Brady's Venetian show is very much a Vegas offering finding the multitalented performer backed by a band and dancers and offering edgier humor than the kind familiar to his television fans (Brady recommends the show for teens only over age 16). But what makes Brady's show so special is that he has somehow found a sweet spot by managing to successfully mix old school Vegas entertainment hip without sacrificing any new Vegas cool in the process. He may be the first performer to pull this off. It certainly is not that others haven't tried to do this and many using the same ideas. There is nothing Brady's show offers that can't be seen elsewhere on the Strip: variety show elements, the stand-up, the impersonations, the singing, the skits, the dancers, a little video, some audience interaction and even the improv comedy. Of course, Brady's show has all of those elements, and, most important, the show centers around Brady's charismatic personality. These past months Brady's show has therefore managed to become a rare Vegas hit with both critics and audiences. Finally, Vegas has a Vegas-style entertainment offering that feels fresh and not cheesy to compete with Broadway and Cirque. Almost, amazing, really.

 

Watching Brady's show I was totally surprised by how these so very, very, familiar elements can still be put to a use that feels original.  The difference, of course, is all Wayne Brady; this particular hybrid show really requires this special sort of star to pull it off. So, no surprise to discover when I met Brady for the first time at a restaurant at the Venetian recently for an interview (just before his contract was signed and announced) that his ascent in Vegas turns out to be no accident. In fact, he was here before anyone ever heard of Wayne Brady.

 

A lot of what you need to understand about Wayne Brady comes from his motivation. Brady started his career in entertainment at age 16 with a basic philosophy: "No matter what it is, I am going to work in this field," he recalls. "There is nothing against waiting tables which is a noble profession that many actors are drawn to do. But that was not what I wanted to do. If I could earn a living doing a cruise ship show, or doing dinner theatre or being in a chorus line in some part of Florida for old ladies that's better than waiting tables."

 

And, so as an aspiring performer, Brady put in his journeyman years finding jobs where he could in entertainment. That road, of course, wound up bringing him to Vegas in the early 90s. Brady worked in two shows at the MGM back when the resort still had a theme park, he recalls. Brady has fond memories of his time in Vegas that he estimates lasted almost two years: "It was great for me. I enjoyed it. The first show at MGM began at 10 AM and I sang 50's songs in this beautiful theatre. You have five shows a day. You learn the show and you do it.You have five different audiences. If the show is good, you can really be given a chance to sing, dance and act. While everyone else is waiting tables, you are being seen by a bigger audience than most people on Broadway. That is the very idealistic approach I took to it." From there Brady became what the MGM Grand then called part of the Grand-osphere (like atmosphere but at the MGM Grand): "They put singers and dancers in costumes all over the hotel and park. I would sing 'Viva Las Vegas' to people who wanted drinks. It was very scary to me but fun."

 

At night, Brady would check out the musical acts and headliners in the lounges and showrooms on the Strip.  Though totally unknown, Brady liked to hop on stage for a song. To this day, he has fond memories of joining old Vegas talents from Sam Butera to Lon Bronson. "I kind of felt I was a new breed of Vegas performer enjoying the nightlife and trying to be part of the scene. That was fun for awhile." Of course, Brady's ambitions and talents ran deeper, and, though working, he wasn't thriving. There are limits: "In summer in Vegas I had a black car with no air conditioning, not a good way to go in the heat."

So, while living and working in Vegas, Brady was also regularly heading to LA. "I would work five days in Vegas then go to LA and get head shots, do showcases and I was a member of an improv group." Eventually, he left Vegas for good, and began to catch breaks in television. Now at the still young age of 35, Brady is a truly rounded show business veteran. He has Emmy Awards from both his stint as a talk show host, and his work on the ABC comedy/variety show "Whose Line is it anyway?"  His television career continues to flourish. Fox is launching a new game show hosted by Brady on July 11 called "Don't Forget the Lyrics." Brady says of his latest television show: "It is so much more than a game show. It allows me to do all the stuff I liked about doing a talk show without all the stuff I hated."

 

But Brady also never forgot Vegas. Brady's busy schedule didn't bring him back here until he found himself performing at Caesars as part of a tour of Drew Carey's improv troupe in 2000. It was a proud moment for him. "I still have a picture of all our names up at Caesars on the old marquee. I've always been a showbiz nerd. I dig showbiz.  I like old school showbiz. There is an ambience about it. The Rat Pack had it and so did guys like Sid Caesar and Ernie Kovacs. That felt really cool. That was when the seed got planted. I thought it would really be great to come here and be the guy on the marquee and I wanted to make that goal happen."

 

Now, it has happened. And, Brady is loving it. During our interview at the Venetian we are interrupted constantly by dozens of fans. Brady is friendly to everyone. After our interview, just a short time before his show that night, Brady tries to head off with a friend for a few minutes of privacy. But he is stopped by two little old ladies who grab him and fawn on him. First he is asked to pose for pictures with one lady and then again for more pictures with her friend. You would say that Brady was being patient but the smile on his face is more one of bliss than a professional entertainer's effortless tick. From the big spotlights of red carpet openings down to the lowliest tourist flashbulbs, Wayne Brady is clearly enjoying, appreciating and understanding the job of being Las Vegas headliner. (photo by Sarah Gerke)