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‘MJ Live,’ MGM Resorts headliners, Laugh Factory returning to action

Updated November 5, 2020 - 4:21 pm

The Kats! Bureau at this writing is not Thunderland Showroom at Excalibur, where I’ve earlier visited. I’m actually set up at one of at least two Starbucks at ExCal, the one on the casino floor next to the sportsbook. It’s all sports, too. No election coverage. Not a complaint, merely an observation.

The reason for my drop-in has been a return to Thunderland, home of Thunder From Down Under and Australian Bee Gees. I still sense the spirit of Hans Klok, who vacated the premises during the pandemic shutdown but whose investment helped make the stylish showroom a reality.

Thunderland has been spaced out and spiffed up as the Bee Gees tribute and esteemed adult revue return to the stage Friday night. We have the 25-foot “Entertainment Moat” and distance-obedient seating up to 250 capacity. The trend during COVID reopenings has been that music shows have been comparatively simple to re-set than dance shows, which need to be masked and choreographed to adhere to distance directives.

Thunder is a characteristically high-energy, dance-atop-the-table, Aussie-in-your-face sort of experience. I’m interested to feel the vibe as it comes back, but the venue is prepped and I’m sure the cast is beyond ready.

Elsewhere, we’ll run through the influx of shows returning to VegasVille stages this week and weekend:

“MJ Live”

The Michael Jackson tribute has returned Wednesday night to The Strat Showroom. I like this show’s chances in COVID reopening. Really underrated with a pair of spot-on M.J. tribute artists (Jalles Franca and Santana Jackson) and an expert live band. Backing dancer Shelby Jordan is now in two shows returning to the Strip this month. She’s in “X Country” at Harrah’s Cabaret, and is also ex-“Fantasy” singer Stephanie Sanchez’s daughter. It’s our favorite Vegas fun fact, among Vegas fun facts that make us feel old.

Saturday’s “MJ” live show has sold out, so the show is moving to two shows on Saturdays beginning Nov. 14. Hotel visitors are ready for some “Bad,” “Billie Jean,” “Thriller” and “Beat It.”

Jabbawockeez

There was a time in this city when particularly promising lounge acts ascended to showrooms. Here, we have a theater show moving into a 17,000-seat arena.

Jabbawockeez have earned their place in the big room, in this case MGM Grand Garden Arena. The crew has headlined the Strip for a decade, at the old Monte Carlo (Park MGM today) before settling into their own venue on the MGM Grand casino floor. There’s no other show quite like it, and the Jabbas have proven you can dance masked. They groove anew at 7 p.m. Friday.

Laugh Factory at the Trop

Club vet and Vegas resident Bob Zany returns to the famed, second-floor comedy venue at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Thursday. Brian McKim and Traci Skene, who are married but perform separately, are on this bill. Rich Little’s residency resumes Nov. 27, and Andrew Dice Clay is coming in for a headlining run Thanksgiving weekend. The lineup fills with Murray Sawhuck’s return, also on Nov. 27, his 4 p.m. show leading into Little’s 6:30 p.m. slot.

Carrot Top

The Beta Carrot Team has loaded into Luxor Theater for an open-ended run, toggling the venue with “Fantasy.” The distance shouldn’t be a problem for Topper, legal name of Scott Thompson, who has played an assortment of venues over the decades. I feel he already has an election recount prop, either a new big or a something recycled from 2000.

“Fantasy”

We counted in this show earlier this week, and the cast has built substantial creative momentum since going dark in March. “Fantasy” is the rare show where the aunt of one of the lead performers, Mariah Rivera, was my fifth- and sixth-grade teacher Marcia Kennedy. Long story, yet true.

David Copperfield

Only during pandemic protocols on the Las Vegas Strip can you see a superstar who has headlined 10 world tours perform in a 250-capacity theater. Jump on it, beginning 7 p.m. Friday, at MGM Grand’s David Copperfied Theater. I will wonder if the show’s alien character, Blu32 (who passes gas with a root-beer fragrance), is masked.

Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club

Garrett’s comedy lineup moves to Studios A and B, just adjacent to MGM Grand Garden Arena. John Caponera with Chas Elstner revives the club on Friday night. Garrett is back, with Sam Fedele, on Nov. 13. Garrett muscled his way through election night. “This is like a bad movie,” he texted. “But if it was in fact a bad movie, I’d probably be in it.”

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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