From the Riv to Ham Hall: Peters makes return to Vegas with show at UNLV

By John Katsilometes

Thursday, April 29, 2010 | 7:53 p.m.

Long before such Las Vegas entertainment industry experts and local media were dubbing (hopefully and errantly, it turns out) Las Vegas as "Broadway West," the Strip's hotel-casinos did stage shortened Broadway-caliber productions.

In 1961, one such production was "Gypsy" at Riviera. Starring in the lead role of Gypsy Rose Lee was Mitzi Green, whose given surname — Keno — already was splashed across the casino.

And little Bernadette Peters, age 13, was listed as "ensemble" in the cast list.

"They used to do these truncated shows, short shows, and we were at the Riviera for two months," Peters said during a phone interview this week from L.A. in advance of her one-woman show Saturday night at UNLV's Ham Hall. "What I remember is that I could be in the casino only if I kept walking. I could walk through, but I couldn't really be there. I'm being told, 'You can't stop.' And between shows we would eat this great matzo ball soup the hotel served."

Circus Maximus at Caesars Palace, the Crystal Showroom at Desert Inn and the old MGM Grand are some of the theaters Peters has graced. She's opened for such stars of the moment as Bob Newhart and Rich Little.

In Saturday's show, aptly titled, "An Evening With Bernadette Peters," the 62-year-old multi-Tony Award nominee (seven nominations, two trophies) will draw from her five-decade career and even beyond. Her longtime collaboration with Stephen Sondheim will be richly represented, of course — the tour coincides with his 80th birthday, which was March 22.

"I'll be entertaining, first of all — that's what I do," she said, laughing. "I do a lot of Sondheim, a lot of Rodgers and Hammerstein, I'll sing 'Fever' on the piano, '(Oh) Shenandoah,' I'll put a spin on '(There Is) Nothing Like a Dame.' First and foremost, I want to take you on a journey. I sing meaningful songs, songs you can listen to. 'Some Enchanted Evening,' 'No One is Alone,' songs that tell stories."

Peters is a classic "slash," performer: Singer/actress/author. Philanthropist, too. Her second children's book, "Stella Is a Star," is to benefit her Broadway Barks animal-adoption charity. The book centers on a pit-bull puppy who wants instead to be a pig ballerina.

"It's about accepting who you are and not judging anyone." When it's suggested the book has very "Sesame Street"-Muppet sentiment, Peters, who has worked with Muppet co-stars in film and on TV, says, "I think that's true, and I think that is OK."

Peters has pockets of fans who know her from her stage work, and millions who grew to know her on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and in her movie work, including the Steve Martin classics "The Jerk" and "Pennies from Heaven."

"People know you from different time slots. Some know you from Broadway, some from the Steve Martin movies," she said. "Sometimes people who know me from being on with Johnny Carson had no idea I'd done so much theater."

Peters says she'd like to focus her acting energy on more dramatic theatrical productions — Tennessee Williams-style plays — and stars in a film in which she's the mother of 15-year-old and 21-year-old daughters. The 15-year-old is her caretaker; the 21-year-old detests her.

The film's title should remind of a song in "Gypsy," actually: "Coming Up Roses."

Jacobs opens with Jackson-aimed gaiety

KVBC Channel 3 entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs is now the Las Vegas correspondent for the syndicated celeb news show "Extra" and started her tenure this evening with something of a whopper: An interview with a guy named Jason Pfeiffer, who is an assistant to Jackson's dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein (nice work there, Doc). The onetime skin-care attendant claims to have been Jackson's gay lover, or in his words, the entertainer's "soul mate." Catch the clip here. The official Michael Jackson website was swift to respond with a post titled "slander. Michael's gay lover speaks". Seems to be a call to arms for protest, but really, the only offensive material in the whole report is Pfeiffer's haircut...

Crane swoops at Encore

Reports of a crane swaying into the Encore Beach Club late Monday night and early Tuesday morning turned out to be true. A construction crane working on the new club tilted hard against a wall of Encore and knocked over one of the 26 cabanas on the project. Encore Beach Club and the adjoining Surrender nightclub are located in the former Encore porte-cochere. No one was reported injured in the incident.

A statement addressing the accident was released today by Wynn and Encore spokeswoman Jennifer Dunne:

"The crane incident appeared somewhat dramatic because we had to stop traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard that morning. But basically, a fairly standard maneuvering of the crane caused it to lean to the east and rest on the building. In the end, only minor cosmetic damages occurred. The opening of the Encore Beach Club will happen as planned, Memorial Day weekend."

Flowers and Flamingo

The Killers already have usurped literary and musical material from Sam's Town on Boulder Highway, and now front man Brandon Flowers is turning toward the Strip — at least by suggestion, using the name of one of its more famous hotels. According to the band's website, his first solo effort is titled, "Flamingo," and is "Coming Soon," as the site helpfully informs. Not sure if Harrah's officials are aware of the name of this release (and it seems unlikely they would be at this moment), but they are certainly aware "Flamingo" is the name of one of its hotels. When the Killers used "Sam's Town" as an album title, they made a financial agreement with hotel owner Boyd Gaming to use that term. But "Flamingo" is far more common, as the name of a large tropical bird, and the feeling is unless he uses familiar hotel images as album art — like pink-neon signage or pink flamingos from the property — he's probably OK, in a trademark-infringement sense.

Estefans honored

Gloria Estefan and her husband, Emilio, were honored with the 48th star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars today at Crown Theater inside the Rio. The Estefans are an example of star recipients who are not necessarily known as Vegas performers but whose supporters contributed $20,000 for the honor. Maybe we'll see the Estefans in some sort of recurring appearances at a Strip hotel, to play off this star momentum. If only there were, like, a South Beach, Latin-themed renovation project in the works somewhere on the Strip...

Cooling trend

In honor of Lily Tomlin's current appearances at MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre, two signs of intelligent life on the Las Vegas entertainment scene:

• The Composers' Showcase, continuing tonight at 10 at Liberace Museum, is celebrating its fifth anniversary. These hyper-hip events started at Suede in the loop of alternative clubs just south of Hard Rock Café on Paradise Road. I met Keith Thompson, now music director of "Jersey Boys," at the third of these shows. Thompson is still pulling the crew together for these monthly performances of some of the best on- and off-Strip artists playing original songs. It never disappoints — but don't go tonight because I want to find a seat.

• "Confessions of a Mormon Boy" has been extended at Onyx Theatre, home of great theater and maybe even an even greater inventory of adult products. Originally scheduled to run last weekend, the production is being held over through this weekend, too. Added dates are Friday through Monday. Hit the Onyx Theatre website for info.

Why did the barterer cross the road?

This afternoon I stopped into a Discount Tire on West Sahara Avenue for some new rubber. After I handed over my keys, I encountered an older couple who told me they'd been married (to each other) for 58 years. As they looked over prices for their own tires, the woman said, "Can I pay you in chickens?" The attendant, name of Sergio, halted for a moment and said, "Well, how many chickens?"

I intervened, saying she might need a truck full of chickens to pay for the tires, and the deal swiftly unraveled. But thanks anyway, Martin and Toby Espin, for a good laugh. Somehow it is appropriate that Martin is a member of the city's traffic and parking commission....