Under the Knife: A Beautiful Woman, a Phony Doctor, and a Shocking Homicide by Diane Fanning Page B
Authors: Diane Fanning
Tags: Fiction, General, Medical, True Crime, Murder, Case studies, new jersey, Surgery; Plastic - Corrupt Practices - New Jersey - Newark, Plastic & Cosmetic, Murder - New Jersey - Newark, Corrupt Practices, Newark, Surgery; Plastic, Surgery
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charity, now known as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. In a year when the theater world lost many lives to AIDS, the cause was near and dear to many hearts.
Broadway Bares
continued as an annual fundraiser along with two other theater-oriented yearly events: the Gypsy of the Year award and the Easter Bonnet Competition. Jason devoted his talents to all of these money-raising opportunities for the organization. In the second year, they added women to the
Broadway Bares
show and the take for charity escalated.
Jason worked every year with the production and performance crew for twelve annual shows in a row, functioning either as emcee or as caller for the go-go dancing rotation at the finale of each performance—or both. Each year, the theme of the production changed and a new theme song was written. In years when the music suited Jason’s voice, he would take on the responsibility of singing as well.
In Jason’s final year with
Broadway Bares
on June 16, 2002, at the Comic Strip on Second Avenue, the dedicated performers brought in $400,000 for BC/EFA. His active participation in this show, combined with his zest for life, his never-ending words of encouragement to his fellow performers, and his willingness to always put others before himself earned Jason the nickname of “the mayor of Broadway.” His cachet tantalized Dean, who yearned to bask in Jason’s glory.
WHEN JASON AND DEAN MET IN 1995, JASON WAS PERFORMING on Broadway in a new show, Tommy Tune’s revival production of
Grease
. He had not planned or prepared for his audition. Often at try-outs, he sang “When You Wish Upon a Star,” weaving a web of wonder around all who listened. “He made you believe every word, because he seemed to believe it. He made you feel like a child again,” Jerry Mitchell said. “The belief shone from his eyes. He was the real Peter Pan—the goodness of a child in the package of a man.”
At this audition, though, he performed a song he’d never sung before and danced a routine he hardly knew. He didn’t expect to hear back from director Jeff Calhoun. But he did—the biggest surprise of all was learning he landed a principal role: Kenickie, the leader of the pack at Rydell High and the romantic interest of Betty Rizzo, the head of the girl gang, the Pink Ladies, played by Rosie O’Donnell. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.
It also gave Jason entrée into a high-flying social world—occasions that crawled with a plethora of Hollywood stars. Dean finagled an introduction to Jason through a mutual friend. Jason was captivated by Dean’s good looks and charm. Jason saw the good in everyone—and initially, overlooked every flaw. He escorted Dean to events. It was a new experience for Dean and he loved the glamour of it.
Jason and Dean took trips to Orlando to meet Jason’s parents and brothers. The family, in turn, visited the couple in New York. At one point in their relationship, Jason needed a loan. Dean obliged. In exchange for loaning Jason a couple thousand dollars, Jason assigned Dean as beneficiary of his Actors Guild pension. At the time, the fund’s value was roughly equivalent to the amount of Dean’s loan. Dean had no idea that in a matter of years,the fund would grow many times over—and prove to be a heated battleground.
In early January 1996, Jason was in the cast of
Andrew Lloyd Webber: Music of the Night
, a revival of the original 1989 show. On opening night at the Tupperware Convention Center in Osceola County, Florida, leading man Colm Wilkinson’s throat infection kept him off the stage. Jason stepped into the role, and his flawless, versatile singing voice earned him a cheering ovation from his hometown crowd.
During the show’s run, they picked up sultry-voiced Melissa Manchester as the star. Melissa, Jason and Julie Patton opened the curtain in Houston, Texas, with a performance of “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from
Sunset Boulevard
. Critics praised Jason for his
Broadway Bares
continued as an annual fundraiser along with two other theater-oriented yearly events: the Gypsy of the Year award and the Easter Bonnet Competition. Jason devoted his talents to all of these money-raising opportunities for the organization. In the second year, they added women to the
Broadway Bares
show and the take for charity escalated.
Jason worked every year with the production and performance crew for twelve annual shows in a row, functioning either as emcee or as caller for the go-go dancing rotation at the finale of each performance—or both. Each year, the theme of the production changed and a new theme song was written. In years when the music suited Jason’s voice, he would take on the responsibility of singing as well.
In Jason’s final year with
Broadway Bares
on June 16, 2002, at the Comic Strip on Second Avenue, the dedicated performers brought in $400,000 for BC/EFA. His active participation in this show, combined with his zest for life, his never-ending words of encouragement to his fellow performers, and his willingness to always put others before himself earned Jason the nickname of “the mayor of Broadway.” His cachet tantalized Dean, who yearned to bask in Jason’s glory.
WHEN JASON AND DEAN MET IN 1995, JASON WAS PERFORMING on Broadway in a new show, Tommy Tune’s revival production of
Grease
. He had not planned or prepared for his audition. Often at try-outs, he sang “When You Wish Upon a Star,” weaving a web of wonder around all who listened. “He made you believe every word, because he seemed to believe it. He made you feel like a child again,” Jerry Mitchell said. “The belief shone from his eyes. He was the real Peter Pan—the goodness of a child in the package of a man.”
At this audition, though, he performed a song he’d never sung before and danced a routine he hardly knew. He didn’t expect to hear back from director Jeff Calhoun. But he did—the biggest surprise of all was learning he landed a principal role: Kenickie, the leader of the pack at Rydell High and the romantic interest of Betty Rizzo, the head of the girl gang, the Pink Ladies, played by Rosie O’Donnell. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.
It also gave Jason entrée into a high-flying social world—occasions that crawled with a plethora of Hollywood stars. Dean finagled an introduction to Jason through a mutual friend. Jason was captivated by Dean’s good looks and charm. Jason saw the good in everyone—and initially, overlooked every flaw. He escorted Dean to events. It was a new experience for Dean and he loved the glamour of it.
Jason and Dean took trips to Orlando to meet Jason’s parents and brothers. The family, in turn, visited the couple in New York. At one point in their relationship, Jason needed a loan. Dean obliged. In exchange for loaning Jason a couple thousand dollars, Jason assigned Dean as beneficiary of his Actors Guild pension. At the time, the fund’s value was roughly equivalent to the amount of Dean’s loan. Dean had no idea that in a matter of years,the fund would grow many times over—and prove to be a heated battleground.
In early January 1996, Jason was in the cast of
Andrew Lloyd Webber: Music of the Night
, a revival of the original 1989 show. On opening night at the Tupperware Convention Center in Osceola County, Florida, leading man Colm Wilkinson’s throat infection kept him off the stage. Jason stepped into the role, and his flawless, versatile singing voice earned him a cheering ovation from his hometown crowd.
During the show’s run, they picked up sultry-voiced Melissa Manchester as the star. Melissa, Jason and Julie Patton opened the curtain in Houston, Texas, with a performance of “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from
Sunset Boulevard
. Critics praised Jason for his
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