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Shania Twain’s performance fires up Mondays Dark

Updated December 17, 2021 - 11:28 am

The Kats! Bureau on Monday night was at upper suite at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The eighth anniversary of Mondays Dark was the hang. Mark Shunock opened with a wild rendition of the Stray Cats’ “Rock This Town.”

Later, he sang with Shania Twain.

Not too shabby from the guy from Sault St. Marie in Ontario, Canada. Twain knows that town. She grew up in Timmins, about five hours away. The country superstar had just finished her run at Zappos Theater when she took the stage Monday night, for a take of “From This Moment On.”

“I’m just a kid from The Soo (Sault Ste. Marie) and her being from Timmins, Ontario … +We’re kinda related!” Shunock said in a text Thursday. “The fact she and her husband (Frédéric Thiébaud) took time to join us means the world to me. This is something that everyone at Mondays Dark will remember for a long time. Her friendship is something I cherish.”

In all, about 2,000 folks filed into an event that was launched at the old Body English nightclub at the former Hard Rock Hotel in 2013.

Mondays Dark’s pertinent stats are 140 charities supported in those eight years, and $1.4 million dealt to those nonprofits. More than double that number are on the waiting list for 2022 and beyond. For the eighth anniversary show, Shunock booked Miral Kotb’s inspired “iLuminate” dance team from The Strat, Travis Cloer, the rock-cover band Original Chaos, Skye Dee Miles and Franky Perez.

Cameron Hughes, “The Igniter” who heats up T-Mobile Arena for the Vegas Golden Knights, fired up the crowd. Demure, he isn’t.

The show was barn-burner once more in the former Joint, hosting the show for the first time since 2019. Shunock is honoring and supporting 21 charities in 2022 when the event returns to The Space. These times are uncertain, but give credit to Shunock and his team for steering Mondays Dark to the crazy 8.

Twain again

Twain also reconnected with her friend Carrot Top this past week. Topper went to her Zappos Theater sendoff Sunday. Twain took in the Carrot Top performance at Luxor on Wednesday night. She hung backstage until midnight, too.

Don Felder, the former member of the Eagles, was also at Twain’s Sunday show.

Carrot Top and Twain have been friends for about a decade. The prop comic tells a joke in his show at Atrium Showroom, the punch line being (cleaning it up), “I’d date her again.” When the crowd laughs, he says, “Hey, it could happen.”

Kotb to the stage

Kotb, name-checked earlier, is performing with “iLuminate” at The Strat at 10 p.m. Friday, and also at 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday. That 2 p.m. show is an added matinee performance. The glow-in-the-dark dance production has also added a 2 p.m. matinee on Christmas Day.

Kotb has not danced with the troupe in Vegas. Her most recent appearance was in 2016 in Saudi Arabia, before her second cancer diagnosis. A lot of information, and inspiration, in that sentence.

What works in Vegas

“BurlesQ,” the revue themed for (as you would guess) burlesque, celebrates its year anniversary Sunday at Alexis Park. I have a shirt from the show, and it’s a good way to catch the attention of biker gangs. Really. I wore mine during a cross-country trip in my ‘67 Mercury Cougar, stopping in Winslow, Ariz., for some photos at Standin’ on the Corner Park. This is the tribute to “Take It Easy,” the hit by the aforementioned Eagles.

A member of the Mongols club remarked about the car, then asked if I was producer of “BurlesQ.” I said no, sadly. Pete Housley of Admit.VIP holds that title.

Cool Hang Alert

You know how you know when you’re on the receiving end of a stellar e-mail? When it ends, “PS. The audience will be clothed!”

This is the tag of the note from Michelle L’amour, who is co-hosting Bare Book Club’s live, nude reading of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” at 6 p.m. Sunday at Erotic Heritage Museum.

Joining L’amour are naked bibliophiles Bettina May and Mona Del Rio. This cast will be nude (aside from high heels and hats inspired by Santa).

Bare Book Club is a literary event, founded by L’amour, with chapters around the world. The club has just organized in Vegas. Proceeds from Saturday’s event benefit The Cupcake Girls, a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention and after-care of victims of sex trafficking. Tickets are $20; go to barebookclub.com for the skinny.

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.

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