Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

COLUMN: Mike Weatherford

Gagnon, Brenner return to Vegas with weeknight gigs

Two comedians are out to liven up dull weeknights, as impressionist Andre-Philippe Gagnon prepares to return to Paris Las Vegas and David Brenner tries a residency at the Suncoast.

A deal had been confirmed Monday for Gagnon to reopen March 10 and perform Mondays through Thursdays through the end of the year. The show will carry the same ticket prices it had last fall, $49-$60. Gagnon's spokesman would not discuss whether Gagnon is a salaried employee or working for a split of ticket revenue.

Brenner's residency is a bit more newsworthy in that he's testing the weeknight waters in a hotel far from the Strip. He will work Mondays through Thursdays all through March, starting Monday. Tickets start at $25 and Brenner will keep 80 percent of the ticket revenue, while the hotel pays all advertising expenses.

The Las Vegas-based comedian approached Coast Resorts with the weeknight idea after working there as a salaried weekend headliner, said Candi Cazau, Coast's media manager. "It's something of a test to see if it's going to be viable for both the Suncoast and David."

The Suncoast has 392 rooms -- more than many in the locals market -- and is usually booked at full capacity, Cazau noted.

Brenner likes the atmosphere of the smaller, 400-seat Suncoast, and the larger Orleans theater is not available every weeknight, Cazau said. Brenner's residency will not affect the usual rotation of weekend headliners.

The "two-wall" deal is "a direction the Suncoast has been wanting to lean more toward," she added.

Coasts also has cut way back on slot club point redemption for shows at both the Suncoast and Orleans. That puts even more pressure on Brenner to sell tickets, but point redemption would have been impractical from an accounting standpoint anyway, Cazau noted. ...

There's a lot of musical chairs and rearranging of furniture in two small "rent the room" venues -- the Bourbon Street and the Riviera's Le Bistro -- that serve as the entry level for the Las Vegas show scene.

Don't expect Elvis Presley impersonator Trent Carlini's "The Dream King" to return to the Le Bistro from a monthlong "vacation" that begins Monday. A deal is on the table for Carlini to be replaced by an offshoot of the Platters headed by Monroe Powell. That group has recently performed at the Seven nightclub on the Strip.

At the Bourbon Street, producer Dan Rodriguez closed "Paull Casas: The Ultimate Entertainer" on Sunday, and turned control of the enclosed lounge back to the hotel.

"He got some good stage time there," Rodriguez said of Casas. But "Shock" and "Hypnolarious" are faring better in the room, suggesting "extreme entertainment is a niche that works for the Bourbon Street, and a good direction for them to go."

Stand-up comedian Carol Siskind, who worked as a variety act in Casas' show, plans to take over the slot on Thursdays through Sundays and promote it as a "girl's night out" for female comedians.

Rodriguez will keep his other show, "The Soul of Magic," at the Bourbon Street for at least another month. But instead of Rodriguez serving as landlord, each show there will will work directly for the hotel and staff its own box office. ...

Producer David Saxe is ecstatic and the Nevada chapter of the ALS Association is even happier: Sunday's benefit for victims of Lou Gehrig's disease drew about 1,000 people and raised about $40,000 for the association. Saxe says they can count on the variety show becoming an annual fund-raiser in the memory of his late father, Dick Saxe. ...

Today is the day for another benefit, when comedian Bernie Allen rings in his 87th birthday with an event to help the homeless at the Bootlegger Bistro, 7700 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Bring canned food and clothing even if you can't get a seat at the 2 p.m. event.

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Sundays and Tuesdays.