Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

‘The Dennis Bono Show’ airs it out; Sawchuck goes on his Murray way

Murray Sawchuck

Laugh Factory at the Tropicana headliner Murray Sawchuck, who leaves that venue after his show on Oct. 30, poses in front of Buffalo Bill’s in Primm during his “world tour” of prospective venues for his show.

The Kats Report Bureau at this writing is South Point Showroom during the latest episode of “The Dennis Bono Show.” Our host, the esteemed Dennis Bono, has just told a joke about the Obamas taking trick-or-treaters during Halloween at the White House.

“It’s going to be fun watching all those kids jump the fence,” he says.

On the topic of Halloween, Bono adds, “I was invited to a costume party once and was never invited back. I was naked on roller skates and went as a pull toy.”

Ba-dum-bum! Give it up for drummer Mike Mechem — one of the best rim-shot artists in VegasVille.

Bono’s show is taped each Thursday at 2 p.m. before a live and characteristically full-capacity audience at South Point. It airs at 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. Saturdays and 8 p.m. Sundays on KDWN 720-AM and also at 7 p.m. Sundays on KJUL 104.7-FM.

Popular among locals since it debuted 15 years ago at Sunset Station, “The Dennis Bono Show” has been buoyed by a new syndication deal Bono signed with the CRN Network. He now reaches 30 additional radio stations in 11 million more households across CRN’s 11 states, primarily those in California. CRN’s lineup of hosts includes Dennis Miller, Robert Conrad, Fred Dryer, Michael Medved and Thom Hartman. The programming fairly runs the gamut of audio entertainment, from political punditry to talk shows with hosts interviewing celebrity guests. Bono’s broadcast is unique for its throwback, variety-show format, which is nearly nonexistent today.

It’s sort of like Merv Griffin/Mike Douglas staged in today’s Las Vegas. Actually, it is exactly like that. Bono is a seasoned performer with a classic, saloon-singer voice and a shticky sense of humor. The show’s a treasure, and every headliner in town winds up there. Today the highlight was Eric Jordan Young, fighting the good fight with “Shakin’ ” at Sin City Theater daily at 5:30 p.m. He’s a throwback soul, too, and a great guest on any stage.

Onward:

• Murray Sawchuck has left Laugh Factory at the Tropicana, his home for the past 2 1/2 years. He is the odd magician (make that, Celebrity Magician) out as Jan Rouven hauls in his “New Illusions” production in the Tropicana Theater on Nov. 28. Sawchuck’s contract at Laugh Factory expired after his performance Thursday.

As we have followed with great amusement, Sawchuck has been photographed all over the valley at hotel-casinos as he seeks a new home. He has not yet signed a contract for a new room, but is close, and even during his final show Thursday afternoon was half-expecting a call from an investor so that he could announce his new venue. No such announcement was made.

But Sawchuck did say, at show’s end, “I am leaving here after 2 1/2 years, and I want to do it with class and be positive. That’s good karma, and I believe in karma.” He was flanked by his wife and onstage assistant, Chloe Crawford, and sidekick Doug “Lefty” Leferovich. The crowd, filled with his friends in the Las Vegas entertainment industry, stood and applauded.

Sawchuck then showed a clip of a new TV pilot he has just recorded, titled “Have Magic, Will Travel,” that he is pitching to cable-TV outlets. He said after the show that he has signed a production company, but there are no other details to report yet until that deal, too, is signed. As is the case in Sawchuck’s act, more will be revealed.

• On Thursday, Frankie Moreno took to a recording studio in Las Vegas with Smith Center for the Performing Arts President Myron Martin and students from Gilbert Magnet School to record a performance of the Nevada state song, “Home Means Nevada.”

This happened at the Studio at the Palms, with Martin manning the console (at least for the camera) as part of the statewide campaign where folks sang the song simultaneously to celebrate Nevada Day and the state’s sesquicentennial. A free download of the song and accompanying video are available for free next week. Moreno teamed with the students on the song during the Nevada Sesquicentennial All-Star Concert in September.

• A show that deserves some love is "Joni and Gina’s Wedding" at Ron DeCar’s Event Center. This unauthorized but widely appreciated same-sex satire of “Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding” is continuing on Thursdays through Dec. 26. The venue operated by DeCar, a former singer in “Folies Bergere” who has been the overlord at Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel for more than 15 years, is located on Las Vegas Boulevard just south of Charleston Boulevard. Or just north of the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel. Check-in is 6:45 p.m., and the “ceremony” follows at 7:30 (tickets are $60; $50 for locals). A buffet is offered, and the nuptials take place in that Viva L.V. chapel where DeCar has performed as Elvis for innumerable services.

The show is produced and co-directed by Troy Heard (“Pawn Shop Live!” among his titles). The cast, across the board, is inspired. The central roles are played by April Needham and Tala Marie, but everyone gets a shot to shine: Aaron Barry as the Man of Honor, Amanda Kraft as Best Woman, Anita Bean Sande as Ida Gottlieb, Amy Solomon as Rivkah, Lou De Meis as Larry Gottlieb, Olga Gomez Rios as Wamsutta, Troy Tinker as Gen. Jack S. Spaulding, Ginny Robbins Beall as Margaret Spaulding, Brandon Burk as Joe Spaulding and Ann Lippert as Flo.

Rarely do I list an entire cast in such a show, but this one is worth the attention. Each performer is immersed in his or her role, whether reciting a scripted speech from the middle of the stage (and Gomez Rios, who winds up shedding her wig in a throwdown with Robbins Beall, is a force in this scene) or improvising with individual guests.

Also, in this show, the smarmiest (and by that, I mean greatest) pickup line ever is recited. I won’t ruin it. See the show. Have I mentioned there is a buffet?

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

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