Comedic Magician Amazing Johnathan, Lynne Koplitz Set for Side Splitters in Tampa, 3/7-9 & 3/13-16

Side Splitters Comedy Club in Tampa, celebrating 20 years of bringing laughter to the bay, will welcome Amazing Jonathan, March 7-9 and Lynne Koplitz, March 13-16, 2013. The club is located at 12938 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, Fla. For more information, call 813.960.1197 or visit www.SideSplittersComedy.com.

Appearing this weekend: AMAZING JOHNATHAN March 7 - 9
The Amazing Johnathan is an eccentric comic magician whose bizarre humor and unscripted antics have earned him widespread recognition as one of the most original and unique performers today.

Starting his professional career as a street performer in San Francisco, Johnathan turned his boyhood hobby of magic into a full-time job. After polishing his act on Fisherman's Wharf in the late '70's, he moved onto nightclubs and colleges in the '80's.

The Amazing Johnathan has performed for audiences all over the world, including countless dignitaries and high-profile officials like President Ronald Reagan and the president of France. His fan base stretches across the globe from the U.S. to the U.K., Europe, South America and Australia, where he is a household name.

During the last 25-plus years of his career, Amazing Johnathan has appeared on numerous television shows including Comedy Central's Lounge Lizards and Premium Blend shows, F/X's The X Show, Fox's Comic Strip Live, The Arsenio Hall Show, HBO's Young Comedians Special, Late Night with David Letterman, Entertainment Tonight and The Wayne Brady Show, as well as television specials such as NBC's World's Greatest Magic II and The World's Wildest Magicians, ABC's Caesars Palace 30th Anniversary Special, Fox's Champions of Magic, Comedy Central Presents, American Airlines' CBS Eye on America, the Travel Channel's Amazing Vacation Homes, and The Greatest Magic Tricks In the Universe...Ever on England's Ch. 5 UK.

In 2002, The Amazing Johnathan Show landed in Las Vegas at the Golden Nugget for a two-week engagement. Johnathan shocked everyone by selling out the entire run and the Nugget quickly offered him multi-million dollar, two year deal. Being downtown and not on the strip, nobody could believe that anyone could make the place jump again. During the next two years he changed the casino's clientele to a younger, more hip crowd and brought in more people to the showroom then Sinatra. The Review Journal nicknamed Johnathan, "The Unlikely Savior of Downtown."

Johnathan moved to the strip after receiving a more lucrative offer from the Flamingo. After one year, when his contract was due for renewal, the Nugget struck back and the MGM Grand/Mirage offered Johnathan one of the biggest deals ever made if he returned to the Nugget. With or without the money, he would have. It was like his second home.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal has given Amazing Johnathan much praise, by including him on the coveted "Best of Las Vegas" list, awarding him "Best Comedian of the Year" for 2002 and nominating him in 2003. The Las Vegas Weekly Reader's Choice Awards recognized him as "Best Local Villain" in 2004 and 2005. He is also a three-time winner of the International Magic Award for "Best Comedy Magician."

Johnathan has now been headlining in Las Vegas for a record-breaking 11 years. After the Nugget was sold, AJ moved back to the strip and played for years at the famous "Congo Room" at the Sahara, which over the years was the home of Johnny Carson, Jack Benny, and The Beatles.