Tape Face sets reopening date at MGM Grand
The headliner out of New Zealand is going down under at MGM Grand.
Silent comic star Tape Face moving his hit show from Harrah’s to MGM Grand on Sept. 1. The inventive performer is packing his props and rolling into the former Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club in the resort’s 250-seat Underground Theater. The new show debuts 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1. We reported last month the the move was imminent.
“I am thrilled for the move into one of the best hotels and casinos in the world, MGM Grand,” Sam Wills, Tape Face creator and actor, said in a statement. “The show relies on audience participation and having this beautiful showroom will guarantee an even more exciting and intimate experience for guests.”
The show runs 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Tuesdays, with 4:30 p.m. performances on select weekends. Tickets are $39-$99 (not including fees), available at MGMGrand.com.
The popular sidekick character Phyllis Vanillis, played by Christina Balonek, is also back.
Wills’ act wound up No. 14 in Simon Cowell’s “16 Most Memorable ‘Got Talent’ Auditions” on the recent Season 18 episode of the NBC competition series “America’s Got Talent.”
The current Tape Face show has closed Harrah’s Cabaret after Sunday’s performance.
Along with Garrett’s club, MGM Grand hosts a rotation of headliners and sporting events at the Grand Garden, and is home to David Copperfield’s popular illusions production, Hakkasan Nightclub, Cirque’s “Ka” show and the dance troupe Jabbawockeez.
After opening at House of Tape in 2018, Tape Face relocated to Harrah’s Showroom during the city’s COVID-19 reopening. The production played to a socially distant audience of 50 in the 544-seat theater.
At the time, Mills inventively populated the front section with a hundred mannequins to give the room a “full” feel. Inevitably, a drunken fan made off with one of the dolls’ heads, never to be recovered or returned.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
