The picture above was taken with my cell phone following the Feb. 20 performance of  "The Rat Pack is Back!" at the Shubert in New Haven. A buddy of mine from North Haven, Drew Anthony, finally got to show the folks in New Haven what he does every night at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in  Las Vegas -- play Dean Martin! So, after the performance, Drew and the rest of the cast posed for pictures with the audience. Included in the audience was his maternal grandmother, 101-year-old Elvia "Me-Ma" D'Agostino of North Haven. The show is filled with song, sight gags and jokes, and during some improvisation, Drew, uh, Dean, got to mention that she was in the audience. While the show is scripted, there is improv and Drew said he's "always thinking of funny things to say."
"She got a big kick out of it," was how "Me-Ma" felt about Drew's performance.
"It was fun to be at the Shubert," said Drew when I interviewed him by phone as he was waiting for a plane to California, home of the next touring gig. "I got to see a lot of old friends. They get to see what you've accomplished. The biggest reward was my family got to see the show. It brings happiness to them."
Until he caught this break, Drew always did what he loved -- teaching and performing music. He always gave it his all.
"The idea is to keep on plugging until something happens," he said.