There is no entertainment experience quite like Puddles Pity Party. Puddles, the “Sad Clown with the Golden Voice,” emerges wordlessly into an intimate venue with a lunch box full of song requests. He seems traumatized, his 7-foot frame clothed in circus fashion and topped by an undersized crown, triggering pathos and bewilderment in audiences. Then he bursts into song, and the Pity Party really begins.
Puddles performed in Las Vegas previously at underground venues to rapturous receptions, but he has recently headlined prestigious venues such as The Kennedy Center in the nation’s capital and The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, and now he begins his first mini-residency on the Strip at Cleopatra’s Barge. The intimate venue is perfect for him to wander through and silently shake his lunchbox at audience members.
Once he fills the room with his powerful tenor, the atmosphere becomes electrified. His covers range from ABBA to Queen, and his mash-ups of classic songs (imagine Pagliacci blending “Pinball Wizard” with “Folsom Prison Blues”) can be both beautiful and uncanny. There will definitely be no going back underground.
Caesars Palace, 8 p.m. Jan. 17-19, 24-26 & Feb. 7-9, starting at $59 plus tax and fee. 866.320.9763
