’90s nostalgia forms basis of residency at Paris
THE venue that was once the stage for “The Producers” more than a decade ago has seen a multitude of productions come and go.
And a new show is on its way into the Paris Theater, while another has been … well, snuffed out.
A dance party designed for a showroom, “I Love The ’90s — The Vegas Show” opens Oct. 12. Meanwhile, the fiery stage show “Inferno” fired an ember alert to its crew Friday that it will not return to the stage.
“Inferno” had been on a two-week break and was expected to return Aug. 1. Instead, the break is permanent.
“To have done six months in Las Vegas is great,” Joe Labero, star of “Inferno,” said Saturday. “I have always had a dream to perform on the Strip, ever since I saw Siegfried & Roy many years ago. I am grateful to Caesars (Entertainment) for making it possible.”
Labero is due to tour Scandinavia beginning in January.
Sweeping away the ashes of “Inferno,” the “I Love The ’90s” residency is assembling rotating headliners from that era. Salt-n-pepa, Rob Base (best-known for the dance hit “It Takes Two” with the late DJ E-Z Rock) and All-4-one are headliners over the first month. The show is set for 9 p.m. on select dates. Tickets start at $70 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com starting Friday.
Mark Mcgrath of Sugar Ray, Kid ’n Play and Dru Hill are also booked to perform during the show after its first monthlong run. The production is a spinoff of the “I Love the ’90s Tour,” produced by Universal Attractions Agency, UD Factory of Las Vegas and Salt-n-pepa.
The tour made a stop at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center in September, and the concert’s touring lineup has included Vanilla Ice, Coolio, Tone Loc, TLC, Naughty By Nature, C+C Music Factory and Color Me Badd.
UD Factory CEO Seth Yudof has performed on-theground market research to gain confidence in the ’90s show.
“For the past year, I’ve been asking Uber drivers and random strangers of all ages for their opinions on the idea of a ’90s show in Vegas, and I’ve never before gotten such an overwhelmingly positive response to a show concept,” he said Saturday. “People’s eyes light up when they talk about these artists.”
Yudof and Mcgrath, who has performed in Vegas with Sugar Ray many times over the years, agreed that a ’90s show could work on the Strip. “No one is more ’90s than Mark,” Yudof said, accurately.
During an appearance in May on the talk show “The Real,” Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton of Salt-n-pepa announced they would perform in residency on the Strip. The duo specified Labor Day weekend as the launch and later appeared with En Vogue at the Billboard Music Awards, performing a thunderous set of “Push It,” “Shoop” and “Let’s Talk About Sex.” En Vogue is among the artists expected to perform, down the line, in the show at Paris Theater.
Harrah’s ambassador dies
Dominic Strano, the genteel gentleman who maintained decorum at Harrah’s entertainment venues for more than 30 years, died early Saturday at St. Rose Dominican Hospital, San Martin campus.
Strano, 69, had a recent bout with pneumonia.
The tuxedo-clad, silver-haired showroom manager was a familiar figure at the entrance of Harrah’s Showroom and Harrah’s Cabaret. He ran the rooms for decades, escorting dignitaries to their reserved booths and ticketholders to their seats. Strano learned the craft while working for the late Bob Stupak at Vegas World, formerly located on the property where the Stratosphere now stands.
“Guys like Dominic don’t exist in Las Vegas anymore,” said Alan Glist of Gfour Productions, whose “Menopause the Musical” performs at Harrah’s Cabaret. The show celebrated 5,000 shows in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. “I used to sit with him four to five nights a week and listen to his stories. He knew every gangster, every entertainer to come through Las Vegas. He was one of the great guys you just loved and respected.”
Clint Holmes, Wayne Newton, the Righteous Brothers, Mac King, Rita Rudner and members of Tenors of Rock were among Strano’s many friends who have headlined the hotel. He never married and had no children.
“The people he worked with were his family,” said Glist, who is arranging a celebration of life for Strano at the showroom.
Strano once said of his friendly disposition, “That’s who I am. I don’t know any different.”
Contact John Katsilometes at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @Johnnykats1 on Instagram. As of 9 p.m. Sunday:
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