Danny Gans had the comedic impressions all to himself for much of the year, but two new contenders hope to imitate his success.

Gordie Brown is scheduled for a "soft" opening starting Wednesday in his new 800-seat theater at The Venetian, before a grand opening with an invited-guest audience on Oct. 24.

The Canadian impressionist was caught between two theater renovations. He had to pull the plug on his Golden Nugget show in early April when that casino began remodeling its showroom. But he couldn't open at The Venetian until the new theater was crafted out of former ballroom space.

Bernie Yuman, better known as the longtime manager for Siegfried & Roy, is credited as "producer and presenter" of Brown's new venture. But The Venetian breaks out of its usual "landlord" status to be an active partner through production company Base Entertainment, which also produces "Phantom -- the Las Vegas Spectacular" at the resort. All tickets will have a base price of $55 before the grand opening, and will then go to $64 and $74.

Last week also marked the quiet addition of Jeff Trachta as an afternoon attraction at the Rio, in the slot formerly held by ventriloquist Ronn Lucas. "I came out of the womb doing impressions," says the performer better known for his years on "The Bold and the Beautiful."

He at least had a TV ice-cream pitchman down by age 4. "I impersonated every teacher and always had the ability to become someone else," he says. Trachta departs a bit from Gans and Brown's almost identical formats: He sings only in his own voice, and he uses the Rio showroom's video walls for taped segments that show him in heavy makeup and costumes. ...

Also at the Rio, "Cavalia" opens Nov. 16 for a holiday run in a big top tent. The show aims to celebrate the relationship between humans and horses in the same manner as Cheval Theatre, another Cirque du Soleil-derived horse show that played on what is now the Project CityCenter site in 2001 and 2002.

This one is created by another former Cirque collaborator, Normand Latourelle. Like Cheval, it uses Cirque's aversion to animal acts as an opportunity to jump in and show you how it might work if that wasn't the case.

One big difference with this show is its use of a rear-projection screen to set the scene for ancient Greece, Rome or the days of Arthurian legend. ...

Follow the bouncing hypnotist: Anthony Cools says he's taking his raunchy show from the Excalibur back to Paris Las Vegas, where he performed before moving to the Excalibur last January.

"It's not been a good fit for the show over there," he says of the family-friendly Excalibur, though he has high praise for management there. The tour and travel lobby where Cools performed at Paris will be remodeled into "a proper showroom," he says, with November targeted for an opening date.

Don't expect the Excalibur to rush into another ticketed show right after Cools closes Tuesday. "We realized when we lost our lounge for those couple of hours that we missed it," says a casino spokesman. ...

So far, The Comedy Festival set for Nov. 15-19 appears to take one step forward, two steps back. The festival at Caesars Palace expands from three to five days, and has a comparable TV event -- the return of "Comic Relief" -- to replace last year's "Earth to America," a call to global-warming awareness that didn't live up to the level of talent involved.

But unless more heavy hitters are booked, this year's festival doesn't do as good a job of clearing the main hurdle: How do you make a Las Vegas festival special when so many comedians play here during the year? Last weekend alone, laugh seekers could choose among Lewis Black, D.L. Hughley, Richard Jeni and Ray Romano.

Last year's festival made a statement with closing night concerts by Dave Chappelle and Jon Stewart, both of whom limit their live engagements. This year lacks anything with that excitement level, though it does offer comparable events for last year's raunchy late show -- with Bob Saget instead of Bill Maher -- and another award/tribute panel.

Last year, Chris Rock bestowed the "legend" honors upon Jerry Seinfeld. This year, Rock is the honoree. Does that mean Seinfeld will do the presenting?

Dane Cook is sure to sell out two shows, but he packed the Mandalay Bay Events Center in April. Another headliner, Kathy Griffin, performed here in August and opening-night star Don Rickles was at the Stardust just last month.

The festival also did things a little backward by dropping the film component arranged so hastily last year that no one really knew about it. Seems like the second or third year would be the time for that sort of expansion. ...

Two members of The Second City comedy troupe have been "called up" from the Flamingo's cast to the main stage in Chicago. Starting today, Shelly Gossman and Ryan Archibald step in for Amanda Blake Davis and Andy St. Clair.

Alas, this comes only a couple of months after Davis and St. Clair helped create an entirely new show, and the new arrivals will perform their material until they have time to put their own stamp on the show. ...

Fans of Las Vegas-based comedy magician Nick Lewin, who spends more time on the high seas than on the Strip these days, can find him at Harrah's Las Vegas Oct. 31-Nov. 4 while Mac King is on vacation. He will return Dec. 19-23. ...

Fall is in the air, Halloween is on the horizon and that makes you want to ... check out some showgirls? You're in luck. Both "Jubilee!" at Bally's and the Tropicana's "Les Folies Bergere" -- the last two revues featuring the iconic showgirl costumes -- offer locals discounts in October.

"Folies" has a two-for-one offer, while "Jubilee!" makes it easier for odd-numbered groups by selling all tickets at $25 in honor of its 25th anniversary.

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 383-0288 or e-mail him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.