Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Dinner Shows of Vegas
Their pluses? You don't have to look for parking twice, and you know where
your next meal's coming from. The minuses? Let me put it this way—the
cast knows that you're eating while you watch them. This may not sound
like a big matter, but I think it leads to performances that are a tad more,
well, casual than most, lacking that spark of excitement that accompanies
live theater.
That said, both
Tony and Tina's Wedding
5
(in the Rio, 3700 W.
Flamingo Rd.;
%
702/777-7776; www.playrio.com;
$
79,
$
54 discounted;
daily 7pm)
and
Tournament of Kings
5
9
(in Excalibur;
%
702/597-
7600; www.excalibur.com;
$
58; Wed-Mon 6 and 8:30pm),
the two major
dinner shows in town, are spirited and fun, in a goofy, totally cheesy way.
Tournament of Kings is a jousting tourney between
GQ
cover guys, er . . .
I mean the many kings of Europe, hosted by the legendary King Arthur.
Each section of the audience is assigned a king to cheer for (ask at the
box office for the Russian king's section—in a throwback to the Cold War
days, he's the bad boy of the lot) and this they do, pounding the tables,
clinking their tankards of soda (sorry, no mead though you can order wine
or cocktails), and waving guinea hen legs in the air. No silverware is sup-
plied, so you'll be eating with your hands just like they did back when
there were . . . mechanical dragons? Well, anyway, kids will like it, as will
adults with pliable imaginations (or bellyfuls of margaritas).
Tony and Tina's is another pageant, this time of the marital bliss sort,
and the audience members are wedding guests who become an integral
part of the show. You'll do the conga, you'll probably have to dance with
the soused bridesmaid, and you'll eat typical banquet food as you watch
the cast run through every wedding cliché there is in a humorous, genial
manner. There are also about 20 sub-plots in the show, which I won't give
away.
All of the Cirque shows have rich, evocative musical scores, but in their latest
offering,
LOVE
55
(in The Mirage;
%
800/963
-
9634 or 702/796
-
9999; www.
cirquedusoleil.com;
$
69-
$
150; Thurs-Mon 7:30 and 10:30pm),
the music itself is
the focal point. Using master tapes from the Abbey Road studios in London, Sir
George Martin (an original Beatles producer) and his son Giles Martin created a
brand new score of Beatles music as the basis for the show, mixing classic tunes
with some unreleased recordings. Blasted through speakers at the back of each
seat, the effect is like being with Ringo, John, Paul, and George in a live concert,
enhanced by the brilliant costumes (reminiscent of the Beatles cartoons, I think)
and the fact that this show is performed in the round, meaning that all entrances
and exits must take place either from below or above the stage, opening the door
for some spectacular effects.
