Is it live or Robert Goulet?

I don't actually know Robert Goulet, but I get a Christmas card from him and his wife Vera every year. This started after I had dinner with him in 2001 while writing a story on a show he opened at the Venetian. Goulet had rented the theatre in the Venetian for a planned summer run. Sadly, the show closed quickly, and Goulet complained about how much money he lost staging it. I think that moment was a watershed in the transformation between old Vegas and new. Back in the day, a headliner like Robert Goulet was just the sort of entertainer who could always draw a break even audience in Vegas. But by 2001 (the year the Palms opened) entertainment had really changed models for Vegas. For one thing, the days of entertainment being a loss leader were over. Also, the Venetian was not a partner in the show at all. I don't even recall if Goulet got his name on the marquee in front of the resort. That means expensive marketing bills and back then Goulet was renting the room with his own cash and essentially promoting his own show. He closed quickly.

 

Anyway, the one positive thing I remember from 2001 was that Robert Goulet has an amazing voice. It was an extraordinary thing to hear him sing live. I will never forget it. So, I am not surprised that upon hearing him recently sing at Fenway Park a reporter from Lowell Sun mistakenly claimed Goulet was mouthing to a taped performance. He was not. The correction in the Lowell Sun contains a statement from Vera Goulet: "Lip-synching seems to be the norm with singers in today's world, but Mr. Goulet never has, nor will he ever lip-sync when performing. Mr. Goulet's voice is as powerful as it was 50 years ago."

(Photo by Sarah Gerke)