December 31 this year might very well be the last time you see Society of Seven with Lani Misalucha at The Flamingo. The group is currently in negotiations to renew its contract with the hotel and has not made any announcements as of print time.
This has been a momentous year and a half for all eight members – SOS comprises Tony Ruivivar, Bert Sagum, Roy Guerzo, Vince Mendoza, Wayne Wakai, Marc Escueta, Hoku Low, plus Lani Misalucha – the group has gone through personal tragedy and in the face of it all, come out stronger.
A chat with Tony Ruivivar (SOS founding member, to-gether with Bert Sagum) reveals some plans. He says, “As far is Vegas is concerned, it’s SOS with Lani – we’ve combined and this is what we’ve been doing and what were successful at.” He adds, “We’re on the brink of people accepting different shows and talents from other countries, so we feel it’s been perfect. Also, we’re happy to be right in the heart of the Las Vegas entertainment scene; just entertaining and making people happy.”
They show no signs of slowing down. And the question isn’t really if they’re going return to Las Vegas, but where and for how long? The group will be taking a 5-week break early on in the year, just after their final show on December 31, but that period will be peppered with roadshows in Sacramento and Redondo Beach.
Ever the consummate performer, Tony shares that they’re already rehearsing some numbers for next year. We asked if there will be anything new added to the format of the show? “It’s gonna be a mixture of a lot of new stuff but still keeping the favorites. The format is going to stay the same – a little bit of comedy, impersonations, singing, either solo numbers or as a group; and some of the numbers might change, with us introducing new songs, but the combination of SOS with Lani has been successful, and that will not change.”
Herein lies the difficulty of what to add and what to take out. Attempts in the past to add certain numbers and shorten others have not proved successful, because it seems everyone’s got a favorite and that happens to be, well, everything. I for one, hinted to Tony about the possibility of extending the show’s duration, making it longer than the current hour and a half, but certain factors beyond their control, like union rules and sharing the venue with other shows, prohibit them from running overtime. He adds, “For Vegas standards, we’re actually running pretty long already. We have a lot more opportunity to extend the show during our outside concerts, where we can better accommodate our fans. For example, if someone asks us to sing a Hawaiian song, we can oblige; if others request for a Filipino song, we’d be happy to do that as well. We’ve got enough material that we can perform for five hours.” 
We feel for the group - it’s tough to cram the talents of eight people in 90 minutes. That’s only over 10 minutes per person. We caught the show on a Sunday, two weeks ago, and the showroom was packed. And it did seem that everyone had their favorites. One lady we sat next to told me afterwards that there were a couple of moments in the show that brought tears to her eyes. Then there were those who were so enamored of Lani’s version of Nessun Dorma. Laughter filled the room with Bert and his antics. The oldies were brought back in time with Roy’s “Sammy” and Hoku’s “Frankie Valli.” The younger generation connected with Wayne’s “Kenny G.,” Marc’s “Michael Jackson” and Vince’s “Eminem.” Then of course, the old standards and Broadway tunes brought fond memories of the Rodgers and Hammerstein era, as in the case of Tony’s rendition of “I Have Dreamed” from The King and I.
Another thing is that it’s difficult to describe the show because it doesn’t quite fit into a stereotype. For the most part, if you’re unfamiliar with Society of Seven or Lani Misalucha, it would be difficult to explain what the show is all about. In this instance, the audience doesn’t know what to expect. It’s not an acrobatics show, like Cirque Du Soleil; nor is it a magic show and while ‘impersonations’ are a part of the act, it cannot be called a ‘tribute show,’ either. What it is, is a variety show, or as Tony likes to put it, “We’re an evening show in the afternoon.” Come to think of it, it isn’t too far off to imagine the same set-up for an evening show, complete with dinner. They are, however, very pleased with their afternoon time slot. Adds Tony, “We’re all fighting for the same tourist dollar, and given that there are about a few hundred shows in the evening, we’re happy that we can get the crowd and not have to compete with the big productions like Cirque or Celine.”
In closing, Tony says “I’m going to do this as long as I’m still enjoying myself.” Judging from group’s camaraderie, Flamingo showroom or not, they’re going to be here for a long time.
Rachel M. Sugay
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Society of Seven with Lani Misalucha
Flamingo Showroom, Flamingo Hotel
Show times are 3 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.
Tickets are $49.95. Last show for the year will be December 31, 2007.