Marilyn Maye to Perform at Grand Opening of Dino's Backstage and Celebrity Room

The national music treasure, award-winning Marilyn Maye, will grace the stage and delight audiences at Dino's Backstage and The Celebrity Room on Friday, October 21 and Saturday, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. for a Hollywood style Black Tie Gala Weekend. Complete with red carpet and klieg lights, the restaurant will only be open for the guests of the gala.

The evening includes valet parking, hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, a three-course dinner, the performance of Marilyn Maye and the Ted Firth Trio and a dessert buffet with opportunities to meet Ms. Maye and be photographed with her.

The cost is $250/per person include tax and gratuities. On Sunday, October 23, the restaurant will be open with seating in The Celebrity Room for Marilyn Maye at 7p.m. with $75 per ticket.

Dino's Backstage is reminiscent of the sophisticated supper club scene of the 40's and 50's and was named #1 in Best Ambience in the Philadelphia area by OpenTable.com. It is located at 287 Keswick Avenue in Glenside, PA, and combines entertainment, outstanding food, impeccable service and magnificent décor for an experience like none other in the region.

Marilyn Maye is a singer, actress, director, arranger, educator, and a Grammy-nominated recording artist. The award-winning Ms. Maye appeared 76 times on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" - the record for a singer. Perhaps the simplest Marilyn Maye accolade came after one of her show-stopping appearances on The Tonight Show when turning to his audience of millions, Johnny Carson said, "And that, young singers, is the way it's done." And, the praise continues. In the New York Observer, Rex Reed wrote recently, "Her show is not to be missed. ... It's a master class in singing conducted by a polished pro who majored in unforgettable."

Dino Kelly-Cataldi and Michael Richard Kelly-Cataldi are thrilled that Marilyn Maye is their Grand Opening performer. Dino said, "Marilyn brings such fabulous star power to our supper club. With her elegant style and outstanding talent, she truly embodies the image of everything we want to present here." Michael added, "We have been great fans of Ms. Maye for many years. It's hard to believe she is the star of our Grand Opening festivities. We are truly honored."

Marilyn Maye looks forward to returning to the Philadelphia area and said, "The Grand Opening of the Grand Dino's Backstage will be a wonderful night. I'm excited to be the Grand Dame on the stage! Their restaurant is a long anticipated dream and it's come true!! BRAVO TO DINO & MICHAEL."

Ms. Maye's entire life has been committed to the art of song and performance. She began her professional singing career by winning a 13-week appearance on radio station WIBW, Topeka, Kansas, at age 9. During her 11-year engagement at the Colony in Kansas City, she was "discovered" by Steve Allen who was the first to present her various times to a national television audience. The Steve Allen performances led her to an RCA recording contract. Her RCA recordings consist of seven albums and 34 singles, including the first hit recordings of "Cabaret" and "Step to the Rear." Her album with full orchestra, The Lamp is Low, is considered a classic.

Marilyn Maye's place in American music history was assured when the Arts Council of the Smithsonian Institution selected one of her recordings, "Too Late Now" for the Smithsonian-produced album of the 110 Best American Compositions of the Twentieth Century. Her many symphony concert appearances around the United States, include the Florida Symphony, The Philly Pops, The Phoenix Symphony, The Kansas City Symphony, The Omaha Symphony, and in June, 2015, The Pasadena Symphony, Michael Feinstein conducting. Her two appearances with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall for tributes to Stephen Sondheim and Frank Loesser. These two performances received show-stopping applause and rave reviews.

With more than 100 engagements in the last nine years in New York include, Ms. Maye has sold-out multiple-nights at the Metropolitan Room, Birdland, five two-week runs at Feinstein's at The Loews Regency Hotel, New York's Town Hall, the 92nd Street Y Theater. She presented Marilyn Maye, "Her Way", A Salute to Sinatra - her fifth appearance at 54 Below, April, 2015 - an 8-day engagement was received by standing-room-only audiences.

Marilyn returns yearly to many of the venues she plays. She appears in Provincetown, Mass. August, 2016 at the Art House Theater for her 6th consecutive year. For the past six years, she brings in the New Year at New York's Metropolitan Room with the "The Happiest Party in Town". In March, 2016 she played the Royal Room at the Colony Hotel, West Palm Beach for the 8th time. In the last ten years Marilyn has returned many times to the various prestigious showrooms in New York. Probably the most astounding "return engagement" is a summer resort to which she has returned each year for 60 years.

Every inch of Dino's Backstage has been well-planned to make the experience uniquely entertaining, with and without live music. For example, on the walls of the dining room, there are large black and white photographic images of friends and family that take guests back to the era of the Latin Casino and Palumbo's, the glamourous era when guests dressed for the occasion. In The Celebrity Room, the movie idols of the 40's and 50's, from Cary Grant to Lana Turner, decorate the walls. The beautifully appointed black and white color scheme includes zebra carpeting, a large stage with a white-curtain backdrop and a black grand piano. Even the menus were designed with the guest in mind as the dimmed lighting in the room does not affect reading the menus, as they glow, lit from the inside.

The management, or as Michael and Dino say, the cast, is an all-star line-up. Executive Chef Scott Howlett worked for the Ritz-Carlton, a number of restaurants up and down the east coast and brings great knowledge as the former owner of his own restaurant for over six years. The general manager is none other than Thomas J. Finnegan who oversaw the finest establishments in Philadelphia - Le Bec Fin, Lacroix at The Rittenhouse, R2L and, more recently, Butcher and Singer.

Reservations are required for the Black Tie Gala Weekend. The restaurant is not open for regular service on Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit www.dinosbackstage.com or call (215) 884-2000.

Photo Credit: Stephen Sorokoff