Great Scott lets loose ‘Tiger Thing’
I’LL always remember the night Enoch Augustus Scott unleashed the last line of dialogue before COVID-19 shut down all live entertainment in Vegasville: “Ladies and gentlemen, if I can just say one thing. This town has been through a lot, and it will get through this. We will get through it together.” That was March 17, at the closing of “Zombie Burlesque” at the V Theater at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort. Scott’s closing, crescendo call was, “Can you live your lives, people!?” with the crowd shouting back, “Yes!” just before being led from the theater. Under normal conditions, Scott plays lead in the burlesque spoof of 1950s horror movies. He will return to the show, too, when producer David Saxe figures out how to reassemble the cast and make money in his company’s comeback from the pandemic. Since that night, Scott has kept remarkably busy — I’ve seen him perform more in the past year than at any period before COVID-19, hopping into the fray at Kenny Davidsen’s Friday night shows at the Piazza lounge at the Tuscany or during Monday’s Dark charity shows. Scott’s latest adventure was inspired by the pandemic, specifically the “Tiger King” phenomenon that now seems so long ago. He has released “The Tiger Thing,” a multimedia video/audio release of eight parody tunes themed for the Netflix series. The latest incarnation of this evolving work available on The Tiger Thing Youtube channel and official Facebook page. The tunes were co-written by the wickedly talented and twisted Mark Wherry, whom we have enjoyed for more than a decade in his recurring performances at the Composers Showcase of Las Vegas. Wherry arrives from academia, director of vocal music at the College of Southern Nevada. The “Tiger King” content was ripe for these two composers. It wasn’t long after the series premiered that Scott started appearing around town fully costumed as Joe Exotic, offering no particular reason. “Honestly, Mark and I watched the Netflix series like everybody, and we both started thinking that we absolutely have to come up with our own musical interpretation of this crazy story,” Scott says. “The absurdity of it all and the very nature of the characters made it ripe for satire and parody, and so was born ‘The Tiger Thing.’ ”
The V hive
On the topic of entertainment peripherally related to David Saxe Productions: On March 26, the Vegas producer plans to reopen “V — The Ultimate Variety Show,” “Popovich Comedy Pet Theater,” starring Gregory Popovich, and “Nathan Burton Comedy Magic.” On April 2, it’s the Elvis tribute “All Shook Up,” “The Mentalist,” starring Gerry Mccambridge, and the Las Vegas Comedy Live club. Saxe says all other shows at the V Theater and the David Saxe Theater, including “Zombie” and “Vegas! The Show,” are to be announced soon.
Let’s get righteous
The Bootlegger Bistro is returning to the Vegas of yesteryear with late-night, no-cover-charge, live music hangs in its main dining room. Its “After Dark” series opens March 19-20 with Bucky Heard of the Righteous Brothers and guitar master John Wedemeyer center stage. The format runs from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays for at least seven weeks. As co-owner Lorraine Hunt says, “We want to give musicians some work, and people who love live entertainment to hang out, late at night.”
Love these ‘Letters’
Big ups to our friends at Las Vegas Little Theater, who have added three weekends to its “Love Letters” series. The show runs Friday through Sunday, starring April Sauline and Michael Kaczurak, and again March 19-21, with Teresa Fullerton and Glenn Heath, and March 26-28, with Monica Johns and Heath. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $30 at lvlt. org or the theater box office.
Ely times
Those who track me on social media have noticed quasi-random video posts over the years from Ely. It’s a stop when I drive to and from Boise, Idaho, on U.S. Highway 93. On my latest trip, I stopped and hung with my dear friend Anne Kellogg and her hubby, Matt Disher. Anne’s family owns the famous Hotel Nevada in downtown Ely, which is where you can find the Wayne Newton Suite. She is also an organizer of the Ely Film Festival, which begins in digital format Friday and runs through Sunday. For info, go to elyfilmfestival.com. 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.