If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Crystal Woods, then you haven’t met one of Vegas’ brightest shining stars. This Divas Las Vegas legend has one of the biggest hearts EVER and I have had the pleasure of knowing her for well over 10 years. Let’s just say this Local Spotlight is WAY overdue.

Crystal Woods was born April 15th, 1958 in Ft Lauderdale, FL and was raised by her beloved mother “Juanita Cherry” a single mom with 4 children.

Crystal started using her name “Crystal Woods” after high school in 1977. When asked about her high school years she said, “I hear all these stories about kids being bullied in high school but I was fortunate enough to not have had that experience. I think that not being bullied was very important in helping me discover myself and learning to love myself. I think everyone deserves to have a bully free environment.”

Crystal Woods began performing in Florida in 1977 as herself, Natalie Cole, Eartha Kitt, Donna Summers and Diana Ross. “We had another person performing as Diana Ross at a show at the Wynword called “The Hottest Ticket in Town” and he was let go. They wanted me to take his place but I refused because I had never done Diana Ross. Well, they docked my pay and I learned REAL fast. So, I got the specific wig and eyelashes and sang “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and that night I made 500 dollars just in tips. That’s pretty much how my Diana Ross character was born.”

In 1984, Crystal Woods would be discovered by a talent scout for the Ft Lauderdale location of Lou Paciocco’s famous “La Cage” show.

In November 1980 Lou Paciocco opened a restaurant nightclub called “La Cage Aux Folles” in New York inspired by the 1973 French play of the same name by Jean Poiret. The play focused on a gay couple, Georges, who managed a St Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment and Albin his romantic partner and star attraction. The play would be adapted into a French-Italian film in 1978 with the same name and would be transformed into a contemporary American motion picture classic in 1996 starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams known as “The Birdcage.” This fictional St. Tropez nightclub would come to life with Mr. Paciocco’s endless talent and creativity. The “La Cage Aux Folles” impersonation review and nightclub was an overnight success and was seen by countless legends such as Ethel Merman and Rock Hudson. Lou would then open “La Cage Aux Folles” in Hollywood on April 18th, 1981 followed by the opening of “La Cage” in Atlantic City in 1982. In 1983 “La Cage Aux Folles” the musical would be introduced to broadway, winning 6 Tony Awards. In 1984, Lou Paciocco would open Ft Lauderdale’s “An Evening at La Cage” starring Frank Marino at the Sunrise Musical Theatre featuring cast member Crystal Woods. Crystal Woods would be the only original cast member who would remain at Frank Marino’s side since day one.

In 1985 a unique opportunity came to Frank Marino taking the show on a 6 week engagement to Las Vegas at the Riviera Hotel and Casino. Crystal remembers Frank Marino saying, “Crystal... It’s only for six weeks and you can put on your resume that you worked in Las Vegas.” Crystal laughed wholeheartedly, “and now we’ve been doing this for 29 years.” On a phone call with Frank Marino regarding the Vegas bound duo he laughed and said, “If I knew this was going to happen, I would have told her to pack a little more.”

What is your favorite thing about Vegas? 
My favorite thing about Vegas is being able to see people from all over the world and all the fun things you can do that are so accessible; the lakes, the mountains, and you’re still so close to California.

Whats your favorite thing about Divas?
I love making people who come to our show even bigger fans than when they walked in. People can’t believe that men can look like these beautiful superstars.

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Divas Las Vegas is the longest running show on the Las Vegas strip. What’s the key to the success of Divas?
Frank Marino, he is so good with marketing and putting the show together just the right way with the acts and superstars that people want to see.

How much fun is it being in Divas?
Extremely. The cast is fantastic we are like family. We give the most professional show we can but we also have outrageous parties. We also get the opportunity to volunteer our time for charitable foundations, which I really enjoy.

What was the most impactful celebrities you have met being in the show?
Diana Ross, Whitney Houston and Dionne Warwick. When I perform songs like, “I Will Always Love You” or “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” I always have people crying. When they see me perform Whitney Houston and Diana Ross’ music, It’s a nostalgia for some people. Divas is like a time machine, we take you back in time and into to the future. That can be a very emotional experience for some people. I used to perform as Dionne Warwick in “La Cage” and she came to see the show with her people and went backstage to take pictures with the cast and invited me to her show and we hung out in her dressing room. Later, I was invited to California for the last taping of her Solid Gold TV show. It was an amazing experience getting to know her.

What kind of places have you traveled being in the show?
All over! South America, London, Ecuador, Mexico, Bahamas, and all through North America of course. Recently, we were performing at Harrahs Atlantic City and Diana Ross was performing at Caesars Atlantic City. I had the unique experience of needing security at Caesars when we went to see her show. They had to escort me safely because I was mobbed by fans who thought I was Diana Ross. We have also had the opportunity to perform at Caesars in Windsor, Canada.

Are you looking for love?
(Laughs) Who isn’t looking for love. Just kidding. Actually, I’m not looking for love cause I hear thats when you find it.

Did you plan on being in show business?
Actually, I wanted to join the Air Force and be a pilot when I was 17. They told me I was too young and to finish school and then come back. Needless to say I never went back and ended up flying high as Diana Ross doing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” When I was 18 I attended the Miss Florida pageant and I wanted to know more about drag, pageantry, and makeup. My friend Joe dared me to knock on the door at the Fontainebleau Hotel Miami and who answered the door out of all people but the legendary Larry Edwards who was crowned Ms. Florida 1976. We instantly became friends and he has helped me grow so much as a performer over the years. I began taking his advice and got my first performance job at Club Tackys in Ft Lauderdale. At that time I did not know that there would be straight and gay club promoters at the venue. After my performance, I would be booked 2 years solid. Eventually, the mayor of Miami had me come and cut the ribbon at the new Coconut Grove mall dressed as Diana Ross. We were having hors d’oeuvres and this lady came to me and said, “Diana do you remember what a great time we had in Puerto Rico.” I was so confused and realized that she actually thought I was Diana Ross. I just replied, “yes we did.” I was eventually discovered by a talent scout for “La Cage” at Shangri-La on the night that Vicki Sue Robinson was in the audience and I was performing her hit song “Turn the Beat Around.” “La Cage” had advertised that they had already found their Diana Ross for the show at Sunrise Musical Theatre. Little did I know, that I was the Diana Ross that they had found. They approached me after they ran the ad saying the position had been filled, needless to say I accepted the offer.

What do you do on you time off?
I work on costumes, pay bills, and catch up on personal things that I need done. I also took care of my mom who passed away last year March 16th, 2013. She held on as long she could for me. My mom was my biggest fan. She traveled with me twice for Americas Got Talent. I was used for their national commercial, which was really nice of them. I had the opportunity to take care of my mom my whole life and to take her places she would have never had the opportunity to see. She was happy that she was with me because she had no one else. We always had each other though. My mom got to see Diana Ross perform in 2010 and she said Diana Ross sang like an angel. She loved to go to the gay clubs with me. I was surprised to see some people loved her more than they did me.

What advice do you have for someone that wants to do what you do one day?
Live your dream. You’re going to hear a lot of No’s but don’t give up. It’s going to cost a lot of money, so work real hard and never give up on yourself. Invest in yourself. To do this, you have to look great and give yourself the resources that these superstars have and you have to fight for it. Don’t lose touch with who you are and dont be mean to people. Always have time for yourself and your fans because that is how you grow.

You can see Crystal Woods in Divas Las Vegas at the The Quad Hotel and Casino and purchase tickets at thequadlv.com