It’s last call for Michael Monge at Encore’s Eastside Lounge
As Steve Wynn opens his lavish Wynn Palace in Macau on Monday, word in VegasVille is his handpicked crooner is about to perform his final “Quando Quando Quando” at Encore Las Vegas.
Michael Monge, famously discovered three years ago by Wynn himself during dinner at Bice Italian restaurant and lounge in Palm Beach, Florida, is leaving Eastside Lounge effective Sept. 4.
Monge told me this at Buddy Greco’s 90th birthday party at the Italian American Social Club Aug. 13.
He later sent me a statement in e-mail, stating that Wynn has decided to halt live entertainment at the Eastside:
“It has been a great two-plus years, and I am grateful to Steve Wynn and the Wynn family for such a nice opportunity,” Monge said, noting his performances drew healthy crowds and he was unsure why the resort opted to hit the plunger on his show. “I am in negotiations with other Las Vegas properties and also some international venues.” (Wynn officials have yet to respond to a request for comment about Monge’s departure or the future of Eastside.)
Monge is hardly a solitary figure in seeking a room in which to perform in Las Vegas. Even such established performers as Frankie Moreno and Matt Goss are on the hunt for new digs. Monge’s appeal is that he is a genuine lounge crooner who carved an appealing showcase with an expert three-piece band directed by piano great Jamie Grant and featuring Jeff Davis on bass and Austin Pooley on drums. The set list at Eastside has been dotted with such classics as “Fly Me to the Moon,” “My Girl,” “Save the Last Dance,” and “What Kind of Fool Am I.”
Typically, a Monge-led conga line breaks out, which is the lounge version of a mosh pit. Settle down, folks!
The Monge performance (a lounge show that did have a cover attached, a nominal $10 per person) has also served as an apt counterpart to the jammed-with-classics stage show “Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers” down the Esplanade at Encore Theater. The hotel had initially announced that show also would close, effective Sept. 21, but Wynn himself told the cast Aug. 11 that the production will extend through Dec. 30. Some deft renegotiations of union contracts cut costs and made that move possible.
But there is to be no such new life for Mr. Monge. He’s a relaxed sort, and now is taking some time away from the stage to actually absorb some of our city’s more appealing amenities.
“When I came to Vegas back in 2014, I pretty much hit the ground running and have had little time to enjoy some of the things it has to offer,” Monge said. “I am looking forward to a little time off to enjoy it.”
If this free-agent crooner needs any leads for groovy lounge shows, I’m at the ready.
