I had seen Tim Molyneux as a singer at the former Vegas Room. I finally met him at early meetings of the cast of the upcoming musical, FOLLIES.

When I attended subsequent rehearsals for FOLLIES, I saw Tim again and again. He was at every rehearsal, was very friendly, and apparently was gaining in importance. He is a cast member of FOLLIES and was a schedule maker and now also he has the titles of Company Manager and Associate Producer.

I was curious.

Tim, it turns out, is not just a singer, who also works behind the scenes. He has quite the resume, everything from kind words from Dolly Parton who called Tim “one of the most talented and giving people I’ve ever worked with in my many years of show business” to Tim having some five patents for “Augmented and Virtual Reality for Customizable Live Entertainment Technology.”

Wow. And there’s more, but it took several conversation to find out Tim’s background. I would never have imagined that this man who once gave me cell phone directions to a rehearsal, had been so busy in his life before FOLLIES. Here’s the story:

“Little Timmy” (Molyneux) was raised in Mobile, Alabama. He began singing at age 5 at his grandfather’s Southern Gospel church. He kept singing, studying opera at age 13 at the University of South Alabama, and earned an Opera scholarship at age 16 to Florida State University.

Because Tim was an organized young man, he found he had the skills to create, direct and present his own shows in high school (when he wasn’t playing football) and in college. Then, after working as a singer and producer of small shows, Tim proved himself to the right people and by age 31 he had Molyneux Entertainment shows and productions running on 12 different cruise ships, (Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises and the Queen Mary II).

“My family had a lot to do with my career,” says Tim. “My father was a Marine Corps Drill Sergeant who taught me to be organized. My grandmother was the opera lover, and she encouraged me to study opera.”

“I loved working with cruise ships,” said Tim. The challenges were massive with 1,000 seat theaters and Broadway scale theatrics on the water. We were able to introduce many new concepts, such as the world’s first Repertory Theater at Sea. Tim had his own Molyneux Entertainment building in Nashville to train show participants. He worked with cruise ships for 10 years but noted his shows and entertainment concepts continued to run and become staples in the cruising industry. Tim still has a home in Nashville.

Next stop: Las Vegas in 2002. Despite his early success, Tim dreamed of having a successful show in Las Vegas a la Franco Dragone, a theatre director he admired.

Filled with energy and ambition, at age 34, Tim was writer, director and producer of BITE, a variety show about vampires. Tim’s show was before the vampire craze and it ran at the Stratosphere six nights a week, 52 weeks a year for nearly nine years. Tim had paid for the show production, but earned his production money back in just 23 weeks.

Though working with cruise ships and tours enabled Tim to visit 103 countries, it was the birth of his daughter, Layla, that changed his life. Tim has been raising Layla as a single dad since she was two years old. “My daughter showed me what love really means. No matter what successes I have had, she by far is my greatest treasure.”

Layla is 13 now and very busy with numerous activities. During Tim’s Las Vegas years, before and after Layla’s birth he was not idle. Among his projects, he wrote, composed, directed and produced the world’s first poker musical, All In for the World Series of Poker in 2008 at the Rio. He was responsible for the production and operations of Las Vegas Fashion Show Mall’s Runway Shows, Product Launches, Christmas Shows and Special Events; Gondolier and Live Entertainment Programs at the Venetian & Palazzo Las Vegas, the Bevertainers at the Rio and he produced dozens of special events and productions for Las Vegas conventions. Tim even talked to MGM about a his 360-degree video theater called The Vault. They told him it couldn’t be done. Nearly 20 years later, The Sphere was built.

And did we also mention that throughout his career, Tim has also been a respected “show doctor”? He is hired by record labels, talent agencies, and production companies to attend their concerts and shows and provide feedback and coaching as to how their productions and performances can be made more appealing to audiences and provide better returns on investment.

And then somehow, in his spare time, Tim also sang a few songs at the Vegas Room, attracted the attention of owners Tom Michel, David Robinson and Sean Stevenson, and wrote and produced his own show there. The resulting friendship led Tom and David to ask Tim to participate as a cast member in FOLLIES and then as Company Manager and now as a Producer.

“Certainly when preparation of FOLLIES started, the scheduling for a cast of 45 who live in and out of Vegas with other full-time jobs and for a 30-piece orchestra was a mountainous job,” says Tim. “But as show needs evolved, scheduling has become my easiest job. Now it’s making sure all the pieces needed to make Dave and Tom’s vision for a Las Vegas premiere of the Broadway musical FOLLIES become a reality.”

During rehearsals, Tim will be seen talking on the phone, meeting scenic and staging deliveries, speaking with Choreographer Sarah LeClear, conferring with Producer Tom Michel or coordinating with Costume Designer Brandy Erickson, ordering sound equipment, booking the studios, and on and on.

Tim often says, “I love working with talented people rather than alone. In FOLLIES, I’m surrounded by talented people.” One of his favorite talented people is his lady friend, fellow cast member (and Las Vegas Dermatologist) Dr. Linda Woodson.

Not long ago, Tim was on hand for a photo shoot with Showgirl Lou Anne Chessik. Tim was working with Lou Anne on poses. Tom Michel saw the potential of an unusual promotional photo. Tim was given a fancy jacket and the camera clicked.

What’s next for Tim? He will continue singing and being in the stands cheering his daughter’s many activities. But his life will be busy. Tim is a published writer and poet with his recently sold made-for-television miniseries, “Texas Heavens Fall,” and his first in a series of books called, The Poetic Traveler. “I am grateful for the opportunities for me to work in Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Nashville. I enjoy being able to see the big picture.”

Opening night for FOLLIES, Tim will be one of the first and last people on stage. But it is the applause for others that will make his night. The pieces will all have fit together.