Legendary Las Vegas comedian Carrot Top has been performing in the same showroom for approximately 15 years, so to say that he has become comfortable in his space is an understatement. Like many other performers, he made quite the shift in returning to live performances recently, moving his show from that cozy Atrium Showroom to the larger Luxor Theater in order to safely accommodate audiences and protocols.

Carrot Top’s beloved show was one of seven different productions returning to three MGM Resorts properties in early November, and his excitement level was through the roof after the long layoff.

You stayed in Florida during most of the entertainment shutdown. What was that like?

I live on a lake and it’s beautiful there but there was never really time to enjoy those moments because you’re stressed out about what’s going on. It’s been kind of bittersweet, not seven months off or a fun way to have a vacation.

What was your first reaction when you got the call that it was time to get back onstage in Las Vegas?

It was a beautiful moment. I loved hearing that they finally set the date and we’re going to do it, but the restrictions that have been put in still scare me a little bit. They moved me to the (bigger Luxor Theater), which is three times the room I play now, and it’s a different beast altogether. Comedy is so intimate. That’s the reason we have comedy clubs and rooms like mine. But I’ll get onstage and experience what I’m going to experience and try to grow from it and, each night, make it better.

You have audiences of 250 in the Luxor Theater and everyone is distanced. How much do you have to change your show to account for those changes?

Audience interaction and that kind of stuff is going to be hard (to replace) there, because it will be less intimate, less one-on-one with the audience, which I think is one of the things that makes my show fun. I get this kind of bond with the audience because we’re so close and they feel like by the end of the night, they get to know me as a person. But we’ll work on it and make the best of it, and that’s all we can do. Everyone is doing the same thing, just adapting to these challenges.

You’re adding plenty of new material, too. Have you been working on a full arsenal of pandemic jokes?

Everyone keeps asking me about COVID jokes and I’m not going to go crazy on that. I don’t want people to come in and think about that so much. We’ll address it with some jokes and stories, touch on it, but I want people to have at least a touch of normalcy.

What about your own sense of normalcy? These past few months have probably been the longest period you’ve ever been away from the stage.

I sure missed it. There was a void in my life for seven months. After all that time, you realize you kind of take for granted that you’re used to doing 240 shows a year. I think I forget just how much interaction and energy I get from them, and getting to laugh. That’s one thing I love about my job is I get to laugh every night as well and escape just the same as the audience does.

Luxor, 702.262.4400

Click here for your free subscription to the weekly digital edition of Las Vegas Magazine, your guide to everything to do, hear, see and experience in Southern Nevada. As part of your subscription, each week via email you will receive the latest edition of Las Vegas Magazine, full of informative content such as restaurants to visit, cocktails to sip and attractions to enjoy.