After years of visits, Vereen’s at home performing on Vegas stages

The Suncoast showroom calendar offers a good mix of visiting and Las Vegas-based performers. Ben Vereen almost lands in the middle.

While still an L.A. kind of guy — he liked to attend tapings of last fall’s “So You Think You Can Dance” — Vereen has been no stranger to Las Vegas, and for the past two years lent his talents to the Joe Williams Jazz Scholarship Fundraising Concert.

“We go back, Vegas and I,” Vereen noted two years ago of his Las Vegas debut in a 1966 Caesars Palace production of “Sweet Charity.”

The 67-year-old entertainer went on to star in Broadway milestones he is now seeing revived. The new “Pippin” stops at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in November, and an arena version of “Jesus Christ Superstar” plays Las Vegas in July.

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