Published: September 03, 2008 09:37 pm            

MARK BENNET: Shhhhh... Wayne Newton plays Terre Haute

TERRE HAUTE — What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except when it comes to Mr. Las Vegas.

He, meaning singer Wayne Newton, left Sin City (the one in Nevada) for Terre Haute, but just for a day.

Anyone who saw the legendary entertainer woo Ellen Griswold in “Vegas Vacation” is probably repeating a Cousin Eddie question, “Are you serious, Clark?”

It’s true.

Wayne Newton performed a private, 90-minute concert at the Indiana Theatre on the night of Saturday, Aug. 16. His show was kept a Las Vegas-style secret until he walked onto the stage. That’s when nearly 100 people attending the Marshall High School Class of 1958 reunion realized their classmate, business executive Jerry Forsythe, had hired Newton and his orchestra to perform for their 50th.

Only a handful of people knew in advance.

“It was very hush-hush,” said Roger Aleshire, the theater’s co-owner. “Nobody in the class knew, not even Jerry’s wife.”

Yes, Forsythe didn’t even tip off his wife, Jean, a fellow Class of ’58 member. Earlier that day, the class members and their spouses gathered in their small Illinois hometown, before boarding a Turner Coach, clueless about their destiny. After the bus reached nearby Terre Haute and pulled up to the Indiana, speculation ran amok. Their anticipation intensified as the small crowd filed into the historic theater’s vacant seats.

“No one knew who it was going to be until the announcer said it was the Wayne Newton show,” said Evadene Crumrin, a 1958 grad and a reunion organizer who swears she, too, had no inkling. “Some people in the class had seen his show in Las Vegas, but for him to come to Terre Haute, Indiana, it was a very big surprise.”

It is amazing that an icon, who once earned a reported $1 million a month in Vegas, sang at the corner of Seventh and Ohio. It’s more astonishing that word of his impending visit didn’t leak out beyond a small circle that included Forsythe, his children (who attended), Aleshire and a few others.

Newton and his band, a 12-piece combo, actually arrived to set up around 9:30 that morning, Aleshire explained, and then quietly cooled their heels in the Hilton Garden Inn Terre Haute House. An additional eight musicians and backing singers from Evansville and Indianapolis joined Newton’s orchestra for the Indiana Theatre performance.

When the Class of ’58 walked in, they began peppering Aleshire and his employees with questions. “All of [Forsythe’s] guests were drilling us for who they were going to hear,” Aleshire said.

Finally, a recorded introduction announced Newton’s name, “and then he walked out to everybody’s amazement,” Aleshire said.

Newton entertained the group for nearly 90 minutes. “It was an amazing show,” Aleshire said. “It was a great show. Not only did he sing, he played fiddle, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo and piano.” The 66-year-old’s repertoire includes a cluster of pop hits, such as “Danke Schoen” from 1963, “Red Roses for a Blue Lady” (1965) and “Daddy, Don’t You Walk So Fast” (1972). But it was his 30,000-plus shows during a four-decade run in Las Vegas that brought Newton lasting fame.

Garvin Manhart, a Class of ’58 member and Marshall resident, and his wife, Barbara, watched Newton’s Aug. 16 show in Terre Haute, and previously saw him perform in Las Vegas, where they lived for 10 years.

“His voice is not as good now, but he’s still the Las Vegas performer he once was,” said Garvin, 68.

“For an entertainer of his age, it was as if he had an audience of 50,000,” Aleshire said. “He gave it his all.”

Crumrin, also 68 and a Marshall resident, enjoyed the rare opportunity to hear a legend sing in the Wabash Valley. “We were all up much later than we usually are,” she said, chuckling, “and we felt the effects the next day.”

Earlier this year, as Crumrin and others were preparing for their 50th reunion, Forsythe called to see what entertainment they’d planned. “We said we didn’t have the resources to bring in a really big entertainer, and he said, ‘Well, let me work on that,’” Crumrin recalled.

An initial plan to conduct the surprise show at their alma mater was scrapped because air conditioning, dressing rooms and additional stage electricity would be needed. So, on Aug. 6, Aleshire got a call, asking if the Indiana could be available on Aug. 16. Two days later, the clandestine show was booked. Forsythe, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday or Wednesday, paid for the entire event, Aleshire said.

These Marshall alums have grown accustomed to reunion shockers. For their 40th, Forsythe — who owns Indeck Companies, and was a co-owner of open-wheel racing’s Champ Car World Series — landed 1960s teen idol singer Bobby Rydell as their entertainment. Then, five years ago, another successful Class of ’58 couple — Dennis and Judy Jones, now of St. Louis — brought in popular European performers for the group’s 45-year get-together.

When the Aug. 16 concert ended, Newton and his orchestra left immediately for a show in Minnesota. The reunion-goers boarded their bus bound for Marshall, gave the Forsythes some danke schoens, and tossed some friendly hints at the Joneses. “One of our classmates asked them what they’re going to do for our 55th,” Garvin Manhart said, “and they said, ‘We’ll have to see.’”



Mark Bennett can be reached at mark.bennett@tribstar.com or (812) 231-4377.

        

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