The appearance of Jerry Lewis at the Nevada Sesquicentennial All-Star Concert on Monday night was the first time he’d stepped onstage at the Smith Center, but it shan’t be his last.
He’s back for a one-man show at Reynolds Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (tickets are $29 to $99; call (702) 749-2000 or hit the Smith Center website for information).
This is to be a mix of monologues, music (supplied by the great pianist and bandleader Vinnie Falcone) and film clips. Lewis has been busy touring the show across the country over the past few years and also performing it at South Point Showroom.
The chief difference between the Smith Center show in Reynolds Hall and what Lewis has performed at South Point, owned by Lewis’ good friend Michael Gaughan, is there will be new footage drawn from a stockpile of more than 400 hours of material in Lewis’ collection.
And, of course, the contribution of Falcone, who has known Lewis for about … forever and has served as his musical director in dozens of shows.
We’ll be running a lengthy piece about J.L. over the next few days, but one of his many memorable and pointed comments: “If I owned a joint, there would be a star in the showroom, and I would pay for it.
“I think when you ask an entertainer to rent a showroom, you’re cutting into the spine of the industry. When you do that, you’re leaving it crippled. It’s that simple.”
Preach it — all night long, Jerry.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.
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