Review:

Gordie Brown: A show stuck in time

Gordie Brown’s act aimed at those who haven’t kept up

Steve Marcus / las vegas sun

Gordie Brown finds much of the material for his show at the Golden Nugget in the pop culture of the 1990s. He also does impressions of Vegas staples such as the Rat Pack, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.

By Joe Brown (contact)

Monday, June 15, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Gordie Brown

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Who: Singer-comedian-impressionist Gordie Brown
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, dark Monday and Sunday
Where: Gordie Brown Showroom at the Golden Nugget
Admission: $43.95-$109.95; 386-8100, www.goldennugget.com
Running time: About 90 minutes
Audience advisory: For the very easily amused; slowest-loading theater in town

Original song is Gordie Brown's tribute to Danny Gans (5-16-2009)
Gordie Brown is back at home at the Golden Nugget (3-27-2009)

Archive of Sun comedy stories

Gordie Brown

There are thousands of hardworking showbiz people in Las Vegas. But the hardest jobs may belong to the five musicians who have to stand behind impressionist Gordie Brown and act as if they think his shtick is funny or even amusing. Night after night.

Imagine a world in which YouTube, “The Soup,” “The Daily Show,” even “Saturday Night Live” never existed.

That’s Gordie Brown’s world, a place where pop culture pressed “pause” at about the time of “Achy Breaky Heart,” Hootie & the Blowfish and “Forrest Gump.”

If the mere mention of those names makes you chuckle, well, this could be the show for you.

Brown does in fact acknowledge that we have a new president (who talks ... very ... deliberately), and a former president (who was, apparently, very dumb). But for the most part he’s peddling stale nostalgia. Dick Cheney hunting jokes. Britney kissing Madonna jokes. “Fantasy Island’s” Tattoo jokes.

Vanilla Ice jokes, for crying out loud.

The bulk of Brown’s act consists of singing impressions, tweaking lyrics, playground style, in the voice of the artist he’s attempting to evoke.

He nods to Strip contemporaries Tom Jones and Santana (turning “Smooth” into a limerick about plastic surgery). And he makes a momentary and contemptuous attempt at acknowledging the existence of contemporary music, aping not-so-fresh hits by Eminem, Usher and Green Day.

Some of Brown’s physical impressions come fairly close, and he’s at his best conjuring fellow comedians or actors. His Joan Rivers, Ray Romano, Robin Williams, Nicolas Cage, Robert DeNiro and Jack Nicholson were all right on — but he gives them nothing really funny to say.

Here’s a good place to note that plenty of people sitting around me were in hysterics, nearly aspirating in glee. And the crowd rewarded Brown with the obligatory standing ovation.

The comic shows some flashes of spontaneity — he ad-libs quite a bit, and the cleverest moments came when he meandered the aisles, fitting the lyrics to a “Phantom of the Opera” tune according to the occupations of audience members.

But most of it is Stripshtick by the numbers, a weak, lower-priced version of what Danny Gans was doing. Brown clicks through all the usual suspects: The Rat Pack, check. Louis Armstrong, got it, and of course Michael Jackson, yup. Elvis, natch, doing — you guessed it — “Suspicious Minds” and “My Way.”

The ads for Brown’s show make a big deal of the fact that Celine Dion chose him to be the opening act for a portion of her world tour. One can only surmise that she gave him the nod out of loyalty to a fellow Canadian (Brown is from Montreal).

A quick and kinetic performer, Brown is obviously intelligent. And he’s certainly aware that his current act is a museum piece.

“Quick, get out your iPhone,” he joked to an apparently puzzled-looking young woman in the audience. “I’m giving you time to Google ‘Dean Martin.’ ”

But Brown has clearly made a calculated choice to play in the shallow end. He could be much better than this.

Discussion: 4 comments so far…

By Our_Linn

6/16/09 at 1:31 p.m.

Suggest removal

The Las Vegas Sun: A paper stuck in time.
By snyderm

6/16/09 at 5:23 p.m.

Suggest removal

Whatever Joe, it doesn't have to be new to be funny. Gordie is hilarious and I would have recommended his show over Danny Gans' any day.

But maybe I'm just easily amused.

Besides, it was Danny Gans' old impressions that got the biggest laughs (which, by the way, were most of the show). When he tried to "freshen" his act with newer impersonations it came across as forced and only kind of funny.
By janvic

6/16/09 at 9:10 p.m.

Suggest removal

I totally disagree with you--4 of us saw Gordie
Brown last week and he was absolutely terrific--we had seen him in the past and he and his show are much improved. Two of the people we went with are ill and it was so wonderful to watch how much they were enjoying Gordie and his show--he certainly lifted their spirits!!! I always felt he was a much better all round entertainer than Danny Gans.
By calidude

6/17/09 at 7:54 a.m.

Suggest removal

I would have to disagree with you Joe Brown. Comparing Gordie Brown to Danny Gans is like comparing a Volkswagen to a Ferrari...Both cars but clearly in two different leagues. I've seen Danny's show and have to say I fell asleep numerous times. So unoriginal and uninspiring. His impressions were good and yes Joe Brown quite a few were "dated" and even worse he was doing the jokes of the people he was impersonating while claiming to write his own material. Hmmm...Are we just a bit biased Joe Brown? I've seen Gordie's show as well. Sure there is "dated" material. But with a twist, funny, and ALWAYS original. I mean you can't do 90 min of just current artists when you have such a diverse crowd to please. Gordie's show has something for everyone to enjoy. No matter the age. While in Vegas this is one show I would not miss.