Comedy Clubs Reviews

Jul 7, 1999 - Comic Mark Kornhauser Stars in Harrah's Quirky "Cirque Beserk"

By Jack Neal

Comic Mark Kornhauser Stars in Harrah's Quirky "Cirque Beserk"

Droll comic Mark Kornhauser stars in Greg Thompsonís new family show at Harrahís Sammyís Showroom in downtown Reno. "Cirque Berserk" (reviewed 6/25/99) replaces "Broadway Showstoppers," the long-running show that has shared the legendary Sammy Davis, Jr.ís showroom with "Skintight," a Thompson show just for adults, for over a year.

Thompson and choreographer/costumer Mistinguett know their way around the cabaret business and have the wherewithal to put together slick, commercial products that - while not artistically on a par with the New York City Ballet - arenít bad artistically, either. The showís really fabulous dance sequence is its no-holds barred, ultra exuberant version of the "Can Can." Itís a showstopper.

Mistinguett is an over-the-top choreographer and costume designer and Thompson gives her all the leash she needs. The results are stylized dance routines and costumes that are flashy and just a bit off the walls. From handsome, bare-chested men in muted stripped top hats and tails to gorgeous ladies in ornate and brilliantly colored Asian gowns, "Cirque Berserk" bounces from one location to another in a breezy, tongue-in-cheek way that worries not one whit about theme.

Nor, other than its knock-out "Can Can," does the show worry much about spiffily performed dance routines ñ a bit sloppy this time out, a sign that success may have caused the Thompson-Mistinguett team to over extend. Precision and sharp has always been a hallmark of these shows. With "Cirque Berserk" thatís not as true as itís been in the past.

Whatever cracks there might be around the edges, "Cirque Berserk" entertains the old fashioned way: Off-the-walls comic Mark Kornhauser works for and earns the laughs he gets and heís a master at getting laughs. His Samurai Sam is hilarious. In his Little Mac get-up, Kornhauser looks as daffy as a ventriloquistís dummy. His revisiting of Little Macís dance routines and jokes are silly, corny and side splitting. His Amazing Brainiac, the Hungarian mystic and seer of things deep within someone elseís mind, is light, dry and wacky. The thick Hungarian accent Kornhauser uses for the Amazing Brainiac is the high-camp stuff of late-night movies, and worth - all by itself - the price of admission. Kornhauserís comedy is inventive, squeaky clean, superbly timed and very funny.

Thompson-show veteran Christine Shelton is "Cirque Berserkís" songstress. Sheltonís singing is always a bright spot in any Thompson show. Her rich contralto, sensitive phrasing and smooth delivery of lyrics makes her one of the best show singers in the business. Sheltonís more involved with comedy in this show than sheís been before. She has a knack for getting laughs and romps through her comedic moments with deadpan nonchalance. Shelton is just uninhibited and outlandish enough to have a field day with "Cirqueís" harem shenanigans - greying husbands disappear, while young hunks snuggle up to their wives. Shelton and the harem are very Marx Brothers in an Arabian Nights kind of way.

"Cirque Berserk" isnít one of Greg Thompsonís best shows, but with its strong, willing-to-please cast, Christine Sheltonís singing and on-target comedy, and ñ especially - the high good humor of Mark Kornhauser, itís one of his funniest. "Cirque Berserk" is very entertaining.

With the exception of Thursdays, "Cirque Berserk" can be seen at Harrahís Reno Sammyís Showroom, 219 North Center Street, Reno, nightly at 7:00 p.m. For information call 775 788 2900.