonation,
magicians and acrobats. The truth is, in the corporate environment,
there's no creative division. The girl who sells tickets yesterday
in a booth is booking bands today. In L.A., you have to survive
based on success. The person booking entertainment is someone who
decided to focus on that, who has experience in that, from 15 years
ago. That is why I invested my own money in "The Rat Pack is
Back!" and I own the show. I own the trademark and I can have
the show touring.
Bankrate: Everyone
knows you had to audition for "The Partridge Family,"
but did you ever benefit from nepotism?
|
