John Salangsang / Invision / AP
Boy George of Culture Club performs onstage at the iHeart80s Party at the Forum on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, in Inglewood, Calif.
Published Wednesday, March 23, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, March 23, 2022 | 8:11 a.m.
Westgate Las Vegas is adding another live entertainment piece next month in the form of “Frank Marino’s Red Carpet Brunch,” a new daytime drag-tastic version of the longtime Las Vegas Strip headliner’s “Divas Las Vegas” show. Marino, his partner Alex Schecter and Kathi and Alan Glist (producers of “Menopause the Musical” at Harrah’s and the Bronx Wanderers show also at Westgate) teamed up to put the deal together, with the show set to open April 24 in the off-Strip resort’s former VIP lounge space.
“In the [drag] culture, there’s a distinct line between a lot of these drag brunches where you see the kids doing death drops and these numbers where they’re whipping their ponytails around, and a more traditional celebrity character show like what we’re doing,” says Marino, who famously starred in “An Evening at La Cage” at the Riviera for decades as Joan Rivers. “We are strictly doing celebrities, and the guests are the stars at our show. They’re going to walk in on the carpet with paparazzi and the room will be decorated in Hollywood glamor, then they get the stars and we’ll do the meet and greet afterwards with the cast.”
The brunch extravaganza will have three different prices ($49, $69, $99) depending on if guests want the show only, additional bottomless mimosas or the works with a full brunch menu and beverages. To start, it will run on select Saturdays and Sundays, with impersonations of legends like Cher, Celine Dion, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner and Taylor Swift, hosted by Marino as Rivers while he continues his night-time gig in “Legends in Concert” at the Tropicana. He said there could be a supper club-style version of “Red Carpet Brunch” launching later this year when his “Legends” commitment winds down, if the spring kickoff is well-received.
Aerosmith at last: The Boston rockers are officially returning to their Dolby Live at Park MGM concert residence starting on June 17. Officials had long maintained that Aerosmith would eventually return to the Las Vegas Strip following in the footsteps of fellow Dolby Live acts Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, and now the theater has become home to shows from Silk Sonic and Usher as well. "Deuces Are Wild," which originally opened in April 2019, will have 24 dates on sale on March 31, stretching from June all the way into December. Head to Ticketmaster for all the info.
Boy George & Culture Club, a familiar pop act that was exploring the possibility of a mini-residency on the Strip prior to the pandemic, will hit Wynn Las Vegas for a two-night engagement at Encore Theater on June 3 and 4. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 25. More new concert and event announcements this week include: Star Neil Diamond tribute artist Rob Garrett will play two shows April 30 at Arizona Charlie’s on Decatur as part of the casino’s 34th anniversary celebration; After selling out her initial dates, R&B favorite Anita Baker has added three concerts at the Venetian Theatre on May 20, 21 and 25; Limp Bizkit will play the Theater at Virgin on May 28 during Memorial Day weekend; Sublime with Rome will perform two sun-drenched concerts at Mandalay Bay Beach on May 28 and July 2; Morrissey is back at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace for five new dates between July 1 and 9; Rapper turned pop punk star Machine Gun Kelly brings his new tour to T-Mobile Arena on July 15 with support from Avril Lavigne and Willow; Steady Strip comedian Tom Segura will return to the Mirage Theatre as part of the Aces of Comedy series July 29-30 and October 28-29; James Taylor & His All-Star Band play T-Mobile Arena on July 30; A big-time hard rock and metal bill featuring Rob Zombie, Mudvayne, Static-X and Powerman 5000 lands at Michelob Ultra Arena on August 13; Latin legend Gloria Trevi returns to Vegas with the Isla Divina World Tour at Michelob Ultra Arena on September 16; Psychedelic rock outfit Khruangbin will play Brooklyn Bowl on September 29; And trendy Italian band Måneskin will play the Theater at Virgin on December 16.
The Gospel Brunch is back at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on April 17. An all-you-can-eat smorgasbord of Southern cooking will be once again paired with a jubilant performance by Patti Pennington and the House of Blues Gospel Choir with seatings at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on its comeback Sunday. Future events will start at 10 a.m. on select Sundays including May 15, June 19, July 3, August 7 and September 11. Tickets are available at houseofblues.com.
Cast members from Cirque du Soleil’s new, upcoming “Mad Apple” show at New York-New York participated in the 13th annual St. Baldrick’s Day head-shaving event at the same Strip resort on March 19, which raised more than $288,000 for the charity organization focused on finding cures for childhood cancer. Basketball acro-dunkers Balint Huszar, Levente Pal and Raymond Butler took the stage as celebrity head-shavers, and Butler even had his own hair shaved. The show opens for preview performances on May 12.
