Sadly, not the one from Twins. (Via myspace.com/devenmay)

Deven May, who gained fame and fortune as Bat Boy in the Off-Broadway musical of the same name, is joining the Vegas cast of Jersey Boys as Tommy DeVito.

May played DeVito in the Jersey Boys national tour. Sadly, no new plans for Weekly World News-based musicals are in the works.

By Jason Scavone

(Left photo courtesy, right photo via JerseyBoysInfo.com)

John Altieri, who was originally cast to play Bob Crewe, but was unable to perform in the role after falling ill during rehearsal in the Las Vegas production of Jersey Boys at Palazzo, has died of complications from pneumonia. In a statement, producer Michael David said:

The opening weekend for Jersey Boys in Las Vegas was wondrous for us all. That said, it was also bittersweet. On the day after our opening performance a beloved cast member passed away. John Altieri performed for fifteen months as Bob Crewe with the National Tour of Jersey Boys, then joined the Las Vegas company, where he fell ill some weeks ago while the show was in rehearsal. After a series of complications from pneumonia, he passed away May 4, 2008. It has left us stunned. Beloved within the Jersey Boys family, he will be sorely missed by all.

Fellow Jersey Boys castmember Eric Gutman remembers Altieri. Understudy John Salvatore is currently filling the role.

By Jason Scavone

Turning the four syllables of “Sherry baby” into nine since 1962. (Photos by Erik Kabik)

Jersey Boys had its premiere at The Palazzo Saturday night with Frankie Valli and remaining original Four Seasons Bob Gaudio and Tommy DeVito as well as producer/songwriter Bob Crewe. Also on hand were John Cleese, John O’Hurley and Rita Rudner.

No witnesses were able to confirm whether Cleese silly-walked down the red carpet.

The premiere also doubled as a 74th birthday celebration for Valli, who scored a No. 1 hit with The Four Seasons with their debut single, “Sherry.” It was not, as one might imagine, about fortified wine.

By Jason Scavone

Walk like a man, talk like a man, but he sings like a girl. HEYO! (Via JerseyBoysInfo.com)

Jersey Boys, which has been running preview performances for the past month at Palazzo, is holding its official opening night tonight. Guests expected to attend include Joe Pesci, Willie Garson, La Toya Jackson, Siegfried & Roy, John Cleese, Billy Crystal, Michael Urie, Wayne Brady and Rita Rudner — but Cleese better not try no funny business with Pesci, unless he wants a pen to the neck. What else is going on? Read on to find out: Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

FACT: Newt Gingrich did a brief stint as a Fly Girl. (Left image via Newt.org, right image courtesy of The Venetian)

In the pantheon of things you never want to see in public, it probably goes something like: Dog getting run over by a car, homeless guy defecating on the street, Wilford Brimley naked and above all else, Newt Gingrich dancing.

Yet the former Speaker of the House was in the Salute Lounge at Palazzo following a showing of Jersey Boys getting down with his bad self. (Incidentally, on Gingrich’s website — and we wish we were making this up — you can buy a $200 replica gavel from his Speaker days. How many of these do you think they sell a year? One? Zero? Negative two?) More than snapping shots of the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot, we wish there was a photographer on hand to capture this rare trainwreck-crashing-into-an-abortion spectacle, but alas, there was not.

We can only imagine, though, that it looked something like this:

By Jason Scavone