Plaza entertainer sues over show’s cancellation

Grace Leong

Friday, Sept. 22, 2000 | 10:05 a.m.

Kenny Kerr, longtime star and host of a female impersonator show at Jackie Gaughan's Plaza hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas, is fighting a legal battle with the current landlord of the Plaza Theater over the cancellation of his show.

The Kenny Kerr show, which has played at the Plaza since August 1998, ends its run Saturday. Mike Nolan, the Plaza's general manager, said he isn't aware of the show's next venue.

Kerr, the owner of KMA Group Corp., sued David Wright, former president of two allegedly defunct companies, Summitridge Entertainment Inc. and New Century Productions Inc. in Clark County District Court Wednesday, alleging they reneged on a contract that Kerr said allows Kerr to rent the showroom until March 31, 2001.

Kerr, who said he agreed on Aug. 13, 1998, to pay the defendants $1 for every paid patron of the show, alleged the defendants agreed last February to modify the contract such that it would be automatically renewable annually starting March 26, 1999, if Kerr paid the defendants $2 per patron instead.

Kerr, who filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in October 1999, said he "incurred great costs" in hiring artists to choreograph new show numbers, produce new costumes and wigs and also signed 16 one-year contracts with the entire cast of his show in the belief that his lease would be renewed for another year.

Kerr said Wright, who he claimed repeatedly delayed making the contract modifications and instead issued a termination notice to Kerr on Aug. 11 stating the last show will be Saturday, allegedly told Kerr he was in production for another show.

Wright declined comment on the allegations.