Like magic, one show opens and one moves

Anyone fearful that Las Vegas will suffer for magic shows in the new year can relax. There is a new one at the Gold Coast and an upgrade in store for illusionist Jan Rouven.

Rouven plans to wrap up his "Illusions" at the Clarion in mid-January, then reopen at the Riviera in March. He will start in the second-floor Starlite Theatre that long hosted "La Cage," though the ultimate goal is the dilapidated main-floor showroom, says his manager, Frank Alfter.

"It will be basically the same show, just moving to a real on-Strip property. For us it's a big move," Alfter says of leaving the Clarion, a somewhat hidden property lacking a full casino operation. "What I really wanted is the support of somebody."

Alfter says he found that after Andy Choy, the Riviera's CEO, responded to an invitation to see Rouven at the Clarion and liked what he saw.

The Riviera does not have a family-oriented title, and it sits across from Circus Circus, which has a discount ticket booth selling shows on other properties, but no ticketed one of its own.

Another magician, Rick Thomas, previously had a deal to take over the Riviera's main showroom, but it eventually collapsed in negotiations over who would pay to bring the room back up to code.

"The goal is to open in the big showroom. It's just a matter of time," Alfter says.

But the Starlite still seats more than the 340-seat Clarion, and "I don't want to pass up the possibility to move to the Riviera."

Meanwhile, British producer Paul Stone has "Vegas Magic Theatre" up and running in the versatile lounge at the Gold Coast that for years hosted "Forever Plaid."

Stone's son Ben will host, but he is the only constant in a format more like a comedy club, with the lineup changing every week in deference to the casino's mostly local customer base.

While some magicians will offer cabinet-style illusions, the main focus will be on "parlor" or "cabaret" magic less seen on the Strip. Comedy magicians Murray SawChuck and Michael Goudeau are among the early bookings.

Stone explains that he divides the showroom into two spaces. Instead of standing in line, early arrivals can relax amid roaming magicians in a lounge space before making their way behind a curtain for the main show. But even there, "It's really intimate. You're very close to the people from the audience point of view." ...

The New York Times tucks some Las Vegas news into a profile of entertainer Cee Lo Green and his workaholic ways. Deep, deep into the story comes a mention that Green plans to play Planet Hollywood Resort next year with "a theatrical show" called "Loberace." Green also announced the title back in July on NBC's "Today Show" without naming a venue.

The likely presenter, Base Entertainment, did not return calls by deadline. Management at AEG Live, the city's top promoter for concert-style headliners, has been of the opinion that younger pop stars don't have a deep enough catalog to sustain repeat Las Vegas bookings. ...

Finally, two Vegas legends: One retiring voluntarily and one forced? Add two more things to the list of stuff -- dire Mayan predictions, the next president, whether the next James Bond movie will be any good -- that we will find out next year.

First, some patrons did not argue with veteran comedian Shecky Greene when he told audiences his recent shows at the South Point would be his last. The first of a three-night stand did not go well. The 85-year-old comedian prompted refund requests (which the casino honored) after he cut the first show early and stormed off stage.

But the next two nights were fine, says South Point entertainment director Damian Costa. Turns out Greene thought he wasn't getting laughs because of a sound issue.

"It was a fixable situation with him not being able to hear," Costa says.

It didn't stop Greene from saying he was retiring at the next two shows, but "he also said that the last time, and the time before that."

But some fans of Tom Jones claim that barring a last-minute miracle, 2011 will break the eternal sex god's streak of performing on the Strip every year since 1968. It should be said that Jones has played only a handful of U.S. shows this year, but here in town David Copperfield basically took over the MGM Grand theater Jones has played for years.

"People are honestly upset, hurt and angry," says Ellen Sterling, who runs a Jones-devoted website. "People have invested a lot of money and time" to see him in Las Vegas.

One of them is 81-year-old New Yorker Mary Pascale, forced to break a tradition for "the first year in my life since 1969. ... It's most depressing for me."

Would it rub salt in the wound to mention that age-old rival Engelbert Humperdinck returned to the Strip this year after an exile in the suburbs?

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