Erik Kabik
Wayne Newton pops up during this weekend’s Jammin’ 4 Hope telethon.
Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Tonight is the biggest night in Las Vegas Strip entertainment in more than seven months as seven shows reopen at MGM Resorts properties. The Jabbawockeez team takes over MGM Grand Garden Arena, David Copperfield returns to his eponymous theater at MGM Grand and Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club is back in hilarious action at a new location at that same resort. “Thunder From Down Under” and “The Australian Bee Gees Show,” both produced by SPI Entertainment, will be performed at the Thunderland Showroom at Excalibur. And longtime roommates Carrot Top and “Fantasy” move into the Luxor Theater from their regular home at the upstairs Atrium Showroom at Luxor.
Add those to continuing performances of “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace, Piff the Magic Dragon at Flamingo, “X Country” at Harrah’s, “MJ Live” at the STRAT, the trifecta of “Aussie Heat,” “Queens of Rock” and “Piano Man” at Mosaic Theater, and more comedy with the Laugh Factory at Tropicana and L.A. Comedy Club at the STRAT — plus lots of live music in lounge, bar and restaurant spaces — and you’ve got a pretty well-rounded live entertainment landscape this weekend. “MJ Live” recently added a second performance at 9 p.m. Saturdays, which will start on November 14.
Frankie Moreno performs during a virtual fundraiser on November 15.
There’s another huge show featuring several Strip stars on Sunday, HopeLink of Southern Nevada’s Jammin’ 4 Hope livestream concert and telethon. It starts at 3 p.m. from downtown’s connected Backstage Bar & Billiards and Fremont Country Club venues, designed to cap this year’s HopeWeek raising money and resources for pandemic-affected populations throughout Southern Nevada. The nonprofit teamed with SPI Entertainment, News 3 Las Vegas and the CW network to put the telethon together and the list of guests and performers is beyond impressive: Wayne Newton, Mike Tyson, Matt Goss, Wanya Morris, Louie Anderson, Human Nature, Frank Marino, Piff the Magic Dragon, Joey Fatone, Zowie Bowie, Murray SawChuck, Nieve Malandra, Tape Face, Santa Fe & the Fat City Horns, and cast members from “Fantasy,” “The Australian Bee Gees Show,” “The Rat Pack is Back,” “Thunder From Down Under,” “X Burlesque,” “X Rocks,” “X Country,” “Sexxy,” “The Blues Brothers Live” and more. Catch the livestream on Facebook or YouTube and donate to the cause at link2hope.org.
But wait, there’s more: Anne Martinez, who you’ve seen and heard in “Baz,” “Fantasy,” “The Terry Bradshow Show,” “Showstoppers” and more, has been keeping busy with her Red Penny Arcade band at the Grand Canal Shoppes and downtown’s Notoriety and she’s taking over the Vegas Room this weekend. Singer Jassen Allen plays the space for this week’s Sunday brunch show.
Also, this week’s Mondays Dark show continues its free livestream efforts with another benefit concert featuring the music of Van Halen to raise funds for the Animal Foundation — with guest performers including Zowie Bowie, “Atomic Saloon Show” players Andrew Diessner and Colin Cahill, “Tenors of Rock” singer Dai Richards and “Raiding the Rock Vault” guitarist Andrew Freeman — but there are also a limited number of in-person tickets available. Check it out at mondaysdark.com.
Let’s go back to “Fantasy” at Luxor for just a minute. Comedian and magician Murray SawChuck started as the featured guest star comic in the long-running female revue in February and he’ll return to the show tonight in the same role, but he’s also slated to get back to his own “Murray the Magician” headlining gig at the Trop on November 27. That show will continue to co-star Douglas “Lefty” Leferovich and is scheduled at 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at the Laugh Factory.
A new local burlesque show, “Picturesque,” will make its debut at 7 p.m. November 14 at the Baobob Stage at Town Square. Devon Alarid, a dancer who co-created “The Socially Distant Show” in the spring to benefit out-of-work local performers, is one of the producers of the show starring the Snick Snacks troupe, a five-woman outfit. Only a few tickets were left last time I checked so get yours immediately at thesnicksnacks.com.
Frankie Moreno will perform at the first virtual Hands Together party for Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada on November 15. Hosted by Jeff Civillico, the hour-long Zoom event will also include a live fund-a-need auction to benefit the 10-year-old nonprofit health organization providing medical care and support to uninsured and underserved residents of Clark County. The show starts at 5 p.m. and you can make a reservation at vmsn.org.
The Venetian has assembled an original holiday production show, “This Is Christmas,” set to run at 3 and 7 p.m. November 27 through December 27 at the Venetian Theatre. Produced by Pat Caddick’s PC Entertainment Group, its cast includes Vegas favorites Randal Keith (“Baz,” “Spamalot,” “Showstoppers”), Eric Jordan Young (“Vegas! The Show,” “Sammy & Me,” “Cocktail Cabaret”), Jaclyn McSpadden (“Baz,” “Postmodern Jukebox”), magician Ben Stone and “American Idol” finalists Lou Gazzara and Laura Suzanne Wright. Tickets start at $69.95 and are available at venetian.com.
