Columnist Joe Delaney: New shows breathing life into New Frontier

Joe Delaney

Thursday, Aug. 16, 2001 | 8:26 a.m.

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

"Thunder From Down Under" is energizing the makeshift New Frontier showroom ... All signs point to a long-term winner ... Four other shows are benefitting by the Australian troupe's successful start ... David Darkstone and his "Illusions & Beyond," with special guest variety entertainer Will Roya, performs at noon and 2 p.m., dark Mondays.

Chris Davidson, of the Elvis-A-Rama museum, has three shows with Johnny Edwards as Elvis Presley at 4 p.m., and Tim Welch as a different Elvis at 7 p.m. ... "Ol' Blue Eyes" is a Frank Sinatra Tribute with Jed Profeta as Sinatra, Johnny Edwards as Dean Martin and Justin Shandor as the young Elvis at 5:30 p.m. ... Prices range from $12.95-$34.95 for "Thunder From Down Under."

With the exception of the Darkstone show, which offers a $3 discount to Nevadans with a valid driver's license, there are no discount coupons, as is the case with many of the shows today ... New Frontier shows are marketed to special groups and bus tours, with tours of the Elvis-A-Rama museum included, plus the possibility of lunch or dinner at a small increase in price.

We were in Galway, Ireland, on Aug. 16, 1977, preparing to film "Joe Delaney's Ireland, Family Style" and first saw the news of Presley's demise on the front page of the Irish Times ... Irish television had an excellent hour on Elvis that evening with film clips of "The Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey Stage Show" on CBS, and the "The Ed Sullivan Show's" "above-the-waist" performance.

Twenty-four years later there are at least nine Elvis impressionists doing business in Las Vegas ... Thanks to its special marketing methods and New Frontier tie-ins, "Elvis-A-Rama" is in a profit mode after a slow start ... The latest Elvis: James Rompel, this weekend, at Castaways.

Cirque du Soleil has two of the hottest production shows in town, at Bellagio and Treasure Island ... The reports we've read have the Cirque brain trust preparing a spectacle to accompany Celine Dion when she opens in the Caesars Palace Colosseum in 2003 ... Won't Steve Wynn's primary entertainment spectacle at his forthcoming property also be by Cirque du Soleil?

Success begets imitations in Las Vegas ... Siegfried & Roy opened the door here for other practitioners of the illusionary arts ... Rich Little may have been the first successful impressionist headliner here, but it was Danny Gans who made impressions second only to magic as a Las Vegas star-policy attraction.

Now Justin Tranz's "Hip-nosis, Playing With Your Head" (O'Sheas), which pretty much had the comedy-hypnotism field to itself here, is no longer alone ... "Dr. Naughty, X-Rated Comedy Hypnotist" has become a fixture at Bourbon Street ... Hypnotist Victoria Wayne (Casino Royale) and Benjamin the Wildman of Hypnosis (Howard Johnson on West Tropicana Avenue) are the latest contenders.

Star-policy rundown

It's Bill Acosta (Flamingo Las Vegas); David Brenner and the Amazing Johnathan, 8 and 10 p.m., respectively (Golden Nugget); Mac King, afternoons, and Clint Holmes, evenings (Harrah's); Sheena Easton (LV Hilton); Blue Man Group (Luxor); Tom Jones (MGM Grand); Siegfried & Roy and Danny Gans in separate theaters (Mirage); and Lance Burton (Monte Carlo).

Plus Rita Rudner (New York-New York); Penn & Teller, the Scintas and Earl Turner, in different theaters (Rio); Wayne Newton (Stardust); Rick Thomas (Tropicana) and Melinda, First Lady of Magic (Venetian) ... Friday only at 8 p.m. Patti Page is performing at Texas Station.

Singer Perry Como left us recently and good friend Johnny Farrow sent us a story about Como's first big break ... Como was the vocalist with the Ted Weems Orchestra, circa late 1930s ... Farrow was a song plugger in Manhattan at the time and was pushing Como to go on his own as a singer ... Weems' band was in New York and Farrow took Como to meet his boss Georgie Joy.

Joy offered Como a contract with RCA Victor if Como would sign with his office ... Como agreed and a record session was set up ... Joy was hot on one song and Como didn't care for it at all ... Joy said Como would have to record the song or both contracts would be cancelled ... Reluctantly, Como agreed ... The song: "Till The End Of Time," his career launcher.

Farrow's second love is golf ... He and his late wife, Terry, moved here some years ago .... Farrow is best known for writing the music for Marty Symes' lyric on "I Have But One Heart," sung by Al Martino in "The Godfather, Part III."

An Appreciation

Maceo Edward Anderson, age 90, hung up his dancing shoes for the last time on July 5 ... He was an original member of the famous Four Step Brothers along with another Las Vegan, Prince Spencer, still with us ... The Four Step Brothers were appreciated the world over and were featured in films, on television and appeared with the top acts, especially in Las Vegas.

The Little Steps, Four Steps and a Miss, the 3rd Generation Steps and the Little Little Steps were all developed by Anderson and several of the groups were featured on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon ... The Little Little Steps also appeared with Liberace at the Las Vegas Hilton ... In 1995 he received his calling and became a minister ... Rest well, Maceo.