Welcome to the
​VEGAS VARIETY SHOW

PURCHASE TICKETS

NEXT SHOW, FEBRUARY 14TH AT NEW LOCATION!!
​THE BOOTLEGGER BISTRO'S COPA!

CLICK IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD HI-RES POSTER

---

MEET THE CAST

DENNIS BLAIR
​HOST / EMCEE

ABOUT DENNIS

x

DENNIS BLAIR
Comedian/Musician

Dennis Blair is a successful musical comedian/satirist who has appeared on the Tonight Show and on HBO and has opened for and toured with such celebrities as Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers, Jackie Mason, Tom Jones, Gloria Estefan and George Carlin. Although he has enjoyed much success as a comedian specializing in song parodies as an opening act and a headliner in comedy clubs, hotel/casinos and on cruise ships, he started out his show-business career as a singer/songwriter and has always kept that fire burning.

He started writing songs in Queens, New York at the tender age of 12, both alone and with his grammar school friend John Durkin. He continued in that vein, co-writing songs with John and trying desperately to break into the music business. Together they won the Top 40 category of the American Song Festival with their song entitled “When I’m Loving You”. They also started several bands in their twenties, most notably a band called “Cottonmouth”, which included such stellar musicians as Pete Saladino on bass, Robbie Kondor on keyboards and multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell, who went on to become lead guitarist for Bob Dylan for many years and then to produce and perform with Levon Helm of the Band, appearing in Helm’s biographical film “Ain’t In It For My Health”.

Eventually the band split up and John and Dennis drifted apart. The music business proved a hard nut to crack. Becoming disenchanted, Dennis turned to comedy, skewering popular songs of the day with wicked parodies he would write at clubs where he was performing. This new style garnered him attention as well as laughs, and in 1979 he caught the eye of comedian Rodney Dangerfield who took Dennis on the road with him. Suddenly comedy was his new career path, and he soon found himself in demand, opening for numerous celebrities in 3000-seat theaters and also headlining comedy clubs across the US and Canada. He also wrote the movie “Easy Money” with Rodney as well as two ABC comedy Specials. He was the subject of John Canemaker’s short film, “Confessions of a Standup”, which won an emmy and is in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He hooked up with Joan Rivers and Tom Jones for extended tours, until a 3-month engagement opening for George Carlin turned into a 20-year tour as George’s exclusive opening act, until his death in 2008.

Through it all Dennis never stopped writing songs, both serious and humorous, never having given up on his first artistic love. He recorded an album of songs called “I Sleep Naked in the Rain” and continued on his own to write and record the occasional song and jam with friends whenever possible . As fate would have it, after a long period of not being in touch, Dennis reunited with his old friend John Durkin, who had become a successful restaurateur and the mayor of Roslyn New York. On a whim one day, John sent Dennis some lyrics he had been working on. Dennis set them to music, a song (“Water Under the Bridge”) was born, and a songwriting partnership, as well as a friendship, was rekindled.

In the time they’ve reconnected, Dennis and John have written and recorded a plethora of songs, mostly at Bieard Music Group in Nashville TN. Although he continues his comedy performances, Dennis is once again pursuing his musical ambitions. He recently performed a sold-out concert consisting of all original Blair-Durkin tunes at Diane’s Café in Roslyn, and now appears regularly in his singer/songwriter persona at the Composer’s Showcase at the Smith Center in Las Vegas Nevada. He and John are planning performances in New York and Las Vegas and hopefully beyond. In the meantime, and in addition to all this, Dennis performs regularly with his friend and musician Kenny Davidsen on Friday nights at the Tuscany Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas as guitarist, bassist and singer for the band “Kenny Davidsen and the Approximators”.
​
From music to comedy and now back to music. He loves doing both, and sees no need to choose one or the other. Dennis has always said that his goal is “to become a famous musician and open for myself as a comedian, just to hear the audience heckle, ‘Get off the stage! We want YOU!’”

MICHAEL CLARK
​MUSICAL DIRECTOR

ABOUT MIKE

x

MIKE CLARK
Musical Director

Mike Clark is an incredibly versatile musician. His musical style ranges from Pop to Motown, Easy Listening to Smooth Jazz, Broadway Showtunes to Latin Music, and  so much more!

Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Mike began studying Organ at age of 6, and then explored piano about age 14. In his late teens, he was playing Organ in New York Jazz Clubs with great musicians like Dizzy Gillispie, Jimmy McGriff, Lou Donaldson, Sonny Fortune and the Marsalis Brothers (who were also teenagers at the time).

Mike’s experience as A Musician has spanned over 20 years. Working as a MusicalDirector, and Sideman in a variety of shows around the world, Mike has also performed in many of the major casino venues in Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, and Lake Tahoe. He’s performed with over a 100 acts including, Michael Lington, Ace Young, Kelly Clinton, Clint Holmes, Johnny Gill, The Weather Girls, Jerry Springer, The Drifters, Bo Diddley, Issac Hayes, Earl Turner, Darcus, Regina Bell, The Las Vegas Tenors, Jean Carne, Frankie Schinta,  Dennis Blair, Gordy Brown, Steve Rossi, Bubba Knight, Flava Flav, Al B. Sure, and many more.

Currently working in Las Vegas on the Strip in a Motown Revue production show at Planet Hollywood called Hitzville – The Show inside the V Theater. Mike Clark is the complete package!

A Composer, Arranger, Award Winning Instrumentalist, Studio Recording Artist and Outstanding Entertainer. 

​MIKE CLARK IS TRULY A MASTER AT WHAT HE DOES. ​

ELISA FIORILLO
GUEST ARTIST

ABOUT ELISA

x

ELISA FIORILLO
Jazz / Big Band Singer

Elisa Fiorillo grew up in the soulful city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. That might explain why she sings with so much soul or it could be her Italian/Irish/Cherokee Indian background. Her parents and her grandmother were very musical. Her father Alexander Fiorillo is a concert pianist who studied with Vladimir Horowitz and has been a professor of music at Temple University for over 40 years. Music was always a major part of her every day life. The music inspired her to start her career early on singing on a local television talent show for children. At 11 years old she got her first paying gig opening up for Blues Singer Linda Hopkins at the legendary blues club "Sweetwaters Cafe" in NYC. She went on to start auditioning in New York City for theater/commercials. At the age of 15 she was on Broadway performing in a musical production of "The Three Musketeers". At age 16 when her parents divorced, she started to write songs as a theraputic way to get through the turmoil.
​
After winning Star Search in 1985, she went on to release three albums with Chrysalis Records which landed her on the Billboard charts with a #1 Dance hit "Who Found Who" that she recorded with Record Producer Jellybean Benitez. On her 2nd album, "I AM" the song she co-wrote with Prince titled "On The Way Up" charted in the Top 40 (#26).
​
Elisa has worked with: Prince, Jellybean Benitez, Savage Garden, Dave Koz, La Toya Jackson, Belinda Carlisle, David Cassidy and Billie Myers just to name a few. She also received the award for Best New Artist at the Tokyo Music Festival in Japan in 1989 for her self titled debut album on Chrysalis. Her perfect pitch and ability to sing many different styles of music has given her the opportunity to sing on many commercials and jingles including: CBS, Planet Reebok, Hawaiian Punch, Dunkin Hines, Fox TV, Aquafresh and many others.

After having a career in the pop/dance world, Elisa turned her musical taste and interest towards singing and writing Jazz. In 2002 at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, Elisa was chosen as the opening act for the late great Nina Simone. She received rave reviews and decided to continue down the road of be-bop and standards. While she was pregnant with her one and only child Olivia, she collaborated with longtime friend and producer Nyalle Iameh to produce her first jazz album. The album titled "Labor Of Love" features a song about being pregnant called "Bun In The Oven" and has received wonderful recognition and praise in the Jazz community. Elisa wrote all of the songs on the album except for one cover of "All The Way". It can be purchased through I-Tunes, on her website www.elisafiorillo.com or at Cd Baby.com.

After releasing her album "Labor Of Love", Elisa got the best phone call of her life - from Prince. Over 20 years had passed, but that didnt stop him from remembering her talent and asking her to join his band - the New Power Generation. Since that call, Elisa performed all over the world with Prince and the NPG. When she wasn't busy performing with Prince, she was at home working on songwriting and putting music together to perform with her favorite band in Las Vegas- The Bruce Harper Big Band. Singing songs from the Great American Songbook-she has truly found her passion and it is finally in the right place. "Singing with The Bruce Harper Big Band is exactly where I belong." Before Prince passed unexpectedly- he told Elisa to keep on writing her songs (he was a big fan of "Share It With You", "Lollypop Ice Cream" from The Dease & Reese Project and a song called "This Old House Of Mine" & "Staring Back At You.") He also told her to join a Big Band and that is exactly what she did.

KELLIE WRIGHT
​GUEST ARTIST

ABOUT KELLIE

x

KELLIE WRIGHT
Singer/Actress

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Kellie Wright has appeared in many Las Vegas productions, and also spent many years headlining with various bands in the US and Japan. Her repertoire spans from jazz and musical theater to pop and rock.

A consummate actor and singer, her resume features many popular Las Vegas shows  including Jubilee, Breck Wall's Bottoms Up, Tony 'n Tina's Wedding, Bill Fayne's The Book of Merman (a tribute to Ethel Merman) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (where she played Ms. Mona).  Other favorites roles include Joanne in Company; Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd; playing the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone; Oliver, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; the role of Mrs Meers in a Las Vegas production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which she was awarded a LV Review Journal "Tony" for Best Supporting Actress; and an award-winning role in the original production of Anton Chekhov's Cherry Orchard of the Living Dead.

​Kellie has had experience working in commercials both in the US and Australia, and has enjoyed for many years working for Horrigan Productions in California as a session singer, during which time she recorded various CDs. She is currently working on her one woman show "Always The Diva...Never The Ingenue." 

For more information about Kellie, visit her website at:
www.kelliewright.com​

JIMMY HOPPER
​GUEST ARTIST

ABOUT JIMMY

x

JIMMY HOPPER
Singer/Musician

When National Enquirer invited readers to meet “the hottest unknown performer in America,” it was only a matter of time before Jimmy Hopper would make his Journey of the Heart one which would reach far beyond his popularity in the showrooms and other major venues of Las Vegas.  His interim move to the Big Apple provided numerous opportunities to tour nationwide while writing the music and score for the animation project and Broadway musical, The Day There Was No More Music, touted by some to be the next Lion King. The animation version is currently in production stages.

Becoming one of the most sought-after concert and performance-show entertainers started long before Las Vegas. Jimmy Hopper began singing at the age of three at the top of his lungs from the back-yard swing in Virginia with his audience of six siblings. His mother tells the story that the neighbors would come out to listen and remind her that “He has the voice of an angel...he’ll grow up to be a singer.” Prophetic words indeed.

Fast forward through years of performances and his numerous jingles written for television and radio. Jimmy secured vocal training from Darlene Romano, an opera teacher who taught him “proper technique” but, as Jimmy aptly states, “didn’t mess with my style.” The two years of training increased his range to an astounding five octaves.

His journey continued, from San Francisco in the late 90s where he was awarded “Pop Vocalist of the Year” by the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, to Las Vegas in 1998. Interestingly enough, it was his first year at the Rio Hotel singing rock ballads that he began singing opera.  One music critic provided the most apt description when he said, “Hopper is Freddie Mercury meets Andréa Bocelli.” The white spiked hair is startling in contrast to the strong opera vocals which flow from his lips, when in the next breath he takes on symphonic rock that brings the house down.

The rest of the story is rave reviews—from the four years as the Bellagio’s headliner in Las Vegas, to engagements across the country from Harrah’s Lake Tahoe to New England’s Big E music festival to the Hoku Amphitheatre in Kona, Hawaii. Additional accolades in Las Vegas included “Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year” by Gaming Today and “Performer of the Year” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  

Jimmy Hopper delivers a high-energy inimitable evening drawing fans of all ages.  He sings the soundtrack of our lives in perfect pitch.  As Ron Taft of Ron Taft Productions/Los Angeles summed it up, “Jimmy Hopper…the most amazing voice you’ll ever love!”​

RYAN BAKER
​GUEST ARTIST

ABOUT RYAN

x

RYAN BAKER
Singer/Recording Artist

One of the hottest young talents working in Las Vegas today, Ryan Baker has also been appearing all over North America in varying roles, and in several different types of venues. Originally from Long Island, NY, Ryan moved to Vegas in October 2003, where he began performing at weddings and corporate events at just about every major casino property in town, with performances ranging from Frank Sinatra “sound-alike” to impersonating the man himself.

Besides tribute artist/impersonator work, Ryan is also an accomplished jazz singer, with a repertoire of hundreds of songs, ranging from Sinatra favorites to jazz classics to standards written by the great American songwriters of the 20th century. He performed regularly at Joey Bistro in 2004, and later did a three-month engagement at the Artisan Hotel & Spa.

In 2005, Baker helped to create and became one of the stars of the original tribute show “Shades of Sinatra”, with the help of Kelly Clinton, at the Stirling Club lounge in the Turnberry Estates in Vegas. In July 2007, the show debuted at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino, to sold-out crowds and widespread press acclaim, and since then it has received the Entertainment Consumers’ Exchange “Tribute Show of the Year” award in both 2007 and 2012. In October 2007, the “Shades” had the privilege of opening for the one and only Don Rickles at the Golden Nugget casino, a privilege they had again in June 2010, this time at the Orleans Hotel & Casino.

In 2008, Ryan joined the cast of “Drinkin’, Singin’, Swingin’,” playing the role of Frank Sinatra in a salute to the legendary Rat Pack, touring in the US and Canada and produced by Rick Michel who also plays Dean Martin in the show. Later that year, Ryan portrayed the Chairman of the Board in David Cassidy’s production show, “The Rat Pack Is Back!” at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino, to rave reviews.

Since January of 2010, Baker has been an understudy for the Frank, Dean, and Joey roles in “Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show", both in and out of Las Vegas. He has also performed in Beyer Productions’ “Rat Pack Fridays,” also in Vegas.

In 2012, Ryan was asked to be the featured performer at the Opening Session of the Midwinter Meetings of the Chicago Dental Society, performing an original Sinatra vocal tribute act with a legendary quartet of musicians from Las Vegas, who had all played with Sinatra himself.

Additionally, Ryan has recorded dozens of different radio commercial jingles, mostly for sponsors of Clear Channel Communications affiliates, which currently play all over the country in markets from Los Angeles, CA to Charleston, SC.

Baker's latest project is an album called Timeless Again, featuring his own takes on some of his favorite jazz standards. While still considered a young entertainer, it is clear that Ryan Baker has an “old soul” and a deep appreciation for the wonderful music created by legendary entertainers well before he was born. Whether it be with just a piano player, a small- or large-piece band, or background tracks, Ryan has the versatility and range to work in any musical environment. When you see him perform or hear his recordings, you can hear him bring to life the timeless sounds of a bygone era in music.​

HENRY PREGO
​GUEST ARTIST

ABOUT HENRY

x

HENRY PREGO
Singer/Tribute Artist

Henry Prego, has been portraying Frank Sinatra to rave reviews worldwide for more than a decade, captivating his audiences with a style and sophistication reminiscent of the great crooners, and as a result has become one of the most prominent, in-demand vocalists of today.

Henry’s performance credits include many top New York clubs, including The Rainbow Room and The Supper Club and many events & corporate functions in Los Angeles, CA. His clients include The American Heart Association, The American Cancer Society, DHL and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Henry performed at CNN announcer Larry King’s 70th birthday party. Other events include honoring Bill Gates in addition to performing with the Stan Kenton Alumni Orchestra. 

After the release of his first CD “This Love Of Mine”, Henry appeared on “CBS This Morning” to discuss the resurgence of swing music in America. As a result, Henry then performed on Japanese television for a special on the American jazz influence around the world. He took up acting and eventually made Las Vegas his home, where he starred in “The Rat Pack Is Back” at the Sahara Hotel and “The Tribute To Frank, Sammy, Joey And Dean”. Henry portrayed Frank Sinatra to enthusiastic audiences culminating in thousands of performances. Henry also starred in the West End hit “The Rat Pack Live From Las Vegas” and toured with the show for a year, working theatres and concert halls throughout Europe the UK and the US.  Henry Prego’s second CD “Wicked” has been accepted in to the first round of the 57th Grammy’s in the category of Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Now available on iTunes and Amazon!

STEVEN MCCOY
​GUEST ARTIST

ABOUT STEVEN

x

STEVEN MCCOY
Singer/Tribute Artist

Steve McCoy is known as the world’s greatest Tom Jones impersonator!!

Just this year there was an award-winning novel written based on his life, WHO KILLED “TOM JONES” by Gale Martin. Steve has performed as Tom Jones in theaters and nightclubs throughout the United States as well as the world; in cities such as Berlin, Beirut, Moscow, Stockholm, and London. He’s also been featured in various commercials and on the A&E television documentary “Lost in Las Vegas”.

Constantly mistaken for the man from Wales, Steve’s resemblance to Tom Jones is uncanny. However, Steve is much more than just a look-a-like. His attention to detail is unmatched. The hip swivels, the mannerisms, the accent, the antics, and especially his voice are all synonymous with Tom Jones. Steve always brings audiences to their feet with his charm, enthusiasm and class that only he possesses.

​Recently, Tom Jones personally brought Steve up to the stage while performing in Las Vegas and introduced him by saying “He’s the best I’ve ever seen…he does me better than me!” High praise indeed!​

WED, FEB 14, 8PM
​VALENTINE SHOW!

PURCHASE TICKETS

DOORS OPEN AT 7PM