Terry Fator likes to mention that when he stepped on stage during the second season of Simon Cowell's "America's Got Talent," David Hasselhoff complained "Oh no, a ventriloquist."  But Fator's singing celebrity impressions wowed Hasselhoff and the other judges, winning him the million-dollar first prize.  Even the notoriously picky Cowell was impressed, calling Fator one of the two best entertainers on the planet.

Vegas agreed, and Fator landed a five-year headliner contract at the Mirage worth $100 million, with an option to extend another five years--the longest contract a ventriloquist has ever signed in Vegas.  Now he's in a big theater named after him, five nights a week, but he maintains a friendly, grateful air.  Before he was discovered, when he was feeling especially low, Fator began carrying a Sharpie, vowing that someday he was going to need it to sign autographs.  Which he does graciously today, spending up to two hours after each performance greeting everyone who wants to meet him.  He also invites people to take pictures and short videos during his show, unusual in any theater.

It's a show that begins on a high note with Ben Harris, a hot young hip-hopper, playing an infectious dance mix to warm up the audience.  Harris jumps out from behind his turntables to show off his interpretation of the evolution of dance, with flashy moves from Chubby Checker to MC Hammer.

The energy stays high as Fator takes the stage backed by a seven-piece band to perform a knockout rendition of "At Last" with the help of puppet Emma, a little girl with braids and a perfect Etta James voice.  She's followed by Winston the Impersonating Turtle, Maynard (the only Elvis impersonator in Vegas who doesn't know any Elvis songs), smooth soul singer Julius, the mysterious fifth Beatle, husky-voiced "cougar" Vikki,  Duggie the stoner who channels Axl Rose and offers to make special brownies from ingredients stashed in his sock. Even Cher shows up.  Cher isn't actually a puppet, but a hapless audience member hilariously turned into one with the help of a remote-control talking mask, a wig, and a slinky dress.  Men who sit in front, you've been warned: if you sing a duet with Fator, you won't be Sonny.

Fator and his puppets whip through three dozen songs, perfectly.  Try singing Elvis, Annie Lennox, Roy Orbison, or the Pussycat Dolls.  Now do it with your mouth closed, while manipulating a puppet. How about while you're also singing and dancing like Michael Jackson?  Fator's spent three decades figuring it out, and his story is as inspiring as his show.  When he was a teenager, his mother knew he wanted to be a ventriloquist, but couldn't afford a professional dummy.  So she secretly bought one from a master carver, paying in installments over three years.  She surprised Fator on his eighteenth birthday with the dummy that would become the yodeling cowboy Walter T. Airdale, sending him off on a career playing corporate gigs and county fairs until he won the country's heart on "America's Got Talent."

Now Walter and the rest of the wood-and-foam crew help Fator create tender moments (Michael Bublé's wistful "Home" dedicated to the military personnel in the audience) and astonishing ones (Winston the Turtle as Kermit the Frog singing "What a Wonderful World" opposite Fator as Louis Armstrong) in this amazing, family-friendly show.

-Lisa Drostova