The Golddiggers
After nearly 40 years, six of the original Dean Martin Golddiggers have reunited to bring a new generation, as well as those who remember them from the past, moments from the Dean Martin Show. Unfortunately, it was a short run at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood when the Golddiggers arrived for a just a weekend of entertainment. Seeing these women is an inspiration, all in their 60’s and looking fantastic, they still have wonderful voices and style. Under the direction of Joe A. Giamalva, they include Sheila Allan, Suzy Cadham, Jackie Chidsey, Susie Ewing, Rosie Cox Gitlin and Nancy Sinclair. All have married, raised families and some have grandchildren. (To look at them, who could ever guess?)
As much as I loved seeing The Golddiggers and watching their performance, the opening act with Ronnie Sperling and Jerry Hauck was a bit over the mark, overly long and not especially funny. Also, breaking up in the middle of their performance to take audience questions seemed out of context and probably should have been, either omitted or saved for the end of the show. However, the evening was bright, the music grand and I must say, the Golddiggers still have a lot of pzazz and are a joy to see.
For upcoming productions coming to the El Portal Theatre, go online at www.elportaltheatre.com, or call (818) 508-4200. The historic El Portal Theatre is located at 5269 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood.