Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005 | 8:55 a.m.
When: 9 p.m. May 3-6; 8 p.m. May 7
Where: Las Vegas Hilton Theater
Tickets: $138 to $225
Information: 732-5755
The new owners of the Las Vegas Hilton have backed up their promise of making the resort an entertainment center by signing country music superstar Reba McEntire to a multiweek agreement in 2006.
McEntire, one of the most popular country performers in the nation since the early 1980s, will make her Hilton debut the week of May 3-7.
Tickets went on sale Saturday. Other scheduled dates include June 7-18 and July 19-30.
In March, pop icon Barry Manilow began a 24-week engagement, appearing at intervals through 2006 and into 2007.
"The Las Vegas Hilton, home of Barry Manilow, now welcomes another legend to our resort, continuing entertainment as a key element for this classic property," Hilton Executive Vice President Ken Ciancimino said in a prepared statement.
Resorts International, an affiliate of Colony Capital LLC, purchased the Hilton last year and has begun renovating the property -- both structurally and its entertainment.
"We are committed to a strong entertainment policy," Hilton spokesman Ira David Sternberg said.
In addition to Manilow in the showroom, where McEntire will perform, comedian David Brenner is a headliner in the Shimmer Cabaret.
The Shimmer also has been the temporary home of Delisco, who gained national attention when he won the reality TV series competition "The Entertainer," hosted by Wayne Newton.
Coming to Shimmer in February is "Menopause the Musical." And the 1,200-seat showroom will be home to other headliners on dates not occupied by Manilow and McEntire, including entertainers such as Johnny Mathis.
Sternberg left open the possibility that there could be other multiweek agreements with other performers in the future.
"We're always in discussion with various entertainers," Sternberg said.
However, he noted that in 2006 there are not a lot of openings in the schedule.
"We have some weekends available for someone like Donna Summer or Johnny Mathis," Sternberg said. He added that discussions between the Hilton and McEntire began shortly after Manilow signed his agreement.
"Her agent, Rod Essig with Creative Artists, and our entertainment director, Eric D'Richards, have known each other for a long time," Sternberg said. "They began informal discussions about the possibility of Reba coming here, and then the discussions became more formal."
Sternberg said McEntire, a native of Oklahoma, has strong crossover appeal.
"Just as Barry as a wide range of fans," he said. "She is an artist who appeals not to just one specific group."
Sternberg says her popular WB sitcom, "Reba," has a wide base of fans. The TV series is beginning its fifth season.
McEntire, at a press conference last week, said she tapes the show from August through March. Her engagement at the Hilton will take place while the show is on hiatus.
She said she normally does a concert tour when she isn't working on the TV series. This year, instead of being on the road, she will be at the Hilton.
"That's my kind of touring," she said, "staying in one place."
McEntire, who starred in "Annie Get Your Gun" on Broadway for six months in 2001, said she is looking forward to getting off the road.
"I have a 15-year-old son who will soon turn 16," she said. "To have one place to stay, where you're not touring all over the country so you can be focused on one place is better for family life -- I'm going to enjoy it an awful lot."
If the multiweek engagement works out, McEntire says, she would seriously consider repeating it.
"I got spoiled by my TV series," she said. "The same dressing room, the same city, the same hours -- to have that normalcy and regularity is not something I have had in my singing career.
"We will see how this first year goes, and if I really like it, I will talk more about it."
Manilow has said he was tired of the wear-and-tear of touring. McEntire agrees that it is tough.
"I started touring in 1976," she said. "That's a lot of miles and a lot of different venues and dressing rooms. It wears on you.
"I talked to Barry Manilow about his arrangement here, and he loves it."
McEntire says her performance will be pretty much like her concerts on the road.
"I'm not Elton John or Celine Dion," she said.
Music for the Hilton engagement will largely be drawn from her latest album, "Reba #1's."
"It's my 30th album, and it has 33 No. 1 hits, and two brand-new songs," McEntire said.
Her concert, "Key to the Heart," is being sponsored by Whirlpool to help increase awareness of Habitat for Humanity, an organization that builds homes for families in need. McEntire said she has worked with it for many years.
Among McEntire's many hits are "You Lie," "Fancy," "Fallin' Out of Love," "Somebody Should Leave" and "Rumor Has It."
Jerry Fink can be reached at 259-4058 or at [email protected].
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