Pia Zadora returns to the stage in special performance
By Kiko Miyasato
Suncoast 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23, starting at $15.95 plus tax and fee. 702.636.7075
With classic tunes—songs from the Great American Songbook, as popularized by Sinatra, Bennett and others—making a comeback in pop culture today, you’ll recognize one woman championing the music: Pia Zadora. “The classics … they’re stories of people’s lives; they’re timeless,” said Zadora, who didn’t always feel that way about that genre of music.
Zadora admits that, at first, those types of songs were beyond her years and life experiences—she just didn’t seem to fit into the lyrics; she wasn’t quite convinced this genre of music was for her. By the mid-’80s, Frank Sinatra
had stepped in and taken the young pop princess under his wing. As her mentor, Sinatra guided Zadora away from pop music and toward singing the classics. Sinatra, being Sinatra, knew that Zadora’s voice could carry the songs, and her voice did. Today, she continues carrying the torch that Sinatra lit. “Now that I’m a little more mature and I’ve lived and had life experiences, I can understand them, apply them—they fit me now more than they did before,” she said.
Since she first stepped onstage at age 7,
Zadora has always seemed to find a home in front of an audience. She became a darling of Broadway, television and music—a true multifaceted entertainer. This week, Zadora returns to the stage to share her story—and her life experiences. And, of course, she’ll perform classics such as “Come Rain or Shine,” “The Lady is a Tramp” and “Young at Heart.”
“You’re getting to know me through music and song,” she said. She’ll also share stories, laughs and the knowledge she’s gained through being a public figure, a mother and a wife. “Now I feel like I’ve come full circle. I can go home and take care of the house and take care of the kids, but then I can go onstage and be a diva. I’ve reconnected with my inner diva. Now, I (feel like a) complete person.”
