Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

LOOKING IN ON: ENTERTAINMENT

You can watch Amazing Johnathan's special at 10 p.m. Saturday on Comedy Central, or you can see him in person in the Congo Room at the Sahara six nights a week.

Either way, you're in for a lot of laughs - or cringing, if you cringe at anything politically incorrect.

The title of the one-hour special, filmed Sept. 1 at the landmark Hudson Theater in New York City, is "Wrong on Every Level."

That pretty much sums up Amazing Johnathan. He isn't a great magician, but then magic isn't what the former street performer is all about. His goal is to make you laugh, and he's great at that.

Johnathan has been a Vegas staple for more than six years and has moved all over town - the Golden Nugget, the Flamingo, the Riviera. But he can't escape his fans.

They find him wherever his seemingly demented mind and twisted sense of humor end up.

If you aren't sure about his act, you might check out the special, which will be repeated several times, to see if you find his humor revolting enough for your tastes.

Johnathan is supposed to reveal some of his new routines during the TV show, but it can't possibly match the live performances, in which he interacts with audiences, making each show a bit different from the rest.

There are the set bits - bringing a volunteer onto the stage and spending the evening insulting him; a ditsy assistant named Psychic Tanya; magic that doesn't work and some that does.

But he has added a few jokes, a few new pieces since I last saw the show.

He deleted one thing I always laughed at - stapling a card to the forehead of Psychic Tanya. A couple of years ago the gag went awry. Somehow the staple gun was loaded with actual staples and Tanya almost lost an eye.

Details: 10 p.m., Fridays through Wednesdays; Sahara's Congo Room; $60.39; 737-2515

"Bottoms Up"

Finally, after two years, Breck Walls' "Bottoms Up" has resurfaced, this time at Fitzgerald's.

Since arriving in Las Vegas in 1964 (after more than five years in Dallas), "Bottoms Up" has been all over town - most recently at the Flamingo, where it closed in October 2004.

A couple of other local shows are billed as being burlesque, but they are only pretenders. This is the real deal.

Puns will have you groaning throughout the production, which has been downsized because of the smaller stage - instead of six dancers there are three.

Gennifer Flowers - Bill Clinton's old flame - has been brought onboard for at least six months. Flowers, who recently moved to Las Vegas, does a bawdy routine that is funny but is only a small part of the show.

Details: 7 p.m., Thursdays through Mondays; Fitzgerald's Showroom; $21.95 and $30.75; (800) 595-4849

"Crazy Girls"

This long-running topless show at the Riviera offers everything from jiggling to juggling.

Producer Norbert Aleman, who also created "La Cage," has revamped the almost 20-year-old revue to make it edgier. The latest cast is sexier and more well-endowed than some of the earlier dancers and there is less lip-syncing, much to the producer's credit.

It was a nice surprise to see that Nino Frediani, once billed as the world's fastest juggler (and may still be for all I know) is still with the show.

Frediani is legally blind, but that doesn't seem to have slowed him down, although it must be frustrating to be a blind man in a show full of topless women.

Details: 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays; Riviera's Crazy Girls Showroom; $38.45 and $66; 794-9433

"Plaid Tidings"

The Christmas version of "Forever Plaid" opened Wednesday at the Gold Coast.

If you like the charming non-Yule production, you should love "Plaid Tidings." The seasonal favorite has all the nostalgia of the regular show plus the warmth of the Christmas spirit.

It runs through Dec. 31.

In the original play, the group was brought back to life for one night to perform the show - popular songs from the '50s and '60s - they never got to perform in life. In "Plaid Tidings," they have been resurrected once more, but they have no idea why. The group soon discovers a strong urge to break into holiday songs.

Details: 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays; 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 31; Gold Coast Showroom; $43.95; 367-7111

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