Katy Perry announces final ‘Play’ dates

Katy Perry’s “Play” will have played out in November.

The pop superstar has announced both an extension and final date for her popular show at Resorts World Theatre. Perry will play 10 dates from Oct. 4-Nov. 4, effectively closing out the production. Tickets for the extended dates will go on sale to the public 10 a.m. Pacific time Friday at axs.com/katyinvegas.

Perry celebrated her 50th show Friday, amid a sold-out weekend on the Strip. In a statement, she said, “The last 50 shows in Vegas have just flown by! It’s bittersweet to announce the final 10 shows of ‘Play’ ever, but I am so excited to continue bringing this larger-than-life spectacle through my last date on Nov. 4.”

Perry opened “Play” in December 2021. Drawing from all facets of her career, the 37-year-old pop icon envisioned the buoyant, childlike format during COVID, when she returned to such films and TV shows as “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” and “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.”

The result was a carnival of characters and set pieces. Perry interacted with a giant orange toilet and oversized turd, asking of the crowd, “How many of you came to this show just because we had a big poo? Be honest!” Many in the audience roared back. Perry often took that moment to remind audiences, “I’m not Celine Dion.”

In the “Perry Playland” format, the superstar was also placed on an oversized bed, rode a huge red rocking horse, swapped lines with the vaping comic figure Ratso, voiced by Harvey Fierstein, and performed dance numbers with soldiers carrying combs and crayons.

Perry talked from the stage and in interviews of her familial bond with Las Vegas, specifically the property on which Resorts World stands. Her aunt and grandmother both worked on the topless revue “Lido de Paris” at the hotel.

Perry’s parents met in Las Vegas. Her mother, Mary Christine Hudson, worked as a network freelance reporter for ABC. Perry’s father, Maurice Keith Hudson, was a chauffeur (or, as Perry called out, “That’s Uber, today!”) for years in Vegas. The couple were married in Vegas.

Maurice once took to the stage at Resots World and danced with his daughter. Perry closed the show with a Vegas flourish, a full, “Lido”-fashioned dance number, stepping down a tall staircase in a flashy rec-and-yellow gown with dances donning shiny silver costumes.

The trip down memory lane was a fitting sendoff for the campy trip that was “Play.”

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.