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Chippendales has returned to the Rio.
Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 | 2 a.m.
In case you missed it (because I almost did), the muscled men of Chippendales made their triumphant return to the stage at the Rio this week, officially returning to live performances after nearly 17 months on the sidelines on September 1. The iconic male revue has been a Vegas staple for almost two decades and was expected to find a new theater to call home after Caesars Entertainment announced in the spring that it would be shuttering the second-level Rio room. But the cuffs and collars are back in action in the same venue, onstage Wednesday through Sunday at 8:30 p.m. The coming Labor Day weekend will see additional performances at 10:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and tickets are available at chippendales.com.
When the similarly sexy “Magic Mike Live” celebrated its reopening at the Sahara last week, superstar comedians Mindy Kaling and Iliza Shlesinger were in the house cheering along with the audience. No sign of the show’s creator Channing Tatum but he could be making his own Vegas comeback when the show celebrates with a grand opening party on September 25.
Just as soon as he finished his rescheduled concerts at Park Theater, Bruno Mars added a couple more. The Grammy winning pop star will be back on the Strip October 1 and 2 and tickets are on sale now. During his weekend set he brought the legendary Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds onstage for a quick song, which could be an indicator that Edmonds is looking to return to the Vegas stage soon. The singer, songwriter and producer who will be honored at this year’s Power of Love charity gala at Resorts World had performed a series of shows at the Mirage Theater just before the pandemic, and Mars was actually instrumental in Babyface’s Vegas run as the two had been collaborating in the studio when Mars suggested Edmonds for his own shows.
On September 15 the Plaza Showroom will host “Enchanted,” a night of burlesque presented by and starring Lolita Haze and also featuring performances by Bettina May, Charlie Quinn Starling, Farasha the Desert Siren, Pony Poison, the Chi-Ciones, the Great Ruslan, Tiffany Carter, the Boffo Brothers and more. It’s an old-school striptease show with comedy and other variety acts in one of the great old-school rooms in Las Vegas. Tickets start at $20 at plazahotelcasino.com.
Out in Summerlin, the Red Rock Resort is launching a new comedy series at the Rocks Lounge with Bonkerz Comedy and first up is April Macie hitting the stage on September 17. Macie can be seen in Tiffany Haddish’s “They Ready” special on Netflix and she was a finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” and she’s no stranger to Las Vegas as she’s hosted the AVN Awards and performed on Pauly Shore’s adjacent special “Vegas is my Oyster.” Tickets for the Red Rock show are $25 at stationcasinoslive.com.
More comedy coming up: The Comedy Cellar at the Rio has unleashed its September lineup and some top talent is on its way including Jay Hollingsworth and Kathleen Dunbar September 6-12; Marsha Warfield and Dennis Blair September 13-19; Jon Laster September 20-26; and Nikki Carr and Matthew Broussard September 27-October 3. If you’re local, tickets start at $22 at caesars.com/shows.
And one more big development when it comes to places for laughs—Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club will make its official debut in its new venue at MGM Grand over Thanksgiving weekend. The newly designed club will open November 27 in the District at MGM Grand, the restaurant, retail and entertainment promenade connecting the casino to the pool, and Garrett himself will be onstage for reopening weekend. A lounge adjacent to the new club will feature live music and a refreshed environment for pre- and post-show partying. Garrett’s club has been located in the subterranean Underground promenade at the south Strip resort and is currently hosting performances there. During the pandemic, it had moved operations upstairs to the District, temporarily taking up ballroom space before returning to its original home. The new location will seat 210 and should be a much more prominent and accessible site.
