Columnist Joe Delaney: Magic overload may soon occur on the Strip

Joe Delaney

Friday, Oct. 8, 1999 | 9:57 a.m.

Joe Delaney's column appears Thursdays and Fridays . Reach him at joe@vegas.com or 259-4066.

David Copperfield, top annual money earner as a practitioner of the illusionary arts, returns to the Caesars Palace Circus Maximus this evening and will be appearing, disappearing and reappearing there through Oct. 31. ... Remember, Copperfield works solo and Siegfried & Roy at the Mirage are a duo; in addition, he doesn't have to maintain a menagerie.

With Steve Wyrick moving from the Lady Luck in Casino Center to the Sahara early in 2000 there could be as many as five main showrooms featuring magic and illusions at the same time with Lance Burton, Copperfield, Penn & Teller, Siegfried & Roy and Wyrick working in town.

"Spellbound," starring Joaquin Ayala, will depart Harrah's at the end of the year with Clint Holmes taking over the showroom. ... Alain Choquette, who also deserves a room here, leaves Paris Las Vegas in December with "Notre Dame de Paris" scheduled to open the latter part of January.

Rat Pack stays

Contrary to rumors, "The Rat Pack Is Back" has been extended until Dec. 5 at the Desert Inn. ... Don Rickles is back in the D.I. Crystal Room through Sunday. ... What do Rickles, Paul Anka (Mirage) and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (Orleans) have in common? ... Each act has starred in Las Vegas over the past three decades.

Returning to magic, the wonderful Pendragons are currently headlining in Caesars Magical Empire, which will be continued at least through the end of the year. ... After that, it will be up to Park Place, Caesars owners-to-be, to decide whether to keep the concept, which is operating at a profit or convert that space into something with a higher profit potential.

Attention, Michel LeGrand fans: LeGrand and Parisian songstress favorite Liane Foly will be appearing in Paris Las Vegas' Les Theatre des Arts tonight and Saturday; Choquette resumes there on Sunday.

Vinyl convention

Recent inductees into the Tropicana Casino Legends Hall of Fame, Mary Kaye and her brother, Norman, (Mary Kaye Trio) will appear Saturday and Sunday at the third annual Vinylmania Show at Caesars Palace. ... Mary and Norman will be signing autographs and chatting with fans, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. ... Vinyl refers to the 33 1/3- and 45-rpm long-play records and albums enjoying a comeback among record collectors.

More than 65 large record dealers from around the world will be represented. ... This could be a wonderful opportunity for collectors to replace worn-out long-play albums and singles.

Speaking of recordings, Tony Bennett's latest CD and cassette release, "Bennett Sings (Duke) Ellington," featuring Wynton Marsalis, trumpet, Al Grey, trombone, and the Ralph Sharon Quartet with Gray Sargent on guitar, is a sure bet for multiple Grammy nominations next spring.

Weekend specials

MGM Grand's Studio B will be the locale for the Elvis Presley Auction, Friday through Sunday. ... More than 2,000 items will be auctioned. ... Proceeds will go to establish a building fund for Presley Place, a transitional housing development in Memphis. ... This is an opportunity for Presley fans to own a piece of entertainment history.

World champion figure skaters, including Kristi Yamaguchi, Elvis Stojko, Phillippe Candeloro and Todd Eldridge, will perform and pay tribute to the music of Barry Manilow, 8 p.m. Saturday in the Mandalay Bay Events Center. ... Manilow will be on hand that evening as the program will be taped for an NBC special airing Oct. 23.

KLVX Channel 10's annual "Splendor in the Glass" Benefit Wine Tasting takes place Saturday, 3-7 p.m. at the Tropicana. ... Las Vegan Nelson Sardelli headlines the Reno Italian Festival, Eldorado hotel, this weekend.

Friday addenda

Nevada Theatre Company's "Baltimore Waltz" continues this weekend and next (Clark County Library on Flamingo); CCSN has two dramas, "Accidental Death of a Tourist," Nicholas Horn Theatre, and "Death Trap," Cheyenne Campus Little Theatre, also this weekend and next. ... UNLV's "Kiss Of The Spider Woman -- The Musical" concludes this weekend in the Judy Bayley Theatre. ... Times vary so be sure to call first.

Check out the monthlong celebration of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, starting Saturday, presented by Saks Fifth Avenue and the Fashion Show mall, at the mall. ... Events are free. ... Trumpeter Conti Candoli is the Riviera Monday Jazz Night attraction. ... The Count Basie Band was merely magnificent at the Riviera last Tuesday. ... See you next Thursday.