Andy Walmsley hopes ‘ENTSpeaks’ will be the talk of the town

By John Katsilometes

Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014 | 6:15 p.m.

Those who live and work in the Las Vegas entertainment industry have fascinating, and in many cases untold, stories.

But don’t take my word for it.

Take theirs.

Debuting Oct. 21 at Inspire Theater on Fremont East is “ENTSpeaks: Entertainers You Think You Know,” which as the name hints is a speaker series featuring Las Vegas entertainers, or those connected to that culture.

The red carpet (necessary because it would be pointless to invite Las Vegas entertainers to anything unless they can walk along a red carpet) is 8:30 p.m., and the presentation is at 10. The production has been created by Andy Walmsley, the Emmy Award-winning set designer honored for his work on “American Idol” who has built staging for several Las Vegas shows (Human Nature at Venetian’s Sands Showroom and Frank Marino’s “Divas Las Vegas” at the Quad Showroom among them). Walmsley also is known in town for his trio of “Showbiz Roast” productions, all at the Stratosphere, and as a guy who just loves a quality Las Vegas hang.

Therefore, he is a man after our own heart. Though the list of guests to the invitation-only presentation will be capped at about 200, the theater capacity, a post-show party is set that is expected to fill Inspire Theater. That will please venue proprietor Michael Cornthwaite, who is in partnership with Walmsley on what the producer hopes will grow to a four-time-a-year event.

Of course, Walmsley had similar hopes with the “Showbiz Roast,” but the “ENTSpeaks” format seems an easier sell for Las Vegas entertainers who are permitted a block of time to simply address the audience. Walmsley is putting up his own money for this first show in hopes he can secure a corporate sponsor for the next event.

If that can’t happen, hey, maybe sell a vehicle to keep this baby running. As he is with all of his projects, Walmsley is impassioned about the concept of “ENTSpeaks.”

“I was wracking my brain to think of a new show concept that I can do three or four times a year and never run out of local entertainers who will want to take part,” Walmsley says. “At the same time, I had been watching a lot of public-speaking videos on YouTube. Fast-forward to a conversation I was having in a bar about the Las Vegas show business social circle, where we all know each other very well, but the truth is we actually don’t really know each other at all, just surface stuff.

“So that made me think how cool would it be if entertainers we all think we know had the opportunity to just talk about themselves and reveal things their friends and peers just don't know.”

Drawing inspiration from the Ted Talks series — and, in fact, borrowing generously from that presentation’s very format — Walmsley has sketched out a 90-minute show with six or seven subjects talking for 15 minutes apiece about their lives. Five speakers for the Oct. 21 show are in place: Mary Wilson of The Supremes, legendary comedian Marty Allen, comic magician The Amazing Johnathan, producer Jeff Kutash (who brought “Splash” to the Riviera) and Olympic synchronized swimmer Christina Jones (now with “O” at Bellagio).

Pia Zadora had originally agreed to be in the inaugural show but won’t be medically cleared to appear onstage as she continues to recover from head and ankle injuries she suffered as she was thrown from a golf cart near her home in Summerlin on Sept. 11. Walmsley is still seeking a speaker or two to take the stage in the inaugural show, which has supplanted (for now) his work on “Showbiz Roast.”

Walmsley has for months been attempting to persuade Las Vegas stars to sit for a fourth roast, reaching out to notables ranging from star headliners to civic leaders, to no avail. In June, Walmsley produced a charity/variety show for Las Vegas singer Jerry Jones at the Palms. As in that instance, the concept and creation of “ENTSpeaks” was executed fast, less than three weeks from the “lightbulb moment,” as Walmsley calls it, to a firm date and site.

Bringing a sense of Vintage Vegas flair to Fremont East is a fine idea, as many of the speaking subjects will be in Strip productions and rarely make the trek to downtown Las Vegas.

Walmsley is confident the concept will gain momentum over the next several weeks.

“I have a venue and a stellar cast with several people already lined up for the second show in 2015.”

Of course. And if you are a noteworthy performer, producer, artist or otherwise famous person in Las Vegas, “ENTSpeaks” might well become the new “Love Boat.” Eventually, everyone will take a voyage.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.