Whatever Robbie Williams wants, pay him
THE Kats! Bureau at this writing is the sportsbook at Wynn Las Vegas, where the dulcet tones of horse-racing broadcasters are occasionally interrupted by baseball analysis on the MLB Network. Elsewhere around the hotel, I’m eager to hear if there is any merit to the buzz about Robbie Williams’ return to Encore Theater.
Williams did stunning business this spring and summer, his show a buoyant blast of such Las Vegas inspirations as Liberace, Elvis, Cirque, “Jubilee!” and Sinatra. During his finale at the Wynn on July 6, the infectious showman shouted, “See you next year!” So, something’s up.
After that closing performance, Williams again proved his appeal across the pond by playing for 65,000 delirious fans at the British Summer Time festival at Hyde Park on July 14. He performed essentially the same show he uncorked on the Strip.
Evidently, Williams wants to return to Encore Theater but also wants more money. I say, pay him and set the onsale date.
More from this scene, and elsewhere:
Plaza does the funny
Plaza is hosting a new comedy series in its classic showroom beginning next month. The Comedy Works will deliver this recurring lineup beginning Sept. 12-14 with Jim Florentine (“The Metal Show” on VH1). Kevin Downey follows Sept. 19-21, then it’s Nick Di Paolo
(Sept 26-28), Tom Green (Oct. 10-12) and a showcase titled, “Fat Chance: An Evening of Conversation and Story with Lisa Lampanelli” on Oct. 24-26. Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Tim Meadows is booked for Jan. 9-11.
The Comedy Works is under the second-generation ownership of Tommy Nicchi, whose father opened the club in the basement of his deli in Albany, N.Y., in 1981. The lineup is dotted with familiar club vets, and ticket prices start at a sensible $20.
Green, especially, has an extensive history in Las Vegas as a former headliner (with Steve-o) at Vinyl at Hard Rock Hotel, the Back Room at Paris Las Vegas and Harrah’s Showroom in “The Comedy Lineup.”
The Plaza has its own history with standup, with mixed results. Bonkerz Comedy
Club set up a room at the hotel six years ago and closed after about a year. Louie Anderson headlined the room for a little more than a year ending in March 2016. Neither format held up over time. Not enough customers at the Plaza cared to see club comics in an after-market venue, and those who wanted to see Anderson downtown caught his show early in the run and audiences dwindled.
But Plaza CEO Johnathan Jossel is convinced the funny can fill the room, summoning the three-show series by Doug Stanhope on May 24-25 as evidence.
“Those shows opened our eyes to the kind of comedy we could have in that room,” Jossel said Tuesday in a phone chat. “The energy was great. It just felt right, and it’s our intention to have live comedy in that room every weekend.”
Stanhope has a loyal, hardcore following — they snapped up his tickets before any marketing plan to promote his shows was in place. The sharp-edged comedian has also managed to make news across social media over the past few days by posting a letter from Caesars Entertainment explaining that he has been banned from all the company’s properties after he drafted a scathing review of the Rio on Yelp and Tripadvisor.
Caesars Entertainment officials remind that they do not ban customers from their hotels simply because of negative online reviews. In his Yelp review, Stanhope says, “On the second night at midnight, my manager showed up drunk at my door like Oscar Madison from “The Odd Couple” after having a tiff with his galpal.”
As Stanhope writes, that person crashed outside Stanhope’s suite for six hours. It is not known whether that episode at all played in to Stanhope’s banishment. We’d love to know what happened here, as efforts to reach Stanhope through his manager, Brian Hennigan (who might or might not have been the person slumbering in the Rio hallway), have been unsuccessful.
But we do know Jossel wants Stanhope to return to the Plaza. The comic stayed at the hotel during his run in May.
Catching the comic
On the topic of comedy, Chris Distefano is headlining Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club at Linq Promenade this weekend. His weekly series “Stupid Questions with Chris Distefano” has just been extended on Comedy Central, and he also has a new deal with the cable channel for a second hourlong special, animated series and an unscripted series. Distefano took a few questions in email about Vegas, and this is one answer that can be mitigated for a family publication:
“The first time I was ever in Las Vegas, I went to the WSOP (World Series of Poker) with my friend who came in 812th place. Yay. I remember my mom giving me a list of things to do like wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water. I didn’t listen. Instead, I got burned bad at the pool at the Rio and got so hammered one night I did shots of Pepto Bismol mixed with vodka.”
All references to the Rio, we can assure, are purely coincidental …
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His Podkats! podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/ podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal. com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @Johnnykats1 on Instagram. As of 9 p.m. Tuesday:
1. Keith Thurman, Manny Pacquiao hit with medical suspensions
Manny Pacquiao was medically suspended until Aug. 20 with no contact allowed until Aug. 11 and Keith Thurman has a minimum suspension until Sept. 4 with no contact allowed until Aug. 20.
2. Get a first look of MSG Sphere construction in Las Vegas
Representatives of The Madison Square Garden
Co. gave the first glimpse of progress Tuesday of the under-construction MSG Sphere — a first-of-its-kind performance venue with high-tech audio and visual capabilities.
3. Las Vegas developer Jim Rhodes sells mansion for $16M to mystery buyer
The sale, one of the most expensive home purchases ever in Las Vegas, closed Friday and even Jim Rhodes said he is in the dark about who bought his house.
4.. HBO’S ‘Hard Knocks’ starts preparing for Raiders
An NFL Films crew visited Derek Carr’s home Thursday in the East Bay, recording footage of the Raiders quarterback as training camp nears.
5. Former Nevada Sen. John Ensign divorces wife
Former U.S. Sen. John Ensign, who resigned amid a Senate Ethics Committee investigation in 2011, finalized a divorce from his wife of 31 years last week. As of 9 p.m. Tuesday:
1. Manny Pacquiao defeats Keith Thurman to claim WBA welterweight crown
Manny Pacquiao claimed the WBA welterweight championship belt when he defeated Keith Thurman by split decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night. 2. MSG Sphere scheduled for 2021 opening
Construction is moving forward on 18,000-seat MSG Sphere at The Venetian.
3. Get a first look of MSG Sphere construction in Las Vegas
Representatives of The Madison Square Garden Company give the first glimpse of progress Tuesday of the under-construction MSG Sphere — a first-ofits-kind performance venue with high-tech audio and visual capabilities.