Donny & Marie set to end Flamingo run
THE scene was Piero’s Italian Restaurant. There, resort exec Tim Poster was feted with a surprise 50th birthday party, and Steve Wynn was among the invited guests.
Having been driven by sexual misconduct allegations from his post atop the gaming empire he created, Wynn gave something of a melancholy speech while seated at his table.
“It’s been a great ride in this town,” Wynn said. “For some of you guys who thought it was just me and a few guys goofing around in the late ’60s, when we were young — we saw this place get built, and we’ve improved it.”
The party was hosted by Poster’s longtime gaming industry friend and sidekick Tom Breitling. The two operated the Golden Nugget in the early 2000s (and were the focus of the Fox TV series “The Casino”) and later worked under Wynn at Wynn Las Vegas. Poster was reportedly let go from the company in 2013 for unauthorized online sports betting.
Other Vegas notables among the 30 or so guests in the private dining room of owner Freddie Glusman’s famous Vegas haunt included Jack Binion, son of gaming icon Benny Binion, seated at Wynn’s left; ex-wynn Las Vegas Chief Operating Officer Marc Schorr; Station Casinos co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta; next to him, UFC President Dana White; powerhouse Vegas attorney David Chesnoff; longtime Fletcher Jones Imports General Manager Bernie Schiappa; and Resorts World Las Vegas construction manager Billy Richardson, former general contractor for Monte Carlo, Mandalay Bay, The Linq Hotel and The Cromwell.
The party started in the Piero’s lounge, closed to the public, then moved into the private VIP room. The only giveaway that something special was happening was a giant ice sculpture, carved with “Happy 50th Tim,” displayed in the lounge of a very Vegas hang.
Moreno at Carnegie
I was in New York City on Friday night for Frankie Moreno’s first headlining appearance at Carnegie Hall. That’s right, we’re a long way from the South Point Showroom, folks. The show, “Roll Over Beethoven: A Different Kind of Orchestra,” is a collaboration between Moreno and the New York Pops, under the direction of Steve Reineke.
This is Moreno’s first solo headlining appearance with his Las Vegas band.
Rock ’n’ roll classics such as “Great Balls of Fire,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” were in the set list as Moreno worked with the esteemed N.Y. Pops orchestra. He has performed at Carnegie once before, in 2015, as part of a Frank Sinatra tribute show, sharing the bill with Storm Large, Tony Desare and Ryan Silverman .The Pops musicians and Carnegie hierarchy took to Moreno because he has an appreciation and exceptional talent for classical music and has actually written symphonies.
They also loved it when he spun around and played the grand piano backward. But I think, at Carnegie, you need to fill out some forms to do that.
Osmonds’ curtain to fall
Not sure if Donny Osmond is a fan of “This is Spinal Tap,” but on Friday, he said of the Donny & Marie show, “This one goes to 11.”
And no further.
Osmond, during an appearance on KTNV Channel 13’s “Morning Blend” show, issued the startling announcement that Donny & Marie would end their run at the Flamingo in 2019. The duo just re-signed their contract last month, adding an 11th year at the hotel, and that contract ends in November 2019.
“Next year is our final year,” Osmond told co-hosts J.J. Snyder and Shawn Tempesta. “We’ve been talking about it for quite a while, but definitely, our countdown has started.” Osmond also told “Midday” host Dayna Roselli the same thing as Roselli recorded him on an Instagram story.
Nonetheless, Osmond’s announcement appeared to catch those close to the Donny & Marie show offguard. No news release about the production’s future was sent in conjunction with Osmond’s appearance. Follow-up calls to Osmond’s representatives and to Caesars Entertainment officials for further confirmation have not been returned. Neither sibling posted any social-media messages to the public about these plans, as they had when teaming for their contract-extension announcement.
The duo opened what had been planned as a six-week run at the Flamingo in September 2008. Since then, the hotel has named the theater for the popular sibling act, which just revamped the production in line with the contract extension.
The Osmonds’ show is the second long-running production this week to announce it is leaving the Donny & Marie Showroom. “Legends in Concert” producers said Tuesday that show would relocate to Tropicana next Valentine’s Day. That show closes at the Flamingo on Dec. 30.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @Johnnykats1 on Instagram. As of 9 p.m. Friday:
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