Howie Mandel says ‘don’t overthink’ Thursday’s Las Vegas ‘Got Talent’ auditions
Las Vegas and “America’s Got Talent” are both better off for having so many working pros from the Strip compete on the NBC talent show.
But on Thursday, Las Vegas will be one of the 10 cities that host open auditions for the next season. If you don’t juggle for a living, should you feel a little futile showing up at Bally’s?
Absolutely not, says Howie Mandel.
“Just show up. Don’t overthink it,” the celebrity judge says. “Let us be the judge of what it is. It doesn’t have to be traditional; it doesn’t have to be anything we’ve ever seen before.”
Almost all 11 seasons of “Talent” have included show folk based in Las Vegas, from comedy magician Nathan Burton in the very first summer (2006) to Hooters Hotel’s “Comedy Daredevil” Ryan Stock last year.
“People always say to us, ‘That person’s not an amateur.’ But we’re not doing an amateur show,” Mandel says.
“It could be anyone from a 12-year-old who’s never sang outside of her bedroom, to some great circus performer who is just trying to pay rent in Las Vegas. There are no rules. There are no age restrictions.”
Mandel is quick to bring up someone you may have forgotten, or tried to: A guy named Horse, whose talent was his ability to take a kick to the groin.
“He ended up with a short-lived MTV series (‘Numbnuts’).”
But Las Vegas usually fuels the contest with comedians, magicians or acrobats who perhaps, in the largest sense of the marketplace, competed against Mandel on nights he does stand-up. Everyone from comedy magician Murray Sawchuck to Antonio Restivo, the fire-breathing villain in “Tournament of Kings.”
“It is the last bastion of variety on TV,” says Mandel, who has headlined on the Strip for 30 years. “When I was a kid, I would watch ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ and see plate-spinners and jugglers. It’s kind of a dying art, except in Las Vegas.
“When we get these people, I have such respect for the discipline that it takes to train themselves … you’re watching this 90-second act that’s probably taken them decades to perfect.”
If you have perfected something for the 12th season, you can line up at Bally’s as early as 6 a.m. Thursday for auditions that run from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Those younger than 18 need to bring a parent. Those with animals need a copy of vaccination records. And no fire, swords or sharp objects are allowed in this round of competition.
You should fill out an application on the show’s website before you show up: http://www.americasgottalentauditions.com/audition-cities/lasvegas/
You won’t see Mandel on Thursday; producers oversee the 10 city auditions. But if you do make the cut, and end up performing for him and the other celebrity judges on TV? Know that he’s in your corner.
Mandel still does 200 stand-up dates a year, so “I know what it’s like to walk out on a stage in front of a live audience that has huge expectations. It’s scary and thrilling and unnerving. I put myself in their position while they’re performing, regardless of what it is they do.”
Read more from Mike Weatherford at reviewjournal.com. Contact him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com and follow @Mikeweatherford on Twitter.