Dinner show doubles up

Finally, producers with optimism! "Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding" will double its number of weekly performances come Dec. 15 when it moves down the hall, from Planet Hollywood to the V Theater in the adjacent mall.

In fact, they’ll be up there with Blue Man Group and David Copperfield in their audacity: two shows a night, seven days per week — at least for December.

"Other shows close (around Christmas), so we get busier," co-producer Raphael Berko explains.

However, his dinner show also seats fewer customers than most, and the seating capacity will be even lower than the 300 in the current casino mezzanine.

The move lets Berko and co-producer Jeff Gitlin cut costs for their interactive dinner comedy and have unlimited access to a previously unused space inside the V Theater.

"Tony" moved to Planet Hollywood in February after audience counts dropped at the Rio. But the curtained-off mezzanine often is reclaimed for casino events, and "Tony" has competed with "Peepshow" for Planet Hollywood marketing funds that shrunk in the face of mounting debt.

The Motown revue "Hitzville" also moves into the V Theater on Dec. 19, sharing quarters with mentalist Gerry McCambridge and Sin City Comedy. …

But why didn’t they call it "Vive Elvis"?

Spanish trumps French (Canadians) in the official title of the next Cirque du Soleil show, at CityCenter. "Viva Elvis" may be the easiest name Cirque ever has come up with, thanks to the "Viva Las Vegas" movie and title song. And it’s less of a head-scratcher than "Ka."

"The title was just irresistible," Cirque’s Renee-Claude Menard says in an e-mail from Montreal. "We are indicating that we are celebrating both Elvis and more particularly, Elvis in Las Vegas."

The Elvis Presley tribute, not yet on sale but likely to open for previews in December, is the latest turn for a song with humble origins. Late film director George Sidney once said he "ad-libbed" the movie title; "Love in Las Vegas" and "The Lady Loves Me" both were floated during shooting of the 1964 release.

Geoffrey Felder, son of co-writer Doc Pomus, called the now-iconic tune a "workmanlike song," penned on a day at the office in New York’s famous Brill Building. "He just sat down with Mort Shuman one afternoon and pounded out the song." …

Bette Midler is parting company with the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, wrapping a two-year contract with AEG Live on Jan. 31. That leaves Cher as the lone anchor tenant next year, but her dates can’t be spread out because of the cost of putting up and taking down the massive, two-story stage.

For Cher shows April 10-25 and May 8-30, producers promise a new opening and a new homage to classic movie musicals choreographed by Tyce Diorio of "So You Think You Can Dance." I guess the original opening, with Cher descending 40 feet from the rafters in a little cable car in a Mayan goddess outfit, was a little too quaint. …

Carlos Santana plans to be at a news conference today to promote his partnership with Three Square Food Bank. He’s asking fans to donate $5 or five nonperishable food items at his Hard Rock Hotel shows through Nov. 22.

In return, they get a $5 gift certificate to the Hard Rock restaurants Ago or Rare 120. Five bucks doesn’t buy much in these pricey joints. So unless they bring enough cans to double or triple down on certificates (which is allowed), Santana fans will do this because they are good people. …

The idea was that "Let’s Make A Deal" would drive ticket sales for Wayne Brady’s live show. But the game show host is taking the rest of the year off from his Venetian showcase, citing the continued need for vocal rest that caused him to cancel October shows as well. …

If hypnotism isn’t narcissistic enough for you, now there’s "The Las Vegas Rock and Roll Gameshow," which has a test run at the Four Queens today, Sunday, Wednesday and Nov. 19 and 22.

As noted in Sunday’s column, it’s a low-budget affair meant to appeal to the ham in all of us. "People will never watch anything more interesting than themselves," co-producer (and co-star) Matt Phillips says of the show with prizes. "Never underestimate the appeal of a drunk blonde trying to sing karaoke." …

Yes, you, too, can live like a Las Vegas show producer. A Las Vegas home, listed in county records as being owned by "Crazy Girls" producer Norbert Aleman, is up for sale with an asking price of $6.5 million.

The six-bedroom house comes with a gym, steam room, wine cellar, theater and, most crucially, a tiki hut. Aleman produced "An Evening at La Cage" until closing it in February but still has "Crazy Girls" at the Riviera.

We all know there’s a big difference between an asking price and what a house eventually sells for. But the listing gives you an idea of how much money these two titles — second or third-tier by today’s standards — must have generated in better days. And it makes you wonder, What kind of houses do the AEG Live guys live in?

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