Columnist Joe Delaney: Laughter abounds in showrooms around town

Joe Delaney

Friday, April 27, 2001 | 8:52 a.m.

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

Comedy is king -- and queen -- in Las Vegas this last weekend in April ... David Brenner and his "real life comedy" has an energized show going in the Casino Center area at the Golden Nugget ... Brenner's act is that evening's funny side of the news, told with humor, wit and irreverence ... No two performances are the same, although Brenner has a proven act and occasionally will reprise a special segment ... He has been extended there through Oct. 31.

Las Vegas' new Queen of Comedy is Rita Rudner, ensconced in the new 425-seat Cabaret Theatre at New York-New York ... Rudner, despite her demure demeanor and soft-spoken approach, has a deceptive delivery, with laugh lines that may take a second before they detonate ... Jerry Seinfeld, a good friend, said her material is "the haiku of comedy."

Two more comedic specialists, just in for the weekend: Dennis Miller (Paris Las Vegas), a caustic commentator, a latter-day and more-graphic Mort Sahl, a better comedian than a television football commentator so far ... Jeff Foxworthy has numerous ways to tell you whether you are a redneck ... Foxworthy is in the Rio Samba Theatre; both are in through Saturday.

Laughs play a large part in the performances of impressionists, especially in the cases of Danny Gans (Mirage), Bill Acosta (Flamingo Las Vegas), and Andre-Philippe Gagnon (Venetian) ... This is also true with "Stars of the Strip" (Lady Luck), starring Robbie Howard and the Walkers, plus "Viva Las Vegas" (Stratosphere), co-starring Dave Swan, who does Tom Jones, Bruce Michelson as "Big John" and Golden Joe Baker's classic Elvis Presley.

"The Scintas," two brothers and a sister plus a drummer, are enhanced in their new venue, the Rio's Copacabana showroom ... "The Scintas" do impressions extremely well, but they are also tumult comedians in the style of such great groups of the past as the Vagabonds, Happy Jesters and Novelites ... You will never leave a "Scintas" show unfulfilled.

There are two new comedy clubs in town: Catch A Rising Star, with co-headliners doing more time ... Steve White and Rich Brown are there this weekend ... "The Second City," born in Chicago, has nine talented comedy actors who rotate with five onstage each show doing sketches and improvisations, funny stuff but different from the other comedy clubs.

The regulars and this week's lineups are Harrah's Improv (Jeremy Hotz, Bruce Smirnoff and Arnold Mukai); Riviera Comedy Club (Diane Ford, Stanley Ullman and Jim McHugh); and the Tropicana Comedy Stop (John Fox, Dan Wilson and Patrick O'Donnell) ... Ford is one of the very few female comics who Jerry Lewis said was funny.

There are female impressionist-comedians: Kenny Kerr (New Frontier) and Frank Marino as Joan Rivers (Riviera's "An Evening at La Cage") plus a rather graphic female comedian, also at the Riviera in the "Crazy Girls" show, Carole Montgomery.

"The Best of Bottoms Up" is a rapid-paced revue, heavy on comedy, starring Breck Wall, David Harris, Sue Motsinger and Billy Smith, a hilarious, sometimes-bawdy romp, afternoons (Flamingo Las Vegas) ... Comedy magic is Mac King's strong suit, also in the afternoons (Harrah's) as is the case with recent arrival, comedy-juggler Michael Holly (Sahara Congo Room).

Don't overlook musical humorist and droll wit Pete Barbutti, evenings in the Plaza's "Naked Angels" show ... Well worth the cab fare from the Strip to Casino Center.

Weekend wrap-up

"Tiger Jam IV," a benefit for the Tiger Woods Foundation, Saturday (Mandalay Bay) and "Danny Gans and Friends," a benefit for the Lili Claire UNLV Life Skills Center (Mirage), both on Saturday, plus the Joe Williams Memorial Scholarship Fundraising Concert for Community College of Southern Nevada with Jack Jones, Marlena Shaw and Barbutti as emcee, 3 p.m. Sunday (Blue Note Las Vegas) ... See you next Thursday.