Warriors celebrate championship at Jewel, Marquee in Las Vegas

NEW YORK – The Kats! Bureau remains Midtown Manhattan, where I have a view of the Marquis Theatre on 46th Street and sidewalks still damp from the drizzle.

There is a link to that theater and VegasVille, of course:

In July 2015, Penn & Teller opened their two-month-long Broadway return at the Marquis. The Rio headliners proved to be box office draws by nearly selling out their 40-show run. Producers continue to persuade P&T to headline another return to the Great White Way and they are “mulling” that option. But it won’t happen until 2018 at the earliest. The duo is currently performing a sold-out tour next the U.K.

Another bridge between Broadway and Las Vegas: The lighting director of “Bandstand” at Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Jeff Croiter, is also lighting director for Penn & Teller at the Rio. Croiter was hired for his work on P&T’s Marquis Theatre production. Small world, this.

Onward:

Warriors on Strip

The Golden State Warriors are running the Strip with the same tenacity that led to their five-game defeat of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. These guys are tough to cover, on and off the court.

On Friday afternoon, NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were among the champs to hit Marquee Dayclub at the Cosmopolitan. Rapper G-Eazy (who makes it look so) joined in the cabana action.

Also taking in the party at the pool: Comic actor Pauly Shore (whose father, my buddy Sammy Shore, opened for Elvis at the International and Las Vegas Hilton from 1969-’73). The younger Shore has been poking around Vegas venues with his own comedy-show concept.

The Dubs later rambled back to Aria for a late-night foray to Jewel Nightclub. Team owners Joseph Lacob and Peter Guber hit the scene – rave away, gents — joining Durant, Green, Matt Barnes, Damian Jones andothers.

The crew was greeted by the requisite drumline as they entered the club. The parade percolated with sparklers and confetti (blue and gold, in this instance) and cocktail servers in Warriors outfits. Oh, and banners and flags. Those were unfurled, too, as Jewel resident headliner DJ Irie (known as the official DJ of the Miami Heat, but no matter) kept the adrenaline pumping.

Dave Chappelle joined the all-star blowout as well. The comedian made his comeback onstage (at Mandalay Bay Events Center last month) and on screen (cast in the remake of “A Star is Born” due out next year). The team reportedly has one more pool-side stop today.

Rotella’s genesis

Before he ever ventured into the underground parties that inspired Electric Daisy Carnival, Insomniac Events founder Pasquale Rotella attended a rock show.

“The first concert I ever went to, the only concert I went to when I was a kid, was Phil Collins at the Universal Amphitheater,” Rotella said Wednesday at the Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay after accepting a commemorative “Key to the Strip” and Electric Daisy Land. sign. “That was pretty amazing, a very cool, seated venue.”

The imposing owl overlooking the masses at EDC’s Kinetic Field does look a little like Collins. Probably just a coincidence…

Miss-ion accomplished

When Jodi Fonfa took over as director of the Miss Nevada Pageant in 2014, the organization was stinging from a regretful episode in which voting irregularities led to confusion about which contestant actually won the Miss Nevada Teen pageant.

Fonfa stepped in and ably shored up Miss Nevada’s operations during her tenure, raising more than a half a million dollars in scholarship funds for pageant contestants. After Friday’s finale at Tropicana Theater, Fonfa (whose husband, Andrew Fonfa, is a partner in Lucky Dragon hotel-casino) Fonfa , a announced she is stepping down and ceding her position to Jennifer Lier and Elizabeth Hunterton, both former Miss Nevada titlists.

This year’s pageant winners were Miss Nevada Andrea Martinez; and Miss Nevada Teen Carli Gumm, the younger sister of outgoing Miss Nevada Bailey Gumm.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.