by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

Well, gang, I re-visited two very wonderful performers the other week and went away fully entertained. See, my quandary was simple - Nancy Barr's (my best friend) grandkids were in from California and we had to entertain them. The kids, Caitlyn (11) and Devon (10) naturally couldn't be taken to any nightclubs, nor could we really take them to a majority of the shows on the Las Vegas entertainment scene. But there were two shows we knew were family-type shows that they would enjoy - Gregory Popovich's Comedy Pet Theatre at the "V" Theatre inside the Miracle Mile Mall at Planet Hollywood, and Master Magician Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo.

But first, just a friendly reminder about the Norman Kaye Tribute / Benefit Show, which will be this Sunday, beginning at NOON and going until 3 p.m. inside the showroom at The Orleans Hotel & Casino. As of this writing, we have more than 30 top-notch entertainers scheduled to perform including impressionist Rich Little, who is recovering from a very severe health scare himself. We have heard rumors that Shecky Greene and possibly Keely Smith may even fly in for the event. Tickets are on sale right now for $20.00, and doors to the theatre will open at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Every dime will go directly to Norman Kaye to take care of his medical expenses. The Orleans has donated the room and is picking up all costs associated with the three hour show - about another $8,000. A wonderful gesture by the Boyd Group. Try to attend, Norman needs our help!

We first went to the "V' Theatre, where David Saxe produces a slew of shows including: V - The Ultimate Variety Show (voted No. 1, by the way), Impressionist Gordie Brown (one of my favorites), Stripper 101, Toxic Audio and the Popovich Comedy Pet show. Management made sure we had great seats and the kids were really excited. Like many of these shows a short film is used to introduce Popovich to the audience, and then the fun begins.

I've known Gregory since he first arrived in Las Vegas in early 1995. He was hired to perform in the afternoon at Circus Circus for his juggling ability - the animal portion of his show was sorta secondary. But, not for long! Management began to notice how many families showed up to watch this Russian juggler and cat (home cats) trainer do things with animals that nobody had ever seen done before. His cats would walk across a slender rope between two ladders, or jump through a hoop on command. I believe, not positive, that he started with two cats and two dogs. Oh, yeah, he adopts all his animals from local animal shelters. In his show at the "V" Theatre he has 15 cats and 10 dogs ready to perform.

Prior to Popovich's arrival in Las Vegas with his wife, Izolda, and daughter, Anastasia (now 16 - they both perform in the revue), he was a member of the world famous "Great Moscow Circus," which he joined when he was 17. From there he came to the United States and was the first Russian to perform with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: "The Greatest Show on Earth." Over the years Popovich won many prestigious awards and has appeared on just about every major television show in the world, including 20 times on "The Tonight" show starring either Johnny Carson or Jay Leno.

The revue runs a little over an hour and is truly a wonderful show for ages 3 to 93. The cats, do remarkable things believe me, as do the dogs. Of course Popovich is a master juggler and shows this skill throughout the performance, utilizing his animals as assistants. One act, where he juggles a bunch of tennis balls, a dog catches one at a time and returns it to him via a special winding ramp. A very cute trick. Basically, what I'm trying, in my feeble way, is to tell you that "You have to see it to believe it!"

Show times are Thursday at 4 and 5:30 p.m., and Friday through Monday at 4 p.m. The animals rest on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tickets are priced from $25 to $69 plus tax and fees. For information or reservations call (702) 892-7790.

Then it was off to the Monte Carlo to watch a Master Magician, Lance Burton, do his thing. I go way back with this particular import from Kentucky, when he was part of the "Folies Bergere" revue at the Tropicana Hotel, where he performed for more than nine years. After winning the prestigious "Grand Prix" award at the "F.I.S.M." (Federation International Societe de Magie) competition in Lausanne, Switzerland, he returned to Las Vegas as a "World Champion." In 1991 he moved into the showroom at the former Hacienda Hotel at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip (where the Mandalay Bay is today), where he had his own show for five years. In 1996, the Monte Carlo came calling and offered Lance a fantastic contract for 13 years, which included his own $27 million dollar showroom built to his specifications. It was an offer nobody with a brain could turn down.

Anyway, that's just a small portion of the background. Again we had great seats and the kids were now fully hyped up (we had some desserts while waiting). The show begins with what Burton is really known for - his quickness with the hands and those beautiful white birds he seemingly conjures up from everywhere. And, another thing you notice as you enter the theatre is the number of kids in line.

There is one point during the show that Lance asks for four youngsters to assist him. Well, this particular evening I would guess that about 60 kids piled on to the stage to help. Eventually they all got to help in a small trick. He later selected a young lad in the front row to levitate - which of course was a big hit with the audience. Lance Burton is not only a Master Magician, but a Master with our youngsters of the world. He is constantly going to childrens' hospitals to visit and performs at as many benefits as possible.

Like Gregory Popovich, Burton is a class act and a nice man!

Tickets for the Lance Burton Magic Show are priced from $66.50 to $72.55. For further information or reservations call (702) 730-7160

Well, gang, that's about it for this week. I hope to see ya at the Norman Kaye Tribute / Benefit this Sunday.

I'm outa here!

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