10-year Las Vegas Strip performer Jeff Civillico leaving Paris
When he’s not balancing himself, and also an audience member, on a tall unicycle, Jeff Civillico juggles. He’s taking a ball out of the air, closing his “Comedy In Action” show at Paris Las Vegas.
A 10-year performer on the Las Vegas Strip, Civillico’s final performance at Anthony Cools Experience theater is 7 p.m. Dec. 18. He’s also on stage at 4 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, 7 p.m. Dec. 4, and 7 p.m. Dec. 11.
An active and passionate philanthropist, Civillico is shifting his attention to his nonprofit Win-Win Entertainment charity, which pairs professional entertainers with charitiy organizations (focusing on health care, at-risk kids, foster care and those with special needs). Civillico has also served as celebrity ambassador for the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, a role he will keep as he performs corporate shows and speaking engagements across the country.
“There are a lot more things I want to accomplish,” Civillico said in a phone chat Saturday. “To have been a headliner for 10 years is awesome. But this is a logical time for me to stop, near the end of the year, on my own terms and looking at 2020 as a new beginning.”
With his all-ages show a hot commodity on the corporate circuit, Civillico has set up the highest-grossing month of his career in January. He has been part of the Caesars Entertainment lineup for his entire run in Las Vegas, which began in 2009 “Amazed” at V Theater at Miracle Mile Shoppes at Planet Hollywood, moved to a three-year stint with magician Nathan Burton at Flamingo, then headlining shows at Imperial Palace (now Linq Hotel) and Bugsy’s Cabaret at Flamingo prior to his relocation to Paris Las Vegas.
Civillico is also planning to redouble his effort to headline performing arts centers across the country, drawing on his 10 years on the Strip. As he says, “I’m so grateful for the relationship I’ve had with Caesars Entertainment for the last decade.”
But the entertainment strategy in the company will likely shift as execs from incoming owner Eldorado Resorts arrive next spring. Expect that performers in Civillico’s mid-range scale might be facing the same sort of decision next year that he is making now.
As he closes his run at Paris, Civillico says, “This is a chance to really focus on Win-Win. We’re in seven cities now, and I want to give that more attention and keep giving back.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram