British-born performer and producer Amy Saunders first left her mark on Las Vegas with the frenetic and fun Miss Behave Gameshow at Bally’s on the Strip. Now that she’s fallen in love with the city and its blossoming underground theater and comedy scene, Saunders is ready to bring something new, wild, and incredibly fun to downtown Las Vegas. Miss Behave’s Mavericks is a no-holds-barred variety show stuffed with comedy, music, acrobatics and some acts that are tough to describe, all at the stylish and intimate new venue Cheapshot on Fremont Street.

Did you have a concept for Mavericks in mind before the opportunity with Cheapshot came about?

I’ve been in and run variety shows for a long time in a variety of different festivals all over the world. When (Cheapshot owner) Ryan Doherty approached me, there were a lot of different things in the mix, but what made the most sense to me to put in a small showroom downtown, a place where people could come to see fast-moving, uncomplicated entertainment, was a variety show. And it’s a rolling variety show, which means there will be fantastic acts coming and going. For me, the exciting thing is connecting to the Vegas history of hospitality and that sort of live and loose entertainment you would have seen in the lounges, like Louis Prima and Keely Smith at the Copa.

You’re packing them in so far, and Cheapshot is a small space for about a hundred people. What do you love about performing in such an intimate room?

I’ve been very lucky to perform in some of the original spiegeltents (in Europe) and some beautiful little sideshow tents in Australia, really cut my teeth in that specific, intimate environment. I’ve been around it a long time, and I’m obsessed with it, and knowing where there are beats meant to be filled and how to create that. I think with this show, what I love to do is put on good acts for good acts’ sake, and … getting to work with entertainers in different disciplines from around the world. And it needs to be authentic and accessible.

Is your performance and energy onstage very different from what you did with Miss Behave Gameshow a few years ago?

It’s a very different show. I enjoy hosting because it’s fun to share with the audience a bunch of brilliant acts. Gameshow was a lot of fun for me because I get to talk more and really control it from beginning to end, but here … the show is a sum of its parts. What I love about a variety show is it’s all about dynamics and rhythm, and I’m sort of the glue that smushes it all together, and how I choose to do that is dictated by where the crowd is and how they are responding to the acts that night.

You’ve brought some very cool guests to the Cheapshot stage, too, including some Strip headliners like magician Mac King.

I used to run a tent at the Glastonbury Festival that held about 300, and that’s where I learned that if another performer walks in and wants to play your stage, you’re doing it right. To be able to bring headliners from the Strip to come and play with us just because they can, that’s a lovely surprise for the audience and a really good time for the performer.

The show and the bar have been building steady buzz lately. Has the response surprised you?

I’m really blown away and flattered by the response to the show. It’s been amazing. Ultimately the goal of Mavericks is for people to come to Fremont Street to see it, to love it, and for them to come back and have it be different every time because there will be changes, new acts, and old acts. It’s a beautiful start.

517 E. Fremont St., Ste. 100, 702.336.8486

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