Mr. Las Vegas returning to the Strip after nearly 2 years – Las Vegas Review-Journal

Mr. Las Vegas is back on the Las Vegas Strip on Jan. 24.

Wayne Newtons Wayne: Up Close and Personal is back Jan 24, running for select dates at Wayne Newton Theater inside Bugsys Cabaret. Newtons tickets start at $79, not including fees, on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at http://www.caesars.com/shows. Shows are at 7 p.m.

Newton is onstage for four dates in January, and runs through the end of June. The Flamingo is where Newton actually began his showroom career in 1963.

It took me long enough to get back here, right? Newton said in a phone chat Thursday. Ive finally come full circle.

The 79-year-old Newton has not performed in his adopted home town since March 2020. He was due back last October. Not surprisingly, the absence from a Vegas stage is the longest of Newtons career.

Starting at the age I did, as a kid, and working so consistently, I was never asked to take two years off, Newton said. Im not alone among the entertainers who had to take a lot of time off. For me, its been a learning experience.

Newton jokes that he attempted to become a handyman around the house. But the entertainer who can play 13 instruments is not so adept with, say, a power drill.

My wife (Kathleen Newton) has been calling people to undo the things that Ive been working on, Newton said. We have a lot of workmen coming in to do fix what Ive been fixing.

Newton cited chronic back pain from an injury and surgery he underwent late this summer. The Vegas legend had an operation on his back in August to repair two vertebrae, after falling at his Montana ranch. His first show back was Saturday night at Robins Theatre in Warren, Ohio.

The real challenge is coming back to the lineup of the show, what is next, what video is coming, Newton said. Just remembering what the continuity is not an easy thing. It was second nature, but it needs to be re-learned when youve been down so long.

Newton will return with his core band of music director and drummer Marc Atkinson, keyboardist Mariano Longo and bassist Danny DeMorales. He might add a guitarist, or banjo player.

Up Close and Personal presents Newton in an intimate setting, interacting with the audience while performing some of his classics dating to Danke Schoen in 1963. He also takes part in an audience Q&A.

Newton still plans to run videos over the course of his career, and add some storytelling.

Ive actually found some videos that I havent seen before, Newton said. So it will be different for the audience, and somewhat different for me, too.

Newton had previously headlined at Cleopatras Barge at Caesars Palace. That venue was closed for all of its shows in May, but Newton was retained as a Caesars Entertainment headliner. Hes now alternating dates with the Stabile Productions topless show X Burlesque.

The Bugsys venue is known as Wayne Newton Theater when Newton headlines, and X Burlesque Theater when the adult revue is onstage. This is similar to the setup for when Piff the Magic Dragon was toggling times with X Burlesque, with his entrance on one side of the theater, opposite the X show. Piff has since moved into Flamingo Showroom.

On Wednesday, Newton sent word of congratulations to his longtime friend and former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, for whom Las Vegas international airport has been named. The Clark County Commissions unanimous decision to rename the former McCarran International Airport went into effect this week.

Newton and Reid joined forces to create the USO Lounge at then-McCarran. The rest stop for active-duty military personnel opened in August 2010. Of course, the main thoroughfare leading to Reid International is named for Newton.

I congratulate my dear friend, Newton said. Who would have thought, when we were just kids, that Harry Reid Airport would be on Wayne Newton Boulevard? We are forever together.

The announcement also falls a day after the NFL announced Super Bowl LVIII would be held in Las Vegas in February 2024. Asked if hed want to play some ceremonial role in the proceedings (the coin-flip, for instance), Newton said, Oh, Id be love to be involved somehow, sure. Id just be honored to be in the stadium to watch the game (laughs). Its going to be something else.

Cool Hang Alert

Hometown Holiday Hits, an alliterative adventure, is performing 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee, at Suncoast Showroom. This show is a partnership of the Swing It Girls and Doo Wop Kings vocal groups of Las Vegas. The tunes hearken to such Christmas classics as Jingle Bells, White Christmas and Here Comes Santa Claus. Tickets start at $29 at ticketmaster.com. Give em a jingle.

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.

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Mr. Las Vegas returning to the Strip after nearly 2 years - Las Vegas Review-Journal