Poof! Amazing Johnathan makes good taste disappear

Friday, March 7, 2003 | 9:31 a.m.

Who: The Amazing Johnathan.

When: 10 p.m. Fridays through Wednesdays. Dark Thursdays.

Where: Flamingo Las Vegas Showroom.

Tickets: $46.50, $57.50.

Information: (702) 733-3333.

Rating (out of five stars): ****

A lot can be said for the humor of the Amazing Johnathan, a former street magician who honed his skills at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.

Sadistic, vulgar, sexist and racist are a few words that come immediately to mind.

Hilarious is another.

But Johnathan isn't for everyone.

Some are turned off by the caustic comic's liberal use of the "F" word and other obscenities, and by his making light of drug use, AIDS and homosexuality, among other topics.

To say the least, political correctness is nowhere in sight during a performance by the 44-year-old comedian at Flamingo Las Vegas.

If you find nothing funny about Johnathan driving a pair of scissors into the head of his dim-witted, blindfolded assistant, Psychic Tanya, you might not want to attend this show.

But I laugh every time I see him staple playing cards over Tanya's eyes to keep her honest when she insists on proving that she has psychic powers.

Apparently there are enough politically incorrect fans of his macabre wit that Johnathan succeeded in packing the 400-seat showroom at the Golden Nugget night after night for 18 months.

The more well-known comedian David Brenner and singer Tony Orlando failed to generate enough business to hold their interest in the downtown venue.

In January, Johnathan began a year's run at the Flamingo, where he performs in a 700-seat showroom.

Not a lot has changed in his production from when it was at the Nugget, although there seems to be less blood and gore (he didn't slash his arm in a recent show at the Flamingo) and a greater emphasis on humor.

Also gone is the opening video, which shows scenes of infants spitting up.

In its place is opening act Corey Pollock, a slight-of-hand magician whom Johnathan skewers later in the show ("He sucks so bad").

Many of Johnathan's routines and jokes have been brought to the Flamingo:

Penny Wiggins, who plays the role of Psychic Tanya, was with Johnathan at the Nugget. He was smart to bring the "dumb blonde" with him. She is an integral part of the show and a delight to watch as she performs such business as chasing a banana extended from her hat with a stick.

Wiggins, who started her performing career as a clown, has extensive experience in comedy and is a perfect foil for the exasperated Johnathan.

"Why did everybody want to play with the mushroom?" Tanya asks after Johnathan reluctantly gives her permission to tell a joke. "Because they said he was a nice guy."

"A fungi, a fun-guy," Johnathan impatiently explains to her. "They said the mushroom was a fungi."

If you are looking for a magic show, you probably should go see Lance Burton or Siegfried & Roy.

Although the Amazing Johnathan bills himself as a magician, magic is an almost insignificant part of his performance. The entertainment value comes from the off-the-wall, and frequently off-color, cutting-edge, anti-establishment comedy that has become Johnathan's trademark.

An announcement that opens the show warns the audience to be aware that the performance contains "graphic masturbation sketches and tap dancing crack babies."

Now that's funny. Sick, but funny.com