P I A Z A D O R A A N D S O N N Y C H A R L E S
A favorite of locals and celebrities alike, Pia’s Place in Piero’s Italian Cuisine is a fun off-Strip place to dine and be entertained. Pia Zadora reigns over the restaurant’s Monkey Bar space on Friday and Saturday nights. But this New Year’s Eve, it will be two for the show when the accomplished entertainer teams with Sonny Charles, former lead singer of Checkmates, Ltd., to perform classics and standards from the Great American Songbook from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m.
Pia Zadora
Zadora began her stage career at the age of 7 in Midgie Purvis with the legendary Tallulah Bankhead, followed by a role as Bielke (Zero Mostel’s youngest daughter) in the original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof. Role after role followed and years later, after marrying Meshulam Riklis, she initiated a film career. After several professional and personal ups and downs, Zadora began singing and recording. She has been performing at Pia’s Place with her new solo stage act since 2013.
American soul singer Charles toured with another member of the Checkmates, Marvin “Sweet Louie” Smith, under the Checkmates name from the mid-’90s until Smith’s death in 2007. Having launched a solo career in the 1970s, Charles continues it today.
The Cocktail Cabaret
THE COCKTAIL CABARET
Focusing on musical virtuosity and humor brought to life by a small cast of powerhouse singers, The Cocktail Cabaret features regulars Niki Scalera, Eric Jordan Young, and Maren Wade with a four-piece band led by co-producer and renowned pianist Philip Fortenberry. A rotating lineup of special guest stars are scheduled to appear, and the show in Cleopatra’s Barge in Caesars Palace will also feature special guest emcees, Broadway star Brent Barrett and veteran comic Tony Arias, on various dates throughout the holiday season.
OPERA LAS VEGAS
Opera Las Vegas is a nonprofit professional opera company serving Nevada through full-scale high-caliber opera productions and a variety of innovative outreach programs in local schools and community venues. It is the only
George Bugatti
official member of Opera America in the Silver State. On December 1-2 at the Windmill Library Theatre, the company will present Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. (That would be the 19th century composer who wrote the opera in 1891 and 1892 in Frankfurt, Germany.)
GEORGE BUGATTI
Acclaimed singer-musician George Bugatti was discovered by The Tonight Show host Steve Allen, mentored by Tony Bennett and brought to Las Vegas by Steve Wynn to open the Fontana Room when Bellagio opened in 1998. Bugatti can regularly be seen playing piano and performing songs from the Great American Songbook and more in intimate venues The Bootlegger (Friday and Saturday) and Casa Di Amore (Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and Monday). He loves being close to his audiences and taking requests.
