Now in his 60s, Wayne Newton, aka "Mr. Las Vegas," has been performing in this city since his teens. In 1994, he celebrated his 25,000th performance in Las Vegas, where he has been a long-time resident, and has been named Ambassador of Goodwill for the state of Nevada, in addition to having Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport’s main thoroughfare renamed for him as "Wayne Newton Boulevard."
Back in April 2005, the performer announced he would be taking advantage of the break clause in his contract and terminating his 10-year deal at the Stardust — one of the largest contracts in entertainment history — after only five-and-a-half years. Rumors circulated at the time about a new contract with the Las Vegas Hilton, home of the "The Entertainer" TV show, which Newton co-executive produced, and he did perform some summer dates there, but no long-term relationship materialized.
The singer was back performing in Las Vegas last November when he brought his touring "holiday show" to the Flamingo. This was due to run through Dec. 23, 2005, but it was later announced that the run would be extended to April 8, 2006, which is also confirmed on his official Web site. The show runs Monday-Saturday at 7:30 pm and tickets are priced at $65 and $75 (plus fees), with a limited number of Golden Circle tickets available at $100 (plus fees), which not only include preferential seating, but also a meet-and-greet and photo opportunity with Wayne Newton after the show. To purchase tickets by phone, call 702/733-3333 or 800/221-7299.
According to the Calendar of Events posted on his Web site, once the Flamingo gig's over, Wayne heads off to tour Australia for a couple of weeks, but thereafter the schedule looks pretty empty, so presumably nothing has been confirmed after the end of May. The singer has long been dogged with voice problems and following the success of "The Entertainer," there's been speculation that his next step might be as a talent producer. We suggest you log on regularly to the official site at www.waynenewton.com to keep abreast of any updates.
