Luxe Life Blog
Strip staple the Amazing Johnathan quits Las Vegas show
The Amazing Johnathan and Psychic Tanya warble together.
Photo: Shane O'Neal
By Andrea Domanick
After 13 years in Las Vegas, comedian-illusionist Johnathan Szeles, known better by his stage name the Amazing Johnathan, is calling it quits.
The Strip staple, who landed a residency at Bally’s in September, broke the news on his Facebook page early this morning, and it sounds like the departure comes on less than amicable terms with his Caesars Entertainment employers:
“Yes, we have ended our run in Vegas after 13 years. That is plenty long enough. I get it.
It turned out the killer deal offered the Amazing Johnathan wasn't so killer (shocker!). I noticed this very soon when I began dreading going to work each night. This was mainly from seeing a lack of advertising. Even after playing there for three months, there were still more signs advertising acts that weren't even playing there anymore. It was death for me. There were NO signs to even tell people where the room was.
Did they know they had the Amazing Johnathan, international headliner, playing in their hotel? I felt like an opening act that was accidentally double booked into a banquet room. It was like playing a mismanaged comedy club but without the horny waitresses & cocaine.
Sometimes I miss the Old Vegas when they would, at least, look you in the eyes when they lied to you. I recall the days where the casinos would try to help you out instead of making everything so f***ing hard. I'm used to a standard, although very low, that isn't here anymore. So, after asking nicely a dozen times, I just stopped showing up. I think they should have noticed by now.
It just felt right. It still does.
Thanks to everyone! What a blast!”
Calls to Caesars Entertainment were not immediately returned. Tickets to the Amazing Johnathan’s show are still being sold on Bally’s website.
The self-described Freddy Krueger of Comedy has headlined year-round in venues across town since 2001, including gigs at the Harmon Theater and the Golden Nugget. He also brought the "Screamont Experiment" haunted attraction to downtown this Halloween.
No word yet on what his next step will be.
Updated at 7 p.m.: Caesars Entertainment emailed a statement this afternoon: “We enjoyed having Amazing Johnathan at Bally’s Las Vegas for the past few months, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Follow Andrea Domanick on Twitter at @AndreaDomanick and fan her on Facebook at Facebook.com/AndreaDomanick.
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