Lounge entertainer Kurtis May plays to the crowds.
"When the people are here to dance and party, Kurtis gives them dance and party music," May, 59, said. "I'll play three or four fast ones in a row, and then a couple of slow ones -- I want people to meet people.
"On slower nights when couples are more into watching and listening, I'll go out on the dance floor under the spotlights and maybe do a couple of Frank Sinatra songs, play the harmonica a little, do some Ray Charles and maybe a couple of originals and something by Blood, Sweat and Tears -- and that's a show."
May has turned the Piazza Lounge at the Tuscany into a popular place to meet people and to dance, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.
Wednesdays, when the ladies drink for free from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m., are becoming increasingly popular.
Kurtis May, a Saginaw, Mich., native, is part of the emergence of an active entertainment scene at the young hotel at 255 E. Flamingo Road (between Koval Lane and Paradise Road).
The hotel opened in early 2002. A year later the casino opened.
It has taken a couple of years, but the Tuscany seems to have gotten its entertainment act together. Several nights a week it is jumping with activity.
In the casino there is the 150-seat Stars Lounge Theatre.
At the theater at 7 p.m. Saturdays through Thursdays are twin pianists Mark & Clark -- two hugely talented performers who owned several clubs in Florida, including the Keyboard Cabaret in Ft. Lauderdale.
When fans discover them, there should be standing room only.
Hypnotist Terry Stokes performs in the venue at 11 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
And sandwiched in between Stokes and Mark & Clark is the singular comic Gallagher (who is the cover story in today's Accent section and whose show is also reviewed today in Now Appearing), turning the theater into Gallagher's Comedy Club from 9 p.m. until 10:15 p.m. nightly.
If the tiny showroom isn't bursting at the seams in a few weeks, it will be a surprise.
May, who performs at 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, has been an entertainer most of his life. He spent 23 years performing in southern Florida until he was driven out in 1992 by Hurricane Andrew.
When he left, he went home to Michigan to take care of his elderly parents. After they passed away he eventually moved to Las Vegas.
In his three years here May has discovered how small Las Vegas really is.
When his career was going strong in Southern Florida, one of the hottest acts around was Mark & Clark. He has never met them, even though they now perform a few yards away at the Tuscany, but he has always been a fan of their work.
Also while in Florida, May opened for such entertainers as Clint Holmes (now the headliner at Harrah's) and Cook E. Jarr (who performs at the Carnaval Court Lounge).
Holmes' mother, Audrey, lives in May's apartment building.
Even though he knows a few entertainers, finding work hasn't been easy.
"You try to go out every day and do something for your career, if it's just to pass out your business card or a picture," May said.
He had no contacts when he first moved to town.
"I would try to solicit a few clubs," May said. "Maybe I'd catch a Monday night with Huck Daniels at the Stratosphere or Tommy Thompson at the Paris -- a lot of performers, when they meet a new person, will give you a shot."
Thompson, a monster saxophonist, introduced Kurtis May to agent Steve Byers, who got him a gig at Texas Station three nights a week.
May then got a couple of nights a week at Capozzoli's, and eventually ended up at Houdini's Lounge at the Monte Carlo.
He had become familiar with the Piazza Lounge when veteran lounge performer Howie Gold and the ever-popular Chuy & Company were there.
After Gold and Chuy left, the Piazza was quiet for several months.
But since Kurtis May arrived a year ago, it is noisy once again.
"It has been really coming around," May said.
See
Kurtis Mays review in The Las Vegas Sun
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