SHOW REVIEW: Wayne Newton - Neon

PRINT THIS Popular

Nov. 06, 2009
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

SHOW REVIEW: Wayne Newton

Entertainer offers new tricks with autobiographical 'Once Before I Go'

MIKE WEATHERFORD
MORE COLUMNS

Video & slideshow

Review

Wayne Newton: "Once Before I Go"

8:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays Tiffany Theatre at the Tropicana, 3801 Las Vegas Blvd. South

$91.99-$113.99, VIP package for $168.99 (739-2411)

Grade: C+

Wayne Newton can still turn on the charm, if not his voice, in a new career retrospective.
Photo by Duane Prokop.

If you think it no longer counts for something to be Wayne Newton in this town, think again.

In 1995, my first interview with Mr. Las Vegas addressed a hoarse voice he blamed on "walking pneumonia," the fallout from six months of "fatigue and illness" and years of court battles.

Most Popular Stories

INTERVIEWS: Jon Stewart

RESTAURANT REVIEW: ESPN Zone

Betting on the Future

PLAYER'S EDGE: Jerry's Nugget offers promotions for 'Big Game,' senior players

SHOW REVIEW: 'Rockstar: The Tribute'

MIKE WEATHERFORD: Sahara combining showrooms

'Boyz' Town

SOUNDS: Strait Talk

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Dear John'

RESTAURANT REVIEW: AquaKnox

So that's 14 years, at least, that Newton's singing voice has been an issue. Fourteen years that a cold or acid reflux or various other ways he explained it has hindered his crooning. In the face of that, what other local headliner could sustain his mystique and allure for so long?

Newton is a unique figure in show business, and his new autobiographical showcase at the Tropicana reminds us why.

It's titled "Once Before I Go," and in it, old video clips reopen the door to '60s and '70s variety television. It was the end of the era, but only now is that so obvious.

Watching an aging and tired Dean Martin limp through an Al Jolson medley with the earnest young, feathery-haired (and powerfully singing!) Newton, you can see how some wishful parents might have thought a generational torch could be passed.

Instead, the rock music of the counterculture is now the stuff that sells cars to baby boomers. Only Newton and a few others were left to carry the nightclub crooner tradition into the 2000s.

Newton is the rare singer to sustain himself almost entirely on his sequined, helmet-haired charm as a live performer -- and parodies of said image in movies -- despite his preposterous onstage claim of having recorded 165 albums. (Maybe if he counts every compilation and reissue in every corner of the world.)

From baby-faced farmboy to mustached nemesis of the Beach Boys in the Reagan years -- a culture war recounted in the new show -- Newton's saga unfolds in album covers, snapshots and video.

In the elaborate, front-loaded opening, the audience is surprised to see a bus pull onto the stage to drop the young Wayne (Alex Cruppi) in 1959 Las Vegas. "What'll I wear?" he asks.

"A tux, of course."

The show never again gets this ambitious or theatrical. But it does offer a few new tricks -- and more important, structure and pace -- getting the 67-year-old out of an inflexible format he was beating to death long after his voice quit on him.

He still chatters on too long with the jokes about Viagra and his American Indian heritage. But now he sings "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" with Sammy Davis Jr. on the video screen, and joins in with the Mills Brothers on "Up A Lazy River."

About one point, the bandstand carrying 20 musicians and three singers yields to a small band in camouflage doing a USO show on a flatbed stage. Newton jams on electric guitar to "Good Hearted Woman," reminding us of the military visits that have been the real contribution of his later career.

It's all a welcome change of pace, and you wish other Las Vegas legends had the same chance to throw themselves a multimedia celebration. Of course, the hidden goal is to reduce his singing time. Newton watches Dean Martin with the rest of us, and at one point, there's a 15-minute stretch between songs.

But yes, there are still songs. And he does not sing them well. Can you do a good show with a bad voice? Possibly, but this is the divide where ticket buyers have to make their own call. The Midnight Idol's vocals range from throat-ache painful ("Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast") to almost passable, given the right mix of theatrical mood and inflections (Elvis Presley's "American Trilogy").

By the time he gets to the climatic title tune, the loyal and the sentimental are likely to see Newton as a noble warrior, bent but not broken. The mere curious may be glad to say they've seen him, but happy to take the title's promise as his word.

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

Share & Save

Leave Your Comment	3 Reader Comments
Terms & Conditions The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor. Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Judy wrote on December 08, 2009 11:18 PM: Mike, Thank you so much for the review of the new show of Wayne's "Once Before I GO". I have been coming to Vegas for over 32 years now, and always planned every trip around Wayne's shows. I have seen Wayne, at his very best and when his voice was really bothering him, but I feel that there is no other like Wayne, when it comes to connecting with an audience. He has a charisma about him that I have never seen from another entertainer. I have not gotten to come see this show yet, but I will as soon as I can. I have a great admiration for this man and it really bothers me that people talk bad about a man that has given his whole life to entertaining so many millions of people all over the world. He is the most dedicated person that you will ever meet and he always has an entertaining show and good back up singers and a live orchestra. Wayne, always gives 110% when he is on stage and I don't feel that people should ever walk away dissappointed. He is by far one of the nicest men a person could ever have the pleasure of seeing live. I hope everyone will go see this historical show and that they will enjoy it and know that this man has worked since he was 4 yrs old to bring great shows to people like me and then gives his time to go and risk his life to entertain our U.S. Soldiers that seem to love him. He brings them a great show and much encouragement I know. I am so proud of this man!! He is a one of a kind person, and this show should not be missed!!!! Joan Pingeton wrote on November 22, 2009 12:41 AM: I had never seen Wayne Newton, nor am I a fan. I was in Vegas, staying at the Trop, and felt it was a must do as it might be his last show. I agree, his voice is shot. A singer who was once known for his high range can only hit the lower notes well; even the middle range is beyond him. I was afraid I had wasted my money when I saw the clip on the hotel TV feed; I was in for a surprise. He surrounded himself with good musicians and he was funnier than I expected. I saw both men 30-40 and women in their twenties in tears at this show(on a Wed night). Everyone around me seemed to have different high notes in the performance. To me it was the Sammy Davis number. The tribute to the veterans was up there as well. Also the " help me Lord" number. I also found myself in tears twice. I know it moved me in unexpected ways. It reminded me of the variety shows I watched with my family growing up in the 60's and 70's. I have never been a theater person, and we normally spend a couple of days in Vegas after trips to the various great National Parks of the West. I may rethink this, as I enjoyed the show so much. However, the only other entertainer from the variety show era still performing is Cher. Somehow, I think it won't be the same experience. I might give it a shot if she's still in Vegas next fall. Cirque du Soleil and all the rest don't appeal to me, for whatever reason. Danke Schoen, Wayne! Capt Bob wrote on November 06, 2009 10:44 AM: Once again The LVRJ's primo reviewer chooses to cut the legs out from under a classic icon...I think it's time to can his act... DUMP him and get a quality reviewer on board...some one who know how to put Las Vegases talents into the forefront and out of the dumpster which is where Weatherfords reviews belong...want a reason visitors are down in Vegas...just read his reviews