‘Manny! The Musical’: Does it have a fighting chance?

The question to ask of Manny Pacquiao is, “How deep is your love?”

I really need to learn …

Specifically, how deep is the fistic legend’s love of crooning? Top Rank founder and Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum has referred to Pac-Man as “The Frank Sinatra of the Philippines.” Pacquiao has provided his own vocal entertainment at post-fight parties and last Thursday kept with a recent tradition of singing a duet on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show in the days leading to a title fight.

With no apparent tracking or audio augmentation, Pacquiao sang the Bee Gees’ classic “How Deep Is Your Love” with a bemused but game Kimmel. Last year on the show, Pac-Man harmonized with Will Ferrell on “Imagine.”

Pacquiao has recorded a couple of CDs (the title of his 2007 release is “Pac-Man Punch”) and also teamed with songwriter Dan Hill on a studio and DVD treatment of “Sometimes When We Touch.” The lyric should have been reinforced with “with gloves, and come out fighting!” but maybe that is why I am not a songwriter.

Of course, there will be a need for Pacquiao to find further life fulfillment after his fighting career ends. He fights again Saturday night against Juan Manuel Marquez, the third time these two have swapped blows for money. Pacquiao turns 33 on Dec. 17, which is not terrifically old, and he does enjoy the delicious prospect of boxing’s greatest payday ever -- a bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- sometime next year. But in a sport where a participant’s skills dull rapidly, it is not too early to start thinking of Pacquiao’s post-boxing career path.

Recording and entertaining (along with public service in his homeland of the Philippines, where he is a freshman congressman) appear to be options, as he is already recognizable from Manhattan to Manila.

Deducing such, I asked a couple of Las Vegas’ busiest producers, Adam Steck of SPI Entertainment (who produces Human Nature and “Frank Marino’s Divas Las Vegas” at Imperial Palace and Thunder From Down Under at Excalibur) and David Saxe (who produces shows at V Theater at Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood and is the producer of “Vegas! The Show” down the mall’s hall at Saxe Theater), about Pacquiao’s viability as a live act.

In both instances, there was a pause to consider how such an act -- which I titled “Manny! The Musical” -- would be presented.

“Well, first we’d need to see what he wants to do. He probably already has an idea of what the show is, if we’re talking about putting him onstage,” says Saxe, who is rolling out a revamped “V -- Ultimate Variety Show” on Saturday. “I hope he understands he is not good, and he would hopefully know that. But if he is serious, it has to be targeted just to his audience only.”

When it was suggested that Pacquiao is indeed serious about his singing, Saxe paused again and said, “Oh, boy. Well, I’d need to see what he really wants to do. But either way, he’ll sell out, easily.”

Saxe says Pacquiao’s appealing personality would help sell any live performance.

“He is a really likable and funny guy, and he’s a god to Filipinos,” Saxe says. “I’ll tell you, I would find a spot for him. I would find a room and produce it and make it fun. If it’s just him singing, it would be kind of tough, but in a limited run … I would totally find a room somewhere and produce that.”

Steck says fans would be drawn to a showroom to see Pacquiao no matter how he is showcased. This course of thought is verified by the hundreds of fans who turn out just to watch him skip rope, hammer the speed bag and slap the padded mitts of trainer Freddie Roach.

“The meet-and-greet and photo ops (ticket packages) alone would be worth it,” says Steck, who seems very boxing-centric these days, as his Facebook profile photo is of him goofing off with former heavyweight champ and current Las Vegas resident Mike Tyson. “If you surrounded him with unbelievable musicians and background singers, and really work with the music and vocals, it would work.”

Steck says he has no question of Pacquiao’s magnetic appeal among his legions of Filipino fight fans, or his commitment to any cause.

“If he puts the same amount of passion into his music that he puts into his boxing training, it would be fine,” Steck says. “People love him. They really do. You could present it as a one-off (one-show performance, is what that means), then say, ‘Back by popular demand!’ ”

Reminded that no extended engagement could be orchestrated (so to speak) until after Pacquiao fought Mayweather at least once, Steck says, “You could have both -- Mayweather could be his opening act, or they could duke it out to see who opens for whom.”

His fertile imagination taking hold, Steck adds, “Or, you could have a themed show with him and (fellow Filipino stars) Martin Nievera and Lani Misalucha. That would sell -- Martin and Lani are great.”

Nievera and Misalucha have performed in Vegas production shows, and Nievera sang the Filipino national anthem before the Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton bout at MGM Grand in May 2009. It was not a universally appreciated rendition, however. His slower version ran afoul of Filipino officials, who accused Nievera of singing in bad taste by modifying the anthem’s tempo (oddly enough, those at ringside did not seem to notice the song’s change in pace).

Though he lords over a dozen shows at Miracle Mile Shops, Saxe says he is willing to pony up the cabbage -- to destroy at least two metaphors -- to make “Manny! The Musical” a reality.

“I’ll put the offer out,” he says. “Let’s just say it: I’m putting the offer out for ‘Manny! The Musical.’ Let’s make it happen.”

In boxing, that’s either a haymaker or a case of leading with your chin. Whichever, if there ever is such a show, it would be a ... knockout.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWithTheDish.