Vegas faves Piff The Magic Dragon, ‘X Country’ set for relaunch

Piff The Magic Dragon is the first faux-reptile to return to the Las Vegas Strip. The comic magician has moved from Bugsy’s Cabaret to the Flamingo Showroom for a limited run beginning 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29.

The returnjng show is called “Too Soon?” Of course, Piff’s return is long overdue.

“All I know is that very responsible people are making sure we do this right,” Piff, legal name John van der Put, said Sunday. “We are following all the precautions and every guideline.”

Is he wearing a mask onstage?

“That is a good question,” Piff said. “What is it, Sunday? I believe, yes.”

Co-producer Angela Stabile said Sunday that, at the moment, masks are required for Piff and showgirl co-star Jade Simone. Otherwise the show returns with veteran chihuahua performer Mr. Piffles, moving to the larger theater for a maximum crowd of 250.

Tickets start at $62.95, not including fees, and are on sale 10 a.m. Oct. 23 at Ticketmaster.com.

Ahead of Piff’s opening, the female revue “X Country” is back at Harrah’s Cabaret beginning 10 p.m. Oct. 22. At this writing, the country-themed dance show is the first ticketed Caesars Entertainment show to return since Las Vegas entertainment went dark on March 17.

The show is back at its previous venue, Harrah’s Cabaret, seated to 80 guests. The cast will be masked, too.

“X Country will initially perform 10 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, expanding to Wednesdays through Sundays beginning Nov. 4 (dark on Halloween). Tickets start at $47.94, also not including fees, onsale 10 a.m. Oct. 16 at Ticketmaster.com.

Both shows are in the Stabile Productions family, which also includes “X Burlesque,” typically sharing Bugsy’s Cabaret with Piff. The venue is rare in that it boasts three titles. Bugsy’s is known as the X Burlesque Theatre at Bugsy’s Cabaret when that show is onstage, and the Piff The Magic Dragon Theatre at Bugsy’s Cabaret when the comic magician headlines.

Piff plans to invite a fellow entertainer, or otherwise noteworthy individual, to play a cameo role in his updated show. He also says he is returning first with an invitation-only performance on Oct. 27 for front-line, health-care professionals.

The winner of “Tournament of Laughs” on PBS was inspired to headline the free show after taking part in the #MaskUpNV event in August, when Vegas entertainers performed pop-up shows at Southern Nevada hospitals.

“What the doctors, the nurses, have done to keep us alive all these months has been incredible,” Piff said. “What I’ve found is that what I do is just bring people happiness. It’s not Shakespeare, but it makes people happy. I want them to be happier when they leave than when they walked in.”

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.