Sarah Feldberg
If you tuned in to "America's Got Talent" season 11 last year, you're likely already familiar with Sam Wills, the New Zealand prop comic and mime also known as Tape Face. The performer's wide-eyed act literally involves taping his mouth shut and turning inanimate objects into comedic characters with the help of background music and some creative manipulation. In his first appearance in front of the "AGT" judges, Tape Face used two oven mitts to sing a romantic duet. Then he draped a red dress over one shoulder and mimed a sultry slow dance that was far more convincing than it had any right to be.
Sam Wills, aka Tape Face, didn't win season 11 of "America's Got Talent," but his act earned him a resident show at the Flamingo.
The YouTube video of that performance earned 45 million views, and Tape Face's inventive style on the NBC talent show earned him a spot in the finals, comparisons to Charlie Chaplin and, come February, a Las Vegas residency at the Flamingo.
"America's Got Talent" has always had a Vegas connection. For years, the program taped episodes in Las Vegas between the auditions and live shows, and the grand prize is famously $1 million and a headlining show in Las Vegas (a one-off appearance in "America's Got Talent Live").
Wills is the latest in a long line of "AGT" veterans who've displayed their talents at Vegas casinos. Perhaps the most successful has been Terry Fator, the singing ventriloquist who won the second season with his puppet-channeled covers of songs such as "At Last" and "Friends in Low Places." Fator played a residency at the then-Las Vegas Hilton immediately after "AGT," then signed a $100 million contract to headline at the Mirage. At Fator's seventh-anniversary party last March, the ventriloquist received a contract extension through 2021.
But Fator is hardly the only show veteran to find himself on the Strip. Singer Butterscotch, who took third place during season two, performed in the Cosmopolitan at Rose. Rabbit. Lie. Fourth-season, third-place finishers Recycled Percussion, who can turn virtually anything into an instrument, have held a variety of Vegas residencies, including their current gig at Planet Hollywood. Vegas-based musician Michael Grimm, who won season five, went on to play at the Flamingo and Hard Rock, and season nine winner Mat Franco is currently "reinventing magic" at his headlining show at the Linq Hotel & Casino. Season 10 fan-favorite Piff the Magic Dragon, who appeared at Rose. Rabbit. Lie. before his star television turn, currently has his own show at the Flamingo, where he performs deadpan sleight of hand and cracks jokes alongside his chihuahua sidekick Mr. Piffles.
Of course, Vegas is a fitting place for the show's alums to practice their craft. Few other cities support the sheer amount and breadth of performing talent that plays the Strip each and every night. And with millions of visitors already familiar with the names and acts they've seen on the show, an "AGT" performer has a marketing edge on the competition.
The next to take advantage of that connection will be Wills, whose residency, simply dubbed "Tape Face," will run Feb. 22 to May 7 at Bugsy's Cabaret inside the Flamingo. The 75-minute show will offer a tour of the inventive puppetry, miming and silent prop comedy that turned Wills into one of the most memorable acts on "America's Got Talent."
Who will be the next to follow the pipeline to Las Vegas? Season 12 auditions are already underway.
"Tape Face" will run Wednesdays through Sundays at 5:30 and 8 p.m. with tickets starting at $62.95.