Frommer's Review
If we really need to tell you one more time, Las Vegas is not for kids. And here is the final proof: Cirque du Soleil, long considered the smartest family entertainment around, now produces this, an adult show dedicated to celebrating human sexuality. (Or celebrating how they can shamelessly empty your pockets, but hold on -- more cynicism to come.) Staunch warnings tell audience members this is 18-and-over, and you know it as ushers dressed -- and we feel terrible for them -- in comic T-shirts designed to make them look naked escort you to seats while the usual pre-show Cirque business gets under way, this time in the form of a self-loving, well-muscled male egoist who oozes and seduces gullible patrons. And thus begins the least subtle show on the Strip (appropriately for the least subtle hotel on the Strip), an erotic cabaret of the sort that stopped being shocking in fin-de-siècle Paris, not that that stops the crowd from eating it up.
A rhinestone-bedecked transvestite hostess introduces a bevy of acts that are all meant to be lewd or alluring or both. But if you pay attention, they are mostly just basic Cirque acts (and worse, just basic striptease acts, which you can see anywhere in town for a great deal less money), though instead of giving the illusion of near-nakedness, they give the illusion of total nakedness (an illusion that works better the farther you sit from the stage). As they contort and writhe and feign pleasure or apathy, we feel sympathy for all the parents who spent money on gymnastics and ballet lessons over the years, only to have their poor kids end up in this. See, Cirque is naturally sexy and erotic, so all this is gilding the lily until it chokes from lack of oxygen and dies. But if you were feeling sexy despite this stuff, the comic antics of the clowns, as they beat each other with blow-up dolls and faux phalli, should quench your ardor, while a triple-jointed contortionist should put you off sex -- and your lunch -- for good.
There are some visually stunning moments (two women splashing about in a large glass, a woman performing with a dozen hula hoops), and at least one sketch (involving a woman and a muscled little person) that actually says something about love, romance, and tenderness. But overall, this is an endeavor of such cynicism that it makes our own look faint-hearted. Save your money for MGM Grand's Crazy Horse Paris across the street, or just go to Sapphire and tip the best dancer there. Friday through Tuesday at 7:30 and 10:30pm.
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.
