Columnist Joe Delaney: Celtic ‘Lord of the Dance’ taptoes into the sunset

Joe Delaney

Thursday, July 25, 2002 | 8:14 a.m.

"Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance" ends a successful four-year stand Sunday in New York-New York's Broadway Theatre ... At last report, the Flatley production based on an old Celtic legend was doing good enough business to warrant continuance ... It will be replaced by a Cirque du Soleil production that we understand will be ready after a theater revision.

A recent e-mail purportedly from an agency representing the Reservation Company, an online booking company based in New York City, listed "Lord of the Dance" as second only to "Blue Man Group: Live at Luxor" as the most requested Las Vegas show ticket ... The renaissance of Irish dancing began with a six-minute segment on a Eurovision song contest a decade or so ago.

The "Riverdance" segment was developed into a full-scale production with Flatley as choreographer and lead dancer ... Flatley was summarily let go the day before "Riverdance" made its London debut and proceeded to develop the concept that became "Lord of the Dance," a world-wide phenomenon in its own right.

"Storm" is also scheduled to close at Mandalay Bay on Sunday ... It has had a 15-month run, longer than the unrelated collection of random Hispanic song-and-dance numbers deserved ... Absent a marquee name, it was dead in the water from the beginning ... Management should have learned from its experience with "Chicago," after its marquee star power was diminished.

Look for the return of Kenny Kerr with a new updated edition of "Boy-lesque" as the 10:30 p.m. show at Blue Note Las Vegas in mid-August ... Kerr is a first-rate comedian, in drag or not ... Kerr opened the door in Las Vegas for "An Evening at La Cage," starring Frank Marino as Joan Rivers, a long-term winner at Riviera.

Dining and dancing special: Catch the Mellowtones, a 22-piece orchestra made up of accomplished musicians who are also accomplished accountants, engineers and music teachers, among other occupations ... They perform from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays at Gustav Mauler's OXO Restaurant at JW Marriott ... The basic sound is Big Band; the repertoire, very extensive.

Star-policy rundown

It's Gladys Knight (Flamingo Las Vegas); Boz Scaggs, Saturday only (Hard Rock); Mac King afternoons, Clint Holmes evenings (Harrah's); Righteous Brothers, 8 p.m., Eddie Griffin, 10:30 p.m. (LV Hilton); Blue Man Group (Luxor); and Engelbert Humperdinck, plus Rick Springfield starring in "EFX Alive" followed by Jay Leno (MGM Grand).

There's more: Darren Romeo afternoons, Siegfried & Roy evenings, plus Danny Gans in another theater (Mirage); Lance Burton (Monte Carlo); Rita Rudner (New York-New York); Louie Anderson (Orleans); Ronn Lucas afternoons, Scintas evenings, plus Penn & Teller in the Samba Theatre (Rio); Marlene Ricci (Riviera); and Bellamy Brothers, Saturday only (Silverton).

And still more: "Bravo" starring Charo, and Steve Wyrick, in separate theaters (Sahara); Wayne Newton (Stardust); Jack Jones (Suncoast); Fabian, Saturday only (Texas Station); Rick Thomas (Tropicana); and Melinda, First Lady of Magic (Venetian) ... Friday night jazz fans know the action is at Pogo's, under the aegis of Irv Kluger.

Ralph Sutton was one of the finest jazz pianists, all styles, through the years ... We lost Ralph over the year-end holidays ... His widow Sunnie is continuing with a third Rocky Mountain Jazz party, Aug. 30 through Sept. 1, in Denver at the Marriott Center ... This year it will be a special celebration for Ralph with an all-star assemblage of top jazz players.

John Allred, Keter Betts, Frankie Capp, Kenny Davern, Johnny Frigo, Scott Hamilton, Jake Hanna, Dick Hyman, Jack Lesberg, George Masso, Bucky Pizzarelli, Randy Sandke, Arvell Shaw, Joe Temperly, Ross Tompkins, Joe Wilder and Warren Vache will be among those performing ... Call Sunnie at (303) 838-4240 for details.

More good jazz locally: Bill Trujillo Quartet, Fridays and Saturdays (Anthem Sun City Trumpets Lounge); Ronnie DiFillips, Jimmy Russell and Chuck Diamond, Saturdays (Zodie's on East Flamingo); Lon Bronson, Saturdays late (Riviera); Rocky Gordon Jazz Brunch Sundays (Gordon Biersch Brewery); and Gus Mancuso, Bob Badgley and Santo Savino Mondays (The Bootlegger).

Congrats, Tony and Darlene Sacca, their "Entertainment Las Vegas Style" soon to start its 17th year on KTNV Channel 13, ABC locally ... Saturday, following the 11 p.m. news, Sacca will host a special program with Mayor Oscar Goodman, Lance Burton, Charo, Danny Gans, Clint Holmes, Tony Orlando, Rita Rudner and the Scintas, among others.

In addition to his popular Tuesday noon broadcasts on KDWN-720 AM radio, Ira David Sternberg has added a 1:30 p.m. Saturday hour, "Traveling Nevada," live from different Nevada towns and cities ... Please support the Sun Summer Camp Fund; tax-deductible, send every possible kid to camp ... See you Friday.