Familiar names heading to Riviera

It's a fair question: Once the Riviera locks in the Extreme Midget Wrestling Federation, how much more entertainment can it need?

But Tiny Terminator and Baby Chucky are only booked for one weekend (May 27 and 29). For a more permanent entertainment presence, the venerable casino is turning to familiar names -- magician Rick Thomas and impressionist Rich Little -- as it emerges from bankruptcy.

Thomas and co-producer John Stuart (who should be free of bankruptcy court himself after Wednesday) will dust off the main-floor showroom that's been out of action for more than a year. Long known as the Versailles Room, the venue that for years hosted "Splash" will be the Rick Thomas Theater when it reopens, tentatively, July 1.

"I think it's good positioning," says Thomas, who will be forced out of the neighboring Sahara when the property closes May 16. An extended contract "allows us to go into this room and invest a good amount of money in a great show, and have our overhead be controllable."

Upstairs, the room that long hosted "La Cage" is now called the Starlite Theater. The venerable mimic's "Will the Real Rich Little Please Stand Up?" will run May 25 through June 12 as the first in a move to bring veteran Vegas names back to the Strip.

Little will be followed by Mary Wilson, June 22-July 3 and a co-bill of Gary Lewis and the Playboys with Dennis Tufano of the Buckinghams, July 20-31. The return of name acts who have gone off-Strip to locals casinos is part of the Riviera's larger attempt to "bring a little bit of the history back in a modern and cool way," says Tony Bender, the casino's marketing head.

The second-floor showroom had been leased to independent producer Mark Levy, but the headliners are contracted directly with hotel management. Levy is still in the picture though, finding a new show to replace the recently closed "Dao -- The Asian Celebration" and run alongside the headliners.

The Riviera has never suffered for shows in proportion to its 2,075 rooms. Even with the main room shuttered, four smaller venues endured.

Before financier Barry Sternlicht acquired the Riviera last month in bankruptcy proceedings, suitors for the main showroom were said to face one of the most brazen "No thanks" offers on the Strip: Spend their own money on physical improvements to bring the faded ol' gal up to code, with no guarantee the Riviera would stay open long enough to see a return.

Now, Sternlicht has begun revamping the casino floor and restaurants. "The future of the Riv is secure," Thomas says. "We've taken a look at everything that needs to be done (and are) working together hand in hand. ... I don't think it's that big a deal to do what we have to do to the room to open it back up."

Thomas plans to relaunch his show with a new title and new illusions. "The style and presentation I think will be a pleasant surprise for everyone," says the magician with 16 years tenure on the Strip. ...

The Riviera and Las Vegas Hilton have a couple of things in common: Stranded positions on the north end of the tourist zone, and magicians. Thomas says he is counting on Circus-Circus to feed his family-friendly show. It's almost as close to walk over from the Hilton on the Paradise Road side, but it's sounding like that property will have a magician of its own.

Steve Wyrick was said to be close to a deal with Hilton executives at this writing. If that contract isn't quite signed, sealed and delivered, the Hilton is at least able to talk up Liza Minnelli playing its big room on Oct. 7 and 8.

In its smaller Shimmer Cabaret, legendary boxer Joe Frazier unleashes his soul-man punch as a guest star in a variety show helmed by Tom Jones impersonator Harmik, during a Trent Carlini vacation June 3 through 12. ...

Magicians Thomas and Wyrick have a larger competitor looming over them. In February, David Copperfield hinted at soon having a larger advertising presence at the MGM. Now it's plain to see the building wrap on the green hotel where he has performed 10 years without previously being branded as a resident act. ...

No questioning Gladys Knight's resident status. The R&B great has lived in Las Vegas so long, both her children and grandchildren attended schools here. Knight also has talked about following the path of Andre Agassi to launch her own charter school or support an existing one.

In lieu of that, the R&B great is giving away 50 tickets to Clark County teachers for her Tuesday-through-Thursday shows, through selected schools each week. ...

All this talk of residency has at least one veteran public relations professional asking if we should attempt to define -- and then limit the use of -- "resident headliner."

No one questions it for year-round performers such as Criss Angel and George Wallace. But with Elton John's return to Caesars Palace touted as a "three-year residency" but so far limited to 16 shows, it may be better to label him a "recurring headliner" or something like that.

Celine Dion and Barry Manilow perform about 75 shows a year now, a model that hails back to the golden age of Vegas, when each casino had a stable of entertainers who worked in rotation. Let me know if you have any better ideas.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.