Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
a chance. Though it calls itself the longest running show in town, in truth it's gone
through so many permutations it's nothing like the show that opened in 1960. At
last viewing (and this may change by the time you see it), its theme was female
beauty through the ages (or at least from the days of hoop skirts up to mini skirts).
In two dozen dance numbers, it cycles through the decades, with a waltzing gay
'90s scene; vamps and tango in the '20s; a big band tribute for the '40s; doo-wop
dancing from the '50s; silly hippies for the '60s; and female construction workers
to symbolize the empowered (and awfully butch?) women of today. Oh, and just
for kicks, there's a topless ballet number (okay, that's a bit eccentric); and an
extremely funny juggler named Michael Holly. Best are the classic Folies numbers
where the women glide about the stage balancing chandelier-like headdresses; and
the finale, a wonderfully rousing cancan.
Least expensive of this breed of what I'll call “mishmash” shows, featuring a
wide range of performers, is
V
5
(in Desert Passage;
%
702/932
-
1818; www.
desertpassage.com;
$
62 adult,
$
33 children,
$
27 discounted; daily 7:30 and
9:30pm),
originally created for the Venetian. It's old-fashioned vaudeville, filled
with the kind of novelty acts that were popular in the heyday of that form of
entertainment, with a couple of showgirls thrown in for good measure (you'll see
them in the magician's act). Though the bill is constantly changing, you'll likely
see Trenyce Cobbins, who came in fifth on
American Idol
(the year Ruben won
but Clay got the career); grimacing, grappling Russian strong-men Iroui and
Nikolai; a magician; and the very funny Joe Trammel, who lip-synchs his way
through pop culture history, wiggling into outrageous costumes that transform
him into Tom Jones, Richard Simmons, the Little Mermaid, Kung Fu film stars,
William Hung, and dozens of other targets. My only peeve is the cramped theater
itself, with some of the least comfortable seating in town.
THE FIVE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOWS
“A band of stilt-walking street performers gives Vegas a makeover.” If you saw that
headline in a newspaper you'd think it was a joke, but that's exactly what hap-
pened when Cirque du Soleil—the famed Canadian Circus that began its exis-
tence performing on the streets of Montréal—came to town in 1993. Within less
than a decade it utterly transformed the face of Vegas theater, creating five criti-
cally acclaimed permanent shows on the Strip (and inspiring dozens upon dozens
of imitators). Pity the poor executive at Caesars Palace who decided that Cirque's
offerings were too “far out” to play well in Vegas and put the kibosh on plans for
Caesars to become the first Cirque venue. Instead, that honor went to Treasure
Island (now the TI), and ever since audiences have thrilled to these whimsical,
surreal, highly sophisticated productions, which are part circus (no animals, but
lots of awe-inspiring acrobatics and circus tricks), part commedia dell'arte, part
mime, part modern dance, and part, well, part intense acid trip . . . without the
horrific hangover the next day.
The least expensive of the five, simply because it's been playing the longest,
is
Mystère
555
9
(in Treasure Island;
%
800/963
-
9634 or 702/796
-
9999;
