Comic comebacks: Dice Clay to the Strip, Roseanne to new sitcom

Hickory Dickory Dock. We are turning back the clock.

It’s 1990 all over again as Andrew Dice Clay is headlining a prominent theater on the Strip, and Roseanne Barr has a new sitcom.

Clay is set to play Palazzo Theatre on March 28, in the venue’s ongoing comedy series working around anchor headliner Shin Lim. Ticket info at Ticketmaster.com.

The Diceman, who sold out Madison Square Garden twice 36 years ago, has headlined several Vegas venues either demolished or renamed. He’s been featured at Bally’s (now Horseshoe), Stardust (taken down for Resorts World), the since-imploded Riviera Comedy Club, Shimmer Cabaret at Las Vegas Hilton (now Westgate Cabaret today), Vinyl at Hard Rock Hotel (24 Oxford at Virgin Hotels currently) and Laugh Factory at Tropicana (demolished along with the hotel in October 2024).

The Venetian, still standing, is also a former Clay haunt.

Barr, also a former Laugh Factory headliner, is starring in a new sitcom, “Meemaw,” which ends filming in Austin, Texas, next month. The Las Vegas connection: Veteran Vegas stand-up Bob Zany is cast as the mayor in the six-episode series. He filmed his scenes over the weekend.

The new series’ streaming platform has not been announced, and its plot is said to be top-secret. “Unusual” is the advance buzz.

“Meemaw” is Barr’s first series since the reboot her namesake show “Roseanne” was canceled in 2018, after she made offensive comments about one of President Barack Obama’s former staffers.The show continued as “The Conners,” which ended last year after seven seasons.

Zany is also the first headliner at the reopening of Laugh Factory at Horseshoe on Feb. 9-11. the host is Jimmie J.J. Walker (a comic whose fame predates even that of Barr and Clay), and Vegas club ace Kathleen Dunbar is featured.

Zany says, “I believe these kids are going places.” It’s as if he’s going back in time, peering into the future, and living in the now.

Star Search reboot

On the topic of ’90s pop-culture nostalgia, “Star Search” is returning 6 p.m. Pacific time Tuesday (or today, if you are reading this Tuesday) on Netflix. The series runs Tuesdays and Wednesdays, streaming live. Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Chrissy Teigen are the judges. Anthony Anderson hosts.

Vegas is repped by magician TJ Salta, who moved to Vegas from New York three years ago and was in “Mad Apple” at New York-New York. The 25-year-old entertainer is billed as “the youngest professional magician to ever headline on the Strip.” That claim will send magicians scrambling for the ages of Vegas headliners. But we can’t find anyone younger.

Salta has since left the show for a busy career on the corporate circuit. Salta is scheduled to appear Tuesday. Fans vote via remote in a limited time window, just a minute, the results combined with judges’ votes. To vote, viewers use a supported device, which includes most smart TVs, streaming devices and mobile apps. Voting is not available on web browsers.

And, did we mention Zany earlier? We did. He has a “Star Search” history, knocking off a very young Carrot Top on the show in the mid-1990s (3.75 to 3.25 stars, out of a possible four). Carrot Top still uses the clip of Ed McMahon reading those scores in his show at Luxor.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.