Producer carrying on after court saga

A dish hit the restaurant floor, and so did John Stuart.

Servers drop stuff; it happens. But the shattering sound brought out the ham in the veteran show producer, who started performing at age 7 before going on to launch "Legends in Concert" in 1983.

Diving for cover lightened a serious conversation. But it also may be a reflex action at this point in Stuart’s life. The lunch last winter was for him to explain a tense bankruptcy case, the second in as many years.

Last month finally wrapped nearly a year in court, with the court approving settlement agreements for Stuart to pay back three creditors — the largest being Phoenix-based Mortgage Equities — after the judge moved the parties into conference.

"There was absolutely no wrongdoing on my part, and that has been proven in court," Stuart said, noting he lost none of his personal property in the outcome. "It was all resolved."

Stuart’s second attorney course-corrected incomplete filings blamed on previous counsel. But the case played out like a comedy of errors, with Stuart sometimes riling Judge Linda Riegle. "Get serious about this," the judge admonished at one point, frustrated by contradictory lists of assets. "Right now, nobody can trust this debtor."

Stuart says the filing was driven not by one of his many show ventures, but by a storage unit in Arizona. Mortgage Equities, he says, played hardball even after he forfeited the property and swept his personal bank accounts for a deficiency balance.

Bankruptcy filings are a way of life in present-day Nevada, so it never hurts to hear cautionary tales about taking them seriously. But this saga is perhaps more unique as a remnant of old Vegas still trying to work on a Strip now run by big corporate players.

After his one great success with "Legends" (which now runs without him), Stuart and other little guys must find places the big guys ignore, such as the lounge of the bygone Sahara.

Stuart has trained his sights on India and Vietnam, but still runs a show bus up and down the Strip, and is part of a Platters tribute at the Rio. He also is involved with the Rick Thomas magic show, which plans to move into the Riviera in September with $1.3 million in theater upgrades and new content.

Stuart is "a cat who will always land on his feet … one of the most agile people I’ve ever met," says Pete Willcox, who briefly took his Elvis act to the Sahara lounge. But he can’t resist a joke: "I always count my fingers after the handshake."

Potential investors may ask if Stuart is a cat who has used up too many of his Las Vegas lives. But ask him, and he will say, "I’m still running my little tail off."

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.