George Wendt had a small run on a Las Vegas stage

George Wendt was a big star in a small show when he performed a decade ago in Las Vegas.

The man who made Norm a prime-time figure in “Cheers” died Tuesday morning at the age of 76.

Wendt was cast in “Re-Animator the Musical,” which played The Smith Center’s Troesh Studio Theater in a 16-performance run in January 2015.

The stage show was based on the 1985 cult film “Re-Animator,” based on H.P. Lovecraft’s 1922 story about a scientist who concocts a glowing green serum that reanimates life. The show was funny, gory and gooey, with a “Splash Zone” to protect the audience from stage blood.

Prior to the run, Wendt said he embraced his TV character long after the show ended its 11-year run in 1993. He had become accustomed to shouts of “Norm!” everywhere he went.

“You know, I don’t stress about that because it’s so much better than the other way around, if I never really landed in the public consciousness with anything,” Wendt said at the time. “It’s never negative for me. To sort of complain about perfect strangers coming up and saying hello and how much they enjoyed your work … may take me by surprise now and then. But if you look at it with any sense, it’s very flattering.”

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