Comedy in Vegas Tonight: Jay Leno at the Mirage

You think you know Jay Leno from his nightly monologue. And you do. Sort of. What the brief bit of stand-up doesn't show you is how Leno can sustain a very funny set for 90 minutes. 

Honestly, this man is hilarious. And — even while discoursing at length (no pun intended here) on the problems he has as a too-well-endowed man — there's never even the faintest hint of X-rated material. Or, even, R-rated. 

His covers topics ranging from what's noted above to politics, pets, marriage, and a host of others. He is never mean-spirited or angry and his observations have a truth that can leave you nodding your head in agreement. 

He paces the stage, tugging his tie here and there for emphasis and he involves the audience, making various points by using, say, the occupations of people in the theater to bolster his point of view. 

Jay Leno is funny, quick and it's a pleasure to hear him extend his monologue like this.  

His opening act is The Alley Cats, a quartet of doo-wop singers from Orange County. They do the doo-wop very well and had people of all ages singing along and clapping to the rhythms. The only problem is that they don't sing enough. After a joyous opening number they emphasize comedy and it's not very successful. They're opening for an established comedian. Why not stick to what they do best and leave the jokes to Leno? 

Jay Leno is appearing at least twice each month through November at the Danny Gans Theatre at the Mirage. For ticket information, please go to this link.