Frank Marino gets mobbed up in anniversary show

Once in a while you hear it, “The city was better when the mob ran it.” But less frequently today. Those who lived in Las Vegas when the mob was prevalent in the casino industry are of course departing. And very rare is the current Las Vegas headliner who feels that way.

But Vegas drag icon Frank Marino says it. “The city was better when the mob ran it,” he insists. “Absolutely.” The nostalgia for organized crime is for “organized,” not the “crime.”

“It’s just that they knew how to care for customers, in the old days,” Marino says. “There was an energy in the air. I loved the community. I loved the 24-hour-ness of live entertainment, that you could go to dinner at the Stardust and then see a lounge act at the Desert Inn.

“There is some of that now, but not like when we started.”

Marino celebrated the 40th anniversary of his opening in the Riviera’s “An Evening at La Cage” on Sunday at 24 Oxford at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The show and party was set up as a sort of send-off, with Marino expected to close his show and possibly his stage career.

But Virgin President Cliff Atkinson had other ideas.The exec, a friend and neighbor of Marino’s, announced via video (despite being seated in the audience) that Marino’s “Divas Drags & Drinks” will continue into 2026. Marino’s next show is 4 p.m. Oct. 12.

The veteran showman loves his partnership with Atkinson. If not for his personal affection and eye for locally friendly entertainment, Marino might well be hanging up the gowns.

“Cliff has really brought back old Vegas for me, the way he runs the hotel, and he respects locals as much as he does the tourists,” Marino says. “You know, I actually had people in hotels tell me were not interested in local business because they wanted the gamblers. And I was like, that is so bizarre. It annoyed me.

“Locals send their visiting family and friends to shows, restaurants, hotels. We make those recommendations.”

Marino says paid parking is the biggest barrier between locals and a good time. “You try to comp a friend in to a show, but when you pay $30 to park it’s not a comp anymore,” he says. “Then you want to go to a hotel for dinner and it’s another $30. Locals hate that, and the average person can’t afford to do that very often.” Parking is free at Virgin.

Marino was recently invited as a guest to a show at a major Strip resort. He pulled in and offered the $50 valet fee up front. “They told me they couldn’t park the car for less than $200,” Marino said. He turned to his husband, Alex Schechter of SPI Entertainment. “I said, ‘We’re not going to the show,’ and we left. But whether you can afford it or not, that’s ridiculous. I don’t do ridiculous.”

A first for ‘The Last Show’

An original Las Vegas musical premieres 6:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at Myron’s at The Smith Center. “The Last Show,” based on true stories of Vegas performers, is brimming — brimming, I tell you! — with local talent.

The leads are Janien Valentine (“God Lives In Glass,” Mayfair Supper Club), Lisa Marie Smith (Mayfair Supper Club, “Baz”), Gret Menzies Gonzalez (“50 Shades The Musical Parody,” “Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding”), Paul Bradley (“Vegas! The Show,” “Children of Eden,” “Big River”), Jack Saleeby (“Shrek,” “The Wizard of Oz”), and Jason Martinez (Sheena Easton, “Jersey Boys”).

The supporting cast are Paul Johnson (“The Atomic Saloon Show,” “Raiding the Rock Vault”), Tim Tucker (“Mamma Mia”), and Peng Peng (“Overcompensating,” Warped!”).

Michelle St. Angelo wrote the script. Vegas journalists remember her as a top PR exec (she introduced me to Brad Garrett as he moved into the Tropicana in 2009). Music and lyrics by Barry Anderson “Jersey Boys,” Legally Blonde”), directed by Eric Jordan Young (“The Cocktail Cabaret,” “Vegas! The Show,” “Ragtime”) and produced by Megan and Susan Wilson of Libra Productions, directed by Eric Jordan Young (“The Cocktail Cabaret,” “Vegas! The Show,” “Ragtime”) and produced by Megan and Susan Wilson of Libra Productions.

Anderson conducts his score from the piano. He’s backed by bassist Tyler Williams (“Le Reve”), UNLV percussion alum and two-time Pacific-Southwest Emmy Award winner Alex Stopa on drums and guitarist Steven Lee (“Donny and Marie,” David Perrico and the Raiders House Band).

Yes, a robust cast for an ambitious production. “The Last Show” tells the story of show that go dark, and how performers cope when the stage is not an option. The project is a benefit for the nonprofit The Composers showcase of Las Vegas, a noble cause and one of the coolest hangs we’ve ever had in Vegas. Tickets are $55, with an additional $40 tax-deductible ducats for the VIP reception. Ticket link is TheSmithCenter.com. VIP reception RSVP is composersshowcaselv@gmail.com. In a word, or two: Get there.

Cool Hang Alert

Jonathan Karrant, the stylish crooner with great range and deceptively sharp wit, is back at Myron’s at 7 p.m. Wednesday. This is the album release show for Karrant’s latest, “Soulful Swigin’ Standards.” J.K. is always a great hang; go to TheSmithCenter.com for intel.

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