Comedy club to reopen doors
The Riviera comedy club's closing turned out to be more of a winter vacation.
The club will reopen Feb. 10, bringing back a second-floor venue that was a perennial comedy destination for 24 years.
The big surprise is that the Riviera will continue to operate the club. When it closed Halloween weekend, the presumption was that if it came back at all, it would be in the hands of a third-party operator; some type of lease that has become the norm on the Strip.
But the club will operate mostly as it did, managed in-house by Charlyne Corvino, who oversees all the property's show venues. She knows most of the comedians after working with Steve Schirripa, who ran the club before "The Sopranos" came calling.
This time though, Corvino will be assisted by Sandy Hackett, a producer-performer who operated various comedy clubs and showcases before he went into the Rat Pack business. He currently produces and stars in "Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show" in the Riviera's Le Bistro Cabaret.
Hackett and Sammy Davis Jr. impersonator Doug Starks will work the club as stand-ups, as might Carla Rea, who is currently the Riviera's media spokeswoman as well. Greg Vaccariello will be the first headliner in the relaunched venue. The room was briefly occupied by The Amazing Kreskin, but it has been decided the veteran mentalist will not be back, Rea says. ...
Las Vegas introduced most of the world to tribute artists with the "Legends in Concert" variety format, which offers several impersonators in a one-size-fits-all format. But in the suburbs and tribal casinos across the country, the genre has drifted to long-form showcases devoted to one act. Classic rock salutes dominate, offering everyone from the Rolling Stones to U2.
Back on the Strip though, I can't think of anyone but Elvis, the Beatles and Neil Diamond who have merited a long-form, year-round tribute. The Bee Gees get the honor of being the fourth, when "The Australian Bee Gees Show" opens Tuesday at Excalibur.
The Bee Gees will share the room with "Thunder from Down Under," consolidating this mini-Australian invasion that also includes vocal group Human Nature at the Imperial Palace. All of them are helmed by producer Adam Steck, who jokes that he is becoming "the Bill Graham of Australia," or at least the American conduit for all performers looking to work in the United States.
Steck's Australian connection stems from his partnership with Billy Cross, a real Aussie and his "Thunder" co-producer. After promoting the faux Bee Gees on the road for five years, including shows at the Suncoast and South Point, Steck thinks they are ready for the Strip.
The brothers Gibb are one of "the few acts that have such a wide appeal," he says. "You wouldn't do (a single tribute) with a lot of acts, but this one just speaks to a wide demographic."
The show is promoted in modern dress, loosely based on a 1997 Bee Gees concert at the MGM Grand Garden, rather than stepping through various eras of costume change. ...
Perhaps the other Australian acts will follow the lead of Human Nature, which donated proceeds from Wednesday's show to relief efforts for the recent floods in Queensland. ...
Joey Fatone of 'N Sync fame is back for a second turn as guest host of the live game show "The Price Is Right," at Bally's through Feb. 5. ...
The R-J's Norm Clarke said most of what needs to be written about the recent passing of Frank Lieberman, a veteran publicist who brought much-needed sanity, levity and moral outrage to the business, and was quick to share entertainment news with us.
Lieberman's services were in Los Angeles this week, but his son Adam passes along that those who wish to make memorial contributions should choose the American Kidney Fund, www.kidneyfund.org or (800) 638-8299.
Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.
