Nana Visitor herself chose the song, "Fever", because of her mother's friendship with Doris Duke, a socialite and patron of the arts, and one of the richest women in the world. When Visitor was a child, she and her mother would visit Duke's mansion in New Jersey, and Duke would play piano and sing for them. On one particular visit, Duke sang "Fever", and the way she sang the song had a huge impact on Visitor, who was nine at the time.
The production staff went through several casting calls before deciding on the actor to play Vic Fontaine. After looking at John McTiernan, Steve Lawrence, Robert Goulet, Tom Jones and Jerry Vale, they finally decided on James Darren, because he so completely inhabited the role of Vic Fontaine. For a time they didn't even know he was in character until they recognized the dialogue they had given him to speak.
When Vic brings Odo onstage, Odo protests that he doesn't sing. In reality, Rene Auberjonois was a trained singer and won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Coco.
When Vic Fontaine says "I remember that weekend with Frank", there is a slight wink to the audience; actor James Darren was good friends with Frank Sinatra Jr. and he knew both Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra well.