 Back
And Better Than Ever
We’ve
always been big fans of Society of Seven with Lani. Throughout the
years, we’ve seen them grow and evolve from “that band
from Hawaii” to probably the best afternoon show on the Strip
today and one of the best ever!
They’ve
been a mainstay on the Strip for over two years but took a month-long
leave in January of this year to tour other U.S. cities. Now they
are back at the Flamingo and better than ever. A new twist: in addition
to the usual band of seven with Lani, they’ve added song stylist
Martin Nievera into the performing troupe.
 Fans
of both featured singers could well consider the new production
“The Lani and Martin Show” though it would be an unfair
assessment. There is still a large enough crowd that sees the show
for the core group that is Society of Seven – comprising Tony,
Bert, Wayne, Hoku, Roy and Vince. Another member, Marc Escueta,
left the band early this year.
In
essence, Martin has filled the spot that Marc left, though he shares
co-star billing with Lani due to his large following and established
solo career as the “Concert King of the Philippines.”
The
new show has been refreshed and updated, due in part to the integration
of Martin Nievera into the performance. And with Martin’s
addition, Society of Seven is developing an entirely new fan base.
Gone is what we like to call “the Segway segment” and
its place, more duets between Lani and Martin, including the standard
and old favorite, “Sway.”
 The
tribute artist segment, always a crowd favorite, remains a staple
of the show — Roy as Sammy Davis, Jr., Bert as Little Richard,
Lani as Celine, Hoku as Frankie Valli, Vince as Elton John, Wayne
as Kenny G., and Martin as a dead-on, send-up of Josh Groban, complete
with a mop-top ‘do.
Martin’s
fans need not worry of him being overshadowed by the Society of
Seven because there’s plenty of solo stage time for the crooner.
In the middle of the show, he does a medley of his most popular
songs like “Be My Lady” and “Say That You Love
Me,” both in its original version in English, and one in Spanish
He also does a cover of Kenny Loggins’ “Forever in My
Heart.”
A
testament to how quickly Martin has assimilated into the group was
that he was in rehearsals with them only three days prior to the
show’s re-opening on February 13th. A consummate performer,
Martin’s got the comic moves down pat, considering this is
the complete opposite of his ‘crooner image’ back home.
The group’s rendition of “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,”
sung a cappella, always impresses. It’s here that we see raw
talent, unencumbered by props, wigs, comic antics and the like.
One
other show mainstay, the “Broadway show-stoppers” segment,
is jazzed up this time with more elaborate costumes, spe-cifically
the opening segment from The Lion King, which you just have to see
to appreciate what we mean.
 But
fittingly, much of the focus this time around seems to be the dynamic
duo and pairing of Lani and Martin. Each plays off one another’s
vocal strengths, as with their cover collaboration of “The
Prayer,” originally sung by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli.
The effect is nothing short of outstanding.
This
could very well be a great year for this Strip mainstay. The 750-seat
Flamingo showroom was nearly filled the day we saw the show. If
it’s any indication of how well-received the show is, the
meet-and-greet autograph and picture-taking session after the show
has proved so popular that the group ended up staying on for an
hour or more to meet their many fans.
Aside
from juggling all other commitments to tour, Society of Seven plans
to be in Las Vegas for the long-run. Producer Mendrei Leelin notes,
“After this, we’re going to go on tour again, but we’re
very close to finding a permanent Strip venue.”
Whether
this will include Martin Nievera, only time will tell, so this might
very well be your only chance to see all this talent together on
one stage. So run, don’t walk, to the Flamingo Showroom.
-Rachel
M. Sugay
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