‘Jersey Boys’ star moving on to new gig

When does the side gig become the main gig? When “Jersey Boys” star Rick Faugno leaves the Palazzo’s hit musical Oct. 9 to focus on a new weekly showcase in the Las Vegas Hilton’s Shimmer Cabaret.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking. I’m giving up a steady income,” Faugno says of giving up the role of Frankie Valli that he shares with Travis Cloer. “But hey, no guts, no glory.”

Faugno will stage his old-school, Sammy Davis Jr.-inspired cabaret show “Body and Soul” every Monday at the Hilton starting next week. While it’s harder to get traction with ticket venders, the weekly schedule will give him more time to commute to Los Angeles to pursue his budding film career, which was launched by his lead role in the independent movie “Virgin Alexander” by Vegas-based filmmakers Charlotte Barrett and Sean Fallon.

“Jersey Boys” was “the best thing in my career so far,” he says, but “I put in five years and you feel as an artist that you know when it’s time to move on.” …

Steve Wyrick has said he doesn’t like to overpromise and underdeliver. Taking that attitude to the extreme, it’s been hard to figure out just when the magician’s show will open at the Las Vegas Hilton. But the much-postponed production finally was set to debut today. Or Friday (sigh).

“I’m really excited,” Wyrick said Tuesday in a conversation that was mostly off the record, thanks to sensitivity over his being a high-profile target after a bankruptcy, not to mention the scrutiny of 1,200 magicians heading to town this weekend for a magic convention at The Orleans. “My timing couldn’t be better,” he says with a laugh.

Wyrick says he’s trying to be humble, “just trying to get everything back together and back on my feet.” But he does have a show to promote, so he walks a fine line when he promises some “dynamic new illusions, including things that have never been seen before anywhere.” …

Ask the Pittsburgh Steelers: It’s hard to repeat a championship. Last year, Las Vegas fielded the all-the-marbles winner of “America’s Got Talent,” Michael Grimm.

This summer, judges and the voting public already have shot down four Las Vegas-based contestants: comedian Geechy Guy, juggler Charles Peachock and magicians Seth Grabel and Landon Swank.

Granted, they could all return under the show’s “wild card” rules. But so far, the only Las Vegans moving on to the semifinals are acrobats, The Sandau Trio, which does the Russian bar act in “Vegas! The Show” and Zuma Zuma. The Kenyan athletes have performed for free at Circus Circus since 2008, under the less-sexy billing of African Athletes International. …

Age before beauty: Marty Allen has lived in Las Vegas for years and has a loyal following of friends and fans who used to see him and spouse Karon Kate Blackwell at the Gold Coast. No surprise they came out to catch up with the bug-eyed 89-year-old on a recent weekend at Palace Station.

What did surprise Joe Sanfelippo, who runs the venue, was that about a quarter of the ticket sales came from tourist-oriented outlets. Allen averaged about 150 people in a room that only holds 40 or 50 more than that. That’s enough to book him back into Louie Anderson’s room for one weekend each month for the rest of the year, starting Sept. 24 and 25.

Sanfelippo had less enthusiastic results to report for the novelty booking of Kato Kaelin in a companion club at The Orleans. Teaming O.J. Simpson’s famous houseguest with two experienced comedians made for solid content, but “I don’t think (ticket-buyers) knew what to expect,” he says. …

See you at the drive-in: “Viper Vixens,” an excursion into topless swordplay that was more fun in concept than what played out onstage, closed at O’Sheas last week after a three-month run. …

Those who enjoyed the Las Vegas Rock Reunion last May can keep the vibe going Friday at a benefit organized by Lisa Chapman-Goulston, a longtime booster of the local rock scene. “Imagine” is the first of what she hopes will be many fundraisers to prop up the music departments of local schools, the first of them Howard Hollingsworth Elementary downtown.

Friday’s show at Vamp’d Vegas, 6570 W. Sahara Ave., convenes veteran rockers including Tarah Grace, Paul Shortino, John Zito, Stoney Curtis and Black Beans & Hippie Liver. It starts at 8:30 p.m. and admission is $5 or a used musical instrument. …

The last word steers back to the Hilton with some good news/bad news from impressionist Greg London. On the plus side, London is extending his well-packaged revue in the Shimmer Cabaret for another six months (so are roommate productions “Nunsense” and Trent Carlini’s “The King”).

On the other hand, London fears he flubbed a rare opportunity when he ran into Rod Stewart during a brunch at the Majestic Barrier Hotel in Cannes, France. London imitates Stewart (what impressionist doesn’t?) and invited him to the show.

Stewart gave him a polite “OK mate.” But it’s a long shot: “I realized I forgot to tell him my name.”

Maybe Stewart will spot himself on London’s billboard montage of costumed impressions when he arrives to play Caesars Palace Aug. 24.

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