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Major Production Shows
This category covers all the major Las Vegas production shows and a few of the minor ones as well. In addition to the following, we recommend Donny and Marie's wholesome nostalgia at Harrah's and Louie Anderson's comic stylings at Excalibur, but we urge you to stay away from the musical family the Scintas at the Las Vegas Hilton -- a fossilized Vegas act full of near-parody-level lounge singing and jokes at the expense of every ethnicity, handicap, and sexual orientation out there. There is also a new trend of major headliners doing semipermanent but irregular stints in the big showrooms. If you are in town when Elton John is performing The Red Piano on Bette Midler and Cher's off days at Caesars Palace, you owe it to yourself to see it (even if the top $275 ticket prices are way on the ridiculous side -- it's such a good show that it's worth saving up for). Stevie Nicks also does a couple of stints at Caesars throughout the year. Similarly, Reba McEntire was doing a bunch of shows at the Las Vegas Hilton when Barry Manilow wasn't there. Note: Shows can close without warning, even ones that have been running just shy of forever, so please call first. You might also want to double check on days and times of performances; schedules can change without notice. Note also that some ticket prices may not include tax or drinks, so you might also check for those potential hidden costs. What's Playing Where It used to be that a show was an essential part of the Vegas experience. Back in those days, a show was pretty simple: A bunch of scantily (and we mean scantily) clad showgirls paraded around while a comedian engaged in some raunchy patter. The showgirls are still here and still scantily clad (though not as often topless; guess cable TV has taken some of that thrill away), but the productions around them have gotten impossibly elaborate. And they have to be because they have to compete with a free dancing water fountains show held several times nightly right on the Strip. Not to mention a volcano, a Mardi Gras parade in the sky, lounge acts galore, and the occasional imploding building -- all free. The big resort hotels, in keeping with their general over-the-top tendencies, are pouring mountains of money into high-spectacle extravaganzas, luring big-name acts into decades-long residencies and surrounding them with special effects that would put some Hollywood movies to shame. Which is not to say the results are Broadway quality -- they're big, cheesy fun. Still, with the exception of the astonishing work done by the Cirque du Soleil productions, most of what passes for a "show" in Vegas is just a flashier revue, with a predictable lineup of production number/magic act/production number/acrobatics/production number. Unfortunately, along with big budgets and big goals come big-ticket prices. Sure, you can still take the entire family of four to a show for under $100, but you're not going to get the same production values that you'd get by splurging on a Cirque du Soleil show. Which is not to say you always get what you pay for: There are some reasonably priced shows that are considerably better values than their more expensive counterparts. Note: Although every effort has been made to keep up with the volatile Las Vegas show scene, keep in mind that the following reviews may not be indicative of the actual show you'll see, but the basic concept and idea will be the same. What's more, the show itself may have closed, so it's a good idea to always call the venue and check. Our Favorites Our vote for best show? It's a toss-up between KÀ at the MGM Grand, O at Bellagio, and Mystère at TI-Treasure Island, all by Cirque du Soleil. Each has to be seen to be believed -- and even then you may not believe it, but you won't be forgetting the experience anytime soon. The most intelligent show is put on by Penn & Teller, and we are grateful. The best magic show is Lance Burton at Monte Carlo. The best classic Vegas topless revue is Jubilee! at Bally's. The best we aren't sure what the heck to call it, but you should really try to see it is Blue Man Group, at The Venetian. The following section describes the major production shows currently playing in Las Vegas, arranged alphabetically by the title of the production. But first, here's a handy list arranged by hotel:
Hot Tip! Tickets2Nite (tel. 702/939-2222) is a service that puts any unsold seats for that evening on sale, starting at 2pm, for -- get this! -- half price. Hot diggity! Of course, there are some drawbacks. It's downright unlikely that really ultra super-duper shows are ever going to have unsold seats (because the hotel will just sell them to the always-waiting-and-happy-to-pay-full-price standby line), but you'd be shocked at the range otherwise, from basic crap to stuff that we would recommend even at full price (they aren't allowed to say on the record which shows' tickets often come up for sale). Alas, the very nature of the service means you can't plan; you have to stand in line and take your chances starting at about noon (we advise getting in line even earlier than that). So if you have your heart set on ambiguously gendered contortionists, don't rely on Tickets2Nite, but, if like a good gambler, you like taking chances, head for 3785 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (in the giant Coke bottle at the Showcase Mall). Another possibility is Tix4Tonight, which offers the same service but has more locations. tel. 877/849-4868; www.tix4tonight.com. Vegas on the Upswing Vegas: Everything old is new again, and again. Whereas once it was the thing to do -- to have a regular Vegas act, back in the Frankie and the Rat Pack days, and then again in the Elvis days -- so it went that such acts became cornball and cheese. Then you couldn't get a performer with any critical or commercial legitimacy to touch the place with a 10-foot roll of quarters. And now? Céline Dion has made it safe again, and here comes Elton John, filling Bette Midler's spot on some of her off nights with his The Red Piano show. It's a gorgeously mounted production, featuring Elton and his lacquered piano, plus artistic video installations and other touches that have earned the show critical raves. Too bad he does it only a few weeks a year. Oh, and that the prices make even Midler's look cheap. Call tel. 888/4ELTONJ (435-8665) for tickets, which run $110 to $275 plus a Ticketmaster surcharge (no charge for box office walk-ups). Less technical pizzazz, but no less showmanship (not to mention more frequent dates and lower ticket prices) comes from Barry Manilow: Music & Passion, who, bless him, knows just who he is and how to use it. He's at the Las Vegas Hilton, 3000 Paradise Rd. (tel. 800/222-5361); tickets are $95 to $225, and shows are Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm. We really wish these artists, in making Vegas safe again for legit performers, also made it safe again for those on budgets. Meanwhile, Wayne Newton is currently MIA. Bring back Mr. Las Vegas! Family-Friendly Shows Appropriate shows for kids, all described in this section, include the following:
Penn & Teller's Top 10 Things One Should Never Do in a Vegas Magic Show Penn & Teller have been exercising their acerbic wit and magical talents in numerous forums together for more than 25 years, and their show at the Rio is one of Vegas's best and most intelligent. We must confess that we couldn't get the quieter half of the duo, Teller, to cough up a few words, but the more verbose Penn Jillette was happy to share. 1. Costume yourself in gray business suits totally lacking in rhinestones, animal patterns, Mylar, capes, bell-bottoms, shoulder pads, and top hats. 2. Wear your hair in any style that could not be described as "feathered" or "spiked." 3. Use really good live jazz music instead of canned sound-alike cheesy rip-off fake pop "music." 4. Cruelly (but truthfully) make fun of your siblings in the magic brotherhood. 5. Do the dangerous tricks on each other instead of anonymous show women with aftermarket breasts and/or endangered species. 6. Toss a cute little magic bunny into a cute little chipper-shredder. 7. Open your show by explaining and demonstrating how other magicians on the Strip do their most amazing tricks, and then do that venerable classic of magic "The Cups and Balls," with transparent plastic cups. 8. Treat the audience as if they had a brain in their collective head. 9. Allow audience members to sign real bullets, load them into real guns, and fire those bullets into your face. 10. Bleed. (You will find all 10 of these "don'ts" in the Penn & Teller show at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.) Afternoon Delight? By now, it will not have escaped your attention that most of the nighttime shows in Vegas, at least the ones of any quality, cost a lot. Except for the ones that cost a whole heck of a lot. And that we tend to prefer the latter. "Isn't there any cheap entertainment in this town?" you may have begun to wonder, and trust us, even if we are awfully liberal with the contents of your wallets, we feel your pain. So, barring the possibility that you might be the kind of gambler we wish to be -- the sort who gets comped free tickets to expensive shows (that you could probably afford anyway, in typical Vegas irony) -- there are some alternatives. Several Vegas hotels offer afternoon shows, at much more reasonable prices -- that, of course, being a relative term. Here are a couple of the better offerings: (Note: Mac King, because he's quite a bit better, gets his own full review above.) Ronn Lucas (Excalibur, 3850 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; tel. 800/933-1334; Tues-Sun 1pm; $30-$40 plus tax, includes drink and program) seems like a throwback to corny vaudeville days -- after all, he's a ventriloquist. But his puppets are maladjusted (why not?), with bite and wit, and he is fearless in the manner of Penn & Teller; he gleefully deconstructs his art form, confident that after he shows you how it all works, he can still bamboozle you. Watch if you don't suddenly start thinking of those puppets as real characters, even though you know exactly how it all works. He's clever, funny, and weird. Dirk Arthur (Tropicana Las Vegas, 3801 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; tel. 800/829-9034; www.tropicanalv.com; Sat-Thurs 2 and 4pm; $22-$28 per person) is an entertaining magician, though one wonders why he merits his own afternoon show but not his own nighttime show, or a part of one of the big nighttime production revues (as he once did). Viva Las Vegas (Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower, 2000 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; tel. 800/99-TOWER or 702/380-7777; www.stratospherehotel.com; Mon-Sat 2 and 4pm; $17, including tax), an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Vegas variety show, is good only if you really need an hour's respite from the slots in the afternoon. Note: Discount coupons for the afternoon shows are often found in those free magazines in hotel rooms. Sometimes the discount gets you in free, with just the price of a drink.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
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