Now performing at the Excalibur, the showroom he shares with male strippers – although not at the same time, mind you – is nothing to get too excited about. A few booths surround the tightly packed narrow tables and banquet chairs that are apparently designed to make you uncomfortable within about three seconds of sitting down in them. Seriously, who still thinks this kind of layout is a good thing?

But that’s okay, you’re not here for the furniture, you’re here to laugh and Louie Anderson does not disappoint.

His stock and trade has always been humor about his weight and he still hits those beats with the kind of timing that only a true master of the craft can muster. On walking the maze of ropes in the airport security lines, with a low mumble “I hope there’s a piece of cheese at the end.” On his inability to move gracefully, “If I could spin (in a circle) the tickets would’ve cost you an additional $30.” Why doesn’t he play craps? “I’m too lazy. If they had a version where you could lay down to throw the dice, then okay.”

Vegas is a good target as well, with everything from the psychology of slot machines (“A woman once told me to cash out my winnings but keep laying because the machine will think I’ve left.”) to the hell he caught for splitting a pair of tens at a blackjack table once.

Getting older is a big part of the routine these days, detailing his battles to try to be healthier by doing things like quitting smoking despite the fact that the people who make those nicotine patches don’t make entire suits of the stuff.

It’s obvious throughout the show that Anderson likes to riff, like a jazz artist who goes in whatever direction he happens to find himself going in. He chats up people in the audience and takes his cues from them, turning “where are you from” and “what do you do for a living” into extended bits about everything from flying to guns and why the simple solution to the war in Iraq is to quite simply build a bunch of Krispy Kreme shops over there (“I know we were going to go blow something up, but the donuts are hot!”).

Anderson comes off as a truly nice guy and the humor is accessible for just about everyone, with nary a hot button topic or “adult” joke in sight. Add in a reasonable ticket price and you have a terrific option for an early evening Vegas show.

Vegas4Visitors Grade: B+

Louie Anderson
Excalibur
3850 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-597-7600
Tickets
Showtimes:

Question: What’s in store for Vegas for 2007? Any new casinos or shows opening?

Answer: So far 2007 is shaping up to be a pretty quiet year in terms of major openings of hotels. The only big one set to open this year is Palazzo, the $1.6 billion, 3,000 room sister hotel to The Venetian. It is expected to open before the end of the year but no official date has been set yet.

When complete it will operate as a separate hotel from The Venetian, with its own check-in and services, but will be connected to The Venetian in several places to create one contiguous experience once you get inside. In addition to the rooms, bringing the total to more than 7,000 in the entire complex, there will be a 100,000-square-foot casino, more shopping, meeting space, and all of the restaurants and nightclubs you would expect in a hotel of this caliber.

The other new hotel set for its debut this year is not really new in the way most people apply it. Within the next couple of months, work should finally be complete on the revamping of The Aladdin into Planet Hollywood, which will bring with it a whole new look and feel both outside and in. The casino is reportedly nearing completion and work is underway on redoing the mall area, the guest rooms, and the exterior of the building. This long delayed project should be fully complete by spring.

That’s it for openings, but 2007 could see a closure or two. Imperial Palace and Barbary Coast were slated to close in 2007 but that has been delayed now by the $27 billion purchase of Harrah’s Entertainment. I expect these places will now remain open into 2008.

Portions of the Tropicana may close as a massive redevelopment of that properties gets underway this year but the bulk of the property will remain open.

And of course The Stardust will be imploded soon to make way for the new $4 billion Echelon Place development. And no, I don’t know when it will be imploded yet but will put it in my column when I do.

A couple of major shows will be opening in 2007 including “The Producers” at Paris Las Vegas and “Spamalot” at Wynn Las Vegas. Later in the year we should see the new Cirque du Soleil magic themed show opening at Luxor, although that has not been officially announced yet.

2008, 2009, and 2010 will be the really big years at The Strip will gain more than 10,000 new hotel rooms with major developments now under construction.

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