Tag: las vegas

Last night we saw what is likely to be our last show for this trip: Penn & Teller (FB) at the Rio Hotel and Casino. This is a show we’ve been wanting to see for years; luckily, there were Goldstar tickets available for the period of this trip. I’ve since learned that discounted tickets are often available for Penn & Teller, and often those discounts can land you in the orchestra section, not the mezzanine where we were. Perhaps next time.

Penn & Teller have one of the longest running headliner shows in Vegas – 14 years at the Rio, 29 in Vegas. They debuted in Las Vegas in 1993 and have been performing at the Rio since 2001. The reason for their success is that they are entertaining. But they are not for everyone. If you hate atheists or libertarians, then don’t go to the show. Penn is well known for not being quiet about his beliefs (Teller is known for being quiet about everything). In this show, he is very “in your face” about his beliefs. Reading the Yelp reviews, this offended quite a few attendees; heaven forfend if your beliefs are challenged. Penn also does a lot of talking and introduction to the various tricks. Again, this offended a lot of attendees (looking at the Yelp reviews): if you want a magic act that is all flash and music, as opposed to being somewhat intellectual and preachy, then go somewhere else. Penn & Teller is intellectual magic — they consciously want you to think about their tricks, and then they pull them off leaving you even more astonished at how they did it. Further, they admit upfront that much of this is verbal misdirection… and with this, you still can’t see how they did it. Astonishing.

Penn & Teller is also a show that loves its audience. Although the show is at 9:00PM, they recommend that you arrive around 8:00 PM. This is because they open the doors about 8:20 PM, and the audience is entertained by the Mike Jones Trio Duo (FB) (and, if you look closely, you’ll see it is Penn Jillette (FB) playing Bass). The show itself includes loads of audience participation, from before the show when you can sign an envelope and inspect a box, to all of the tricks that involve audience members. Lastly, after the show, both Penn and Teller are available outside the theatre for pictures and “meet and greet”.

The show itself is claimed to include a rotating collection of tricks from the Penn & Teller repertoire. In reality, that is likely yet another trick because they have to have the necessary supporting props and equipment, not to mention the lighting and music cues, ready. They do not provide a list of tricks or a program (well, you can purchase a program for $10). The following are the tricks I recall — I’m not going to describe them in detail to preserve the surprise (they were not presented in this order, but the first and last tricks are what were first and last):

• Cell-Fish
• Pulling a Rabbit out of the Hat
• The Security Card
• The Physics Card Trick
• Psychics and Jokes
• Teller and his Ball
• One-Minute Egg
• Teller and the Gold Coins
• The Shadow Flower
• Close-Up Magic
• Nail Gun Memorization
• Sawing a Woman in Half
• The Teapot Routine
• Elsie the Disappearing Spotted Pygmy Elephant
• Catching a Bullet

The illusions themselves were spotless, and I found the dialogue entertaining. On every illusion, you’ll find yourself wondering how they diverted and deceived you to pull it off.

I’ll note that I read through a lot of the Yelp reviews to bring this write-up together (I didn’t write down the illusions during the show and they don’t provide a list, so I needed to jog my memory. Lots of people did not like this show because it didn’t meet their expectations or match their politics or beliefs, or they found something else to offend them. So, in the spirit of being upfront:

Advisory Notice:  The Penn & Teller show contains significant spouting by Penn Jillette of his political opinions. If you cannot stand Libertarian political positions, or having your political beliefs questioned or made fun of… don’t go. Penn also debunks psychics and belief in God. If that offends you, don’t go. Penn also makes fun of other magicians and those that believe in magic. If that offends you, don’t go. If you paid full price for your tickets, you obviously have more $$ than you need. Remember to visit the Merch store (and buy Mike Jones CD — Merch always supports the artist). If you want splash and flash and lots of pretty magician’s assistants, don’t go. This is a wordy show. If you don’t like Jazz music, arrive just before the show starts. If you want to see things close up, buy VIP seating. There is no video enhancement. This show is at the Rio Hotel and Casino, which is west of the strip (i.e., off-strip) on Flamingo, near the Gold Coast and Palms casinos. There are two shuttles from sibling Caesar’s properties: Ballys/Paris and Harrahs. If you want a show on the strip, don’t go.

We sat in the Mezzanine. This made it difficult to see many of the close-up tricks. Penn & Teller could have used video to enhance the process, but as they point out in the show, there is no guarantee that the video you see is what is happening onstage. Video can easily be manipulated. Most people do not realize that. My suggestion: Bring binoculars. We’ll do that next time.

Penn Gillette announces and introduces the staff and crew at the end of the show. This includes not only the assistant, but the crew that moves stuff on stage, the sound and light people, and the stage manager. However, there does not appear to be a list online; Penn tweeted me that it is in the souvenir program (which costs $10). Alas, I bought the Bill of Rights instead. I’m still looking for the information. [ETA: Information from Penn’s tweet]

Penn & Teller (FB) continue at the Rio Hotel and Casino.until… well, until they don’t. They have an extended contract, and both live in Las Vegas, so expect to see them here for a long time. Their show is well worth seeing (but you should be prepared for what you are getting, and if you don’t want the “preach”, then go somewhere else — there are plenty of “magic” shows in town designed for you). You can purchase full price tickets through the Rio website. You can get discount tickets almost everywhere. We got ours through Goldstar, but they are regularly at Tix4Tonight as well as numerous other sites.   Get their early if you like good Jazz.

Dining Notes: We ate at the All American Bar and Grille at the Rio. The food was tasty, but be forewarned: although they serve a black bean and quinoa burger on a gluten-free bun, the burger itself is not gluten-free. However, you can substitute the GF bun onto their other burgers. Their fries are also not cooked in a dedicated fryer, so substitute something for the fries. You can substitute roasted vegetables, but be forewarned they are overly salted (so ask them to be light on the salt). I’ll also note that the Rio is one of a few casinos that still has Keno runners and a Keno board at the restaurants. I love this — and not only to play with the crayons. I always try to figure out the odds on Keno. It is one of the worst casino games you can play, but figuring out the odds is a good mental exercise.

Small World Note: Walking through the Rio, I happened to run into a work colleague who had just driven up for the weekend. What are the odds. We should have played the slots afterwards.

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience. I’ve been attending live theatre in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows: Depending on whether discount tickets are available, we might go to either Don Rickles at the Orleans or Jeff Dunham at Planet Hollywood…. or we might not.  Los Angeles theatre resumes next weekend with “Loopholes: The Musical” at the Hudson Main Stage (FB) on May 2. This is followed by “Words By Ira Gershwin – A Musical Play” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on May 9 (and quite likely a visit to Alice – The Musical at Nobel Middle School).  The weekend of May 16 brings “Dinner with Friends” at REP East (FB), and may also bring “Violet: The Musical” at the Monroe Forum Theatre (FB) (I’m just waiting for them to show up on Goldstar). The weekend of May 23 brings Confirmation services at TAS, a visit to the Hollywood Bowl, and “Love Again“, a new musical by Doug Haverty and Adryan Russ, at the Lonny Chapman Group Rep (FB).  The last weekend of May brings “Entropy” at Theatre of Note (FB) on Saturday, and “Waterfall“, the new Maltby/Shire musical at the Pasadena Playhouse (FB) on Sunday. June looks to be exhausting with the bounty that the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) brings (note that all Fringe dates are holds; ticketing doesn’t open until 5/1). June starts with a matinee of the movie Grease at The Colony Theatre (FB), followed by Clybourne Park (HFF) at the Lounge Theatre (FB) on Saturday, and a trip out to see the Lancaster Jethawks on Sunday. The second weekend of June brings Max and Elsa. No Music. No Children. (HFF) at Theatre Asylum (FB) and  Wombat Man (HFF) at Underground Theatre (FB) on Saturday, and Marry Me a Little (HFF) by Good People Theatre (FB) at the Lillian Theatre (FB) on Sunday. The craziness continues into the third weekend of June, with Nigerian Spam Scam Scam (HFF) at Theatre Asylum (FB) and Merely Players (HFF) at the Lounge Theatre (FB) on Saturday, and Uncle Impossible’s Funtime Variety & Ice Cream Social, (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) on Sunday (and possibly “Matilda” at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) in the afternoon, depending on Hottix availability, although July 4th weekend is more likely). The Fringe craziness ends with Medium Size Me, (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) on Thursday 6/25 and Might As Well Live: Stories By Dorothy Parker (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) on Saturday. June ends with our annual drum corps show in Riverside on Sunday. July begins with “Murder for Two” at the Geffen Playhouse (FB) on July 3rd, and possibly Matilda. July 11th brings “Jesus Christ Superstar” at REP East (FB). The following weekend is open, although it might bring “As You Like It” at Theatricum Botanicum (FB) (depending on their schedule and Goldstar).  July 25th brings “Lombardi” at the Lonny Chapman Group Rep (FB), with the annual Operaworks show the next day. August may bring “Green Grow The Lilacs” at Theatricum Botanicum (FB), the summer Mus-ique show, and “The Fabulous Lipitones” at  The Colony Theatre (FB). After that we’ll need a vacation! As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.

 

Just because I’m on vacation doesn’t mean that the live entertainment stops. Heaven forfend! We’re in Vegas doing an interval exchange, and that means finding some shows to see. The first show during this visit is the longest running scripted show in Vegas — it started at the Las Vegas Hilton (now the Westgate) in 2006, moved to the Luxor, and then moved to Harrahs earlier in 2015. It is also one of the few shows on the strip that is an AEA-contract show — most are not (although given what AEA did yesterday, AEA is not on my “nice” list — they have been “naughty”). The show I’m talking about is “Menopause: The Musical” (FB), a show that truly demonstrates the age-old adage: Know Your Audience.

Perhaps I should explain. For most shows, it is vital to know who your anticipated audience will be, and ensure they will come to the show. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, this was the “Theatre Club” audience that came to New York shows. Nowadays, it is often something heavily demograph-shopped — be it a family show, a show aimed towards a particular ethnicity, a show aimed towards youth, etc. No where is this truer than in Las Vegas. You know who will be seeing “Defending the Caveman“. You know who will be seeing “Evil Dead: The Musical“. You know who will be seeing Brittney Spears or Elton John. You can guess who Menopause: The Musical was squarely aimed at. And you would be right. I would guess that all the men in the audience were there due to their wives: they either bought the show because they thought their wife would like it, or the wife bought the tickets and dragged the husband along. This led to a very appreciative audience of the humor for the show. Of course, the stiff drinks they were pouring didn’t hurt. As for the men in the audience, they were happy because their wives were happy.

So what is Menopause: The Musical. It isn’t a parody show per se (certainly not in the sense of Evil Dead: The Musical) — it isn’t making fun of any previously published property. It doesn’t have original music; it repurposes popular songs from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s with new subject specific near-beer lyrics (book and lyrics were by Jeanie Linders). It’s a book musical, but not with a traditional style book. By that I mean that it doesn’t have any real antagonists or through story, characters don’t really change and grow, there is no story being told. If I had to try to categorize the book, I’d call it observational. It brings together four women going through “the change” to Bloomingdales (which serves no purpose other than to provide scene locations); this conjunction serves primarily to allow the women to commiserate about the impacts of menopause. At the same time, this allows the audience to identify with the women on stage, as 98% of the women have “been there, done that, got the T-shirt in the gift shop, and it is already dripping wet due to my latest hot flash”.

So, let’s dismiss the book. It’s fictional framework; the structural necessity that allows the songs. This façade of a book is the reason why the show is a success in Vegas — a city built on a fictional framework that attracts an audience of the right age to appreciate that framework. The ladies enjoy it — it is a safe night out with music they know, PG-rated to satisfy the visitors from the midwest, talking about  a universal human experience. You can’t really diss it (plus, if you did, you would have a hoard of hormonally-fluctuating women dealing with mood swings coming after you. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “I’m not going to spend the rest of my life writing in Europe.”)

That said, I’ll admit that I enjoyed the show. Being married to a women “of the appropriate age”, I identified with what the show was saying. The songs were cute, well performed, and entertaining. Watching the audience, the women present were having a ball. It was certainly worth Goldstar prices.

One thing that made the show work were the performances (all cast credits). Two of the actors were extremely strong “knock your socks off” singers and performance; the remaining two were just merely strong, and made up for it by strong comedy timing. Let’s start with the strong singers. As the “Professional Woman”, Lisa Mack (FB) was a knockout. She had an extremely strong singing voice that handled all the songs well, and she handled the movement and humor with great aplomb. I’ll note that it looks like Lisa has been doing this role for a long time — this comes across in her comfort in the role. She was just great to watch. Also strong in the singing camp was Jacquelyn Holland-Wright (FB) as the “Soap Star”. She started off a bit colder for me, but rapidly won me over (I had a similar thing with the similar lead in “Inside Out“). Again, she gave a strong performance and sang very well.

The remaining women impressed me more with their comedic flair and timing, although they were also strong singers. As “Earth Mother”, Vita Corimbi handled the role easily — which isn’t a surprise as she is one of the original actresses from 2006. Giggly and silly and funny and eccentric, you could just see she was having fun with the role onstage. Also having fun was Laura Lee O’Connell (FB) as the “Iowa Housewife”, who has been doing the role even longer — since 2005 in Seattle, plus the entire Vegas run. Laura was also having great fun with the role — in particular, her scene with the lingerie was just hilarious (without even speaking a word). Both were strong singers, but their comfort with the role made their comedy just stand out.

Rounding out the cast (not onstage at our performance) were the understudies: Lori Legacy (who also serves as dance captain) and Monica Heuser (FB).

Turning to the technical and artistic side. The production was directed by Seth Greenleaf (FB), who did a reasonable job for the venue. At time, I thought the actors were overplaying it a little, but this is the type of show that demands a little overplay. Choreography was by Daria Lynne Melendez, and it worked well on the small Improv stage at Harrah’s. I’ll note that both appear to be the original direction and choreography, so credit must go to the Production Stage Manager for preserving it. The original score and arrangements were by Alan J. Plado; however, the show used recorded music recorded by Michael Dubay on keyboards, Don Meoli on drums, and Jonathan Rem on bass. Linda Germany is the company manager; Phillip James Randall is the Production Stage Manager; and Elizabeth Herbert is the Assistant Stage Manager (and shill for show merch).

On the technical side, the scenic design of Sean Fanning was very simple: a backdrop with four doors, and various props. This simplicity was required because the venue transforms back and forth into the Improv Comedy Club. The lighting design by Ryan Partridge was reasonably simple and worked well — there were a few dark spots but that was more the fault of the spot operator. There is no credit for sound designer; this is too bad, because the sound requires a little adjustment as the performers are slightly over-amplified. Lastly, costume design was by Sue Hill and appear to go back to the original designs.  I thought they worked well; my wife thought all the costumes were nicely tailored to the body types and extremely flattering.

Menopause: The Musical continues with an open run at Harrah’s Las Vegas. Discount tickets are also available through most of the discount locations for Vegas tickets, including Tix4Tonight. They are also available on Goldstar.

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience. I’ve been attending live theatre in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows: We have one more show booked in Vegas: Penn & Teller at the Rio. Other shows that are possibilities are either Don Rickles at the Orleans or Jeff Dunham at Planet Hollywood, and Crazy Girls at the Riviera (before the Riveria goes away on May 4th) — the particular show depends on what shows up at Tix4Tonight.  Los Angeles theatre resumes in May with “Loopholes: The Musical” at the Hudson Main Stage (FB) on May 2. This is followed by “Words By Ira Gershwin – A Musical Play” at The Colony Theatre (FB) on May 9 (and quite likely a visit to Alice – The Musical at Nobel Middle School).  The weekend of May 16 brings “Dinner with Friends” at REP East (FB), and may also bring “Violet: The Musical” at the Monroe Forum Theatre (FB) (I’m just waiting for them to show up on Goldstar). The weekend of May 23 brings Confirmation services at TAS, a visit to the Hollywood Bowl, and “Love Again“, a new musical by Doug Haverty and Adryan Russ, at the Lonny Chapman Group Rep (FB).  The last weekend of May brings “Entropy” at Theatre of Note (FB) on Saturday, and “Waterfall“, the new Maltby/Shire musical at the Pasadena Playhouse (FB) on Sunday. June looks to be exhausting with the bounty that the Hollywood Fringe Festival (FB) brings (note that all Fringe dates are holds; ticketing doesn’t open until 5/1). June starts with a matinee of the movie Grease at The Colony Theatre (FB), followed by Clybourne Park (HFF) at the Lounge Theatre (FB) on Saturday, and a trip out to see the Lancaster Jethawks on Sunday. The second weekend of June brings Max and Elsa. No Music. No Children. (HFF) at Theatre Asylum (FB) and  Wombat Man (HFF) at Underground Theatre (FB) on Saturday, and Marry Me a Little (HFF) by Good People Theatre (FB) at the Lillian Theatre (FB) on Sunday. The craziness continues into the third weekend of June, with Nigerian Spam Scam Scam (HFF) at Theatre Asylum (FB) and Merely Players (HFF) at the Lounge Theatre (FB) on Saturday, and Uncle Impossible’s Funtime Variety & Ice Cream Social, (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) on Sunday (and possibly “Matilda” at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) in the afternoon, depending on Hottix availability, although July 4th weekend is more likely). The Fringe craziness ends with Medium Size Me, (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) on Thursday 6/25 and Might As Well Live: Stories By Dorothy Parker (HFF) at the Complex Theatres (FB) on Saturday. June ends with our annual drum corps show in Riverside on Sunday. July begins with “Murder for Two” at the Geffen Playhouse (FB) on July 3rd, and possibly Matilda. July 11th brings “Jesus Christ Superstar” at REP East (FB). The following weekend is open, although it might bring “As You Like It” at Theatricum Botanicum (FB) (depending on their schedule and Goldstar).  July 25th brings “Lombardi” at the Lonny Chapman Group Rep (FB), with the annual Operaworks show the next day. August may bring “Green Grow The Lilacs” at Theatricum Botanicum (FB), the summer Mus-ique show, and “The Fabulous Lipitones” at  The Colony Theatre (FB). After that we’ll need a vacation! As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, and Musicals in LA, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411.