Las Vegas Shows Reviews

• Blue Man Group Las Vegas Tickets

by Mark Marino

Before any performers take the stage at the Blue Man Group Theatre, there is a looming sense that this kind of show can go anywhere at anytime. Even the theater itself is shell of mystery waiting to come to life. After some mood lifting jokes grab the audiences’ attention, the pulse of the room is jolted with masterful live drums. The first real glimpse of the Blue Man Group in the spotlight brings the audience into their funky universe of light, humor and music. The front few rows might feel the drums raining in their laps as each hit triggers both a sound and a splash of bright colorful liquid. A theme of messy fun makes itself known here whenever possible.

The show is consistently funny, but there is a great wealth of entertainment in Blue Man’s grip of the unexpected. The Blue Men introduce their talent of weaving together rhythms of both music and comedy with lively finesse. It isn’t long into this show that the audience is bracing for the next act with equal parts laughter and exhilaration.

It is the music however that maintains a steady excitement. A live band with a large cast of extra thump is shortly revealed to be cascading over the full background of the Blue Man stage. Seeing them perform is visually wild but more interestingly they echo and enhance an already talented musical performance with great energy and movement.

Plastic pipes, Cap N’ Crunch, and gumballs find themselves becoming famous props in such inventive hands as well. The Blue Men make an art of adorning wonderful complexity though everyday items. The Blue Man Group performers find a myriad of ways to pull outlandish humor and circus like charm out of seemingly nothing. With instruments never seen before playing sounds the audience may never hear again, we’re shown that anything can become a musical toy. Although the songs aren’t familiar to a new audience, they are quick to invite everyone into an addicting groove.

A select few may get pulled on stage for some personal live entertainment but everyone will get a chance to get up close. The Blue Men have no hesitation in storming the audience or climbing through balconies with mischievous intent. The show and the crowd break to interact at many points, some of the best and most hilarious moments are born of live wit and creativity.

As the show draws to the end, the pace quickens and the action is suddenly coming from all corners of the stage. Using simple animation and laser light, the eyes are tricked and teased into intriguing illusions. The show peaks at its conclusion with an act that literally wraps you up and will surely have you moving in your seat. After a long series of surprises the finale embraces as much music and madness as possible leaving the audience bludgeoned with positive beats. The sheer momentum of sound by the end may have the audience becoming Blue Men themselves. Many of them by then are standing, clapping, dancing, and making a musical mess out of themselves with no apologies. There is no mystery to why this show has made itself a staple of the Las Vegas experience.

This is a show with no rules but still breaks a few anyway.

• Blue Man Group Las Vegas Tickets

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• Gordie Brown Las Vegas Tickets

by Erika Bayer-Polak

If you are looking for a lively fast-paced show filled with music, comedy and impersonations, Gordie Brown is a sure bet for an enjoyable evening. And even though his show is at 10 p.m., he keeps his act rather clean by late show standards. Unless you are an austere puritan, walking away from this show offended is impossible.

Brown manages to seamlessly morph his solid voice to correspond to a wide variety of performers, from Chris Isaak to Roy Orbison, from Willie Nelson to Tracy Chapman, from M.C. Hammer to 4 Non Blondes. Brown also seems to make a point in impersonating performers who had their heydays in the 1950s to performers who are presently at the top of their game. Covering such an assortment of acts is certainly a sure way to appease all generations in the audience.

While most impersonators sing the songs of other performers and leave it at that, Brown takes this a step further and crafts his own humorous lyrics. At times the lyrics mimic the performer’s notable tendencies, such as Joe Cocker’s famous wrenching movements, and at other times they spoof everyday or societal issues, such as Viagra or PMS. And when Brown’s delivery of his parodies benefits from him picking up a guitar and playing, he does.

Rather than purely focusing on singers, Brown also impersonates and pokes fun of several actors including a hilarious version of Christopher Walken auditioning for a prominent film role, and of course, the president. Brown’s version of President Bush can make even the staunchest Republican cackle, especially seeing that his portrayal is detached from any truly political stance.

Brown’s versatility shines through during the performance. Anyone who can flash a smile that no one would deny is a Tom Cruise look alike, and immediately transition to a faultless John Wayne bow-legged stagger deserves some acclaim. And seeing that the V Theater at Planet Hollywood can be described as an informal and friendly showroom by many standards, this only aids in Brown’s delivery and his penchant for interacting with his audience. The Gordie Brown show is definitely a worthy endeavor if you are looking for an evening of great laughs.

• Gordie Brown Las Vegas Tickets

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• V Variety Show Las Vegas Tickets

by Erin Guernsey

The old saying “variety is the spice of life” rings true at “V The Ultimate Variety Show.” Audience members are privy to witness an assortment of talented artists as they perform individualized specialty acts at the V Theatre inside the Miracle Mile Shops at The Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

The show opens with the flamboyantly-funny host. This man strings together the various specialty acts with his amusing sense of humor. As the show progresses the audience learns that he is more than just a host. He is an accomplished performer who possesses excellent juggling skills. His skills range from juggling batons in the air, to hats on his head and even ping-pong balls in his mouth.

“V The Ultimate Variety Show” frequently adds new talent to it repertoire. By doing so it offers something different for repeat visitors. One of the acts you might see in the show is all about balance and is traditionally known among circus performers as “rolla bolla.” A wooden plank is placed on a cylinder and the performer balances on top by standing on the plank. As the act continues the performer increases the difficulty by replacing the cylinder with a bowling ball. Difficulty is increased even further as he creates several levels by using multiple cylinders and planks. The higher this man goes the more he makes you want to hold your breath as you hope he does not fall into the audience members who are seated in the first row.

For those who love to laugh one of the comedy acts is sure to amuse you. The show’s comedian selects several members of the audience members to partake in the hilarity. He places masks on the volunteers and shows each of them different gestures to make when tapped on the shoulder. There is even a contest involving balloon popping. The combination of masks and simple gestures keeps the audience laughing in their seats.

The show also boasts an in-house magician from Switzerland. This man uses birds in his act and seemingly makes them appear out of thin air over and over again. Audience members will watch in amazement as one minute you are looking at a scarf in his hand and the next minute you see a bright yellow bird. This act will leave you pondering how each trick was performed.

The breathtaking hand-balancing act showcases the skills of two performers from Russia. Be prepared to watch in awe as these men perform one spectacular pose after another. During one of the poses you will be stunned as one man uses only his hand to balance on the other man’s head. The incredible strength and grace of the human body is shown in all of its glory throughout this act.

When “The Crazy Gauchos” hit the stage you are in for a treat. These two men from Argentina entertain the audience with their hilarious sarcasm as well as a drum dance. The other portion of their act involves creating difficult beats by using leather strips with hard balls on the end. These leather strips are called “boleadores.” The Gauchos swing the boleadores in circles and hit them on the floor to create very impressive beats.

“V The Ultimate Variety Show” is perfect for those who would like to experience the diverse selection of talent Las Vegas has to offer. This family-friendly show is offered nightly at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

• V Variety Show Las Vegas Tickets

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• Crazy Girls Las Vegas Tickets

by Guy Chapman

For over twenty years now, “Crazy Girls” has just been one of those Las Vegas mainstays. From its iconic bronze statue in front of the Riviera that tourists rub for good luck, to the ads that one can’t help but see when traveling The Strip, it’s easy to see why, once stepping into the fun-filled and sexy world of “Crazy Girls”.

What stands out most in regards to “Crazy Girls” is that it truly does stand out in comparison to other shows on The Strip. It is a very straightforward topless burlesque show that doesn’t incorporate elaborate stunts and acrobatics, or amazing lighting and pyrotechnics. The show is set in a small, intimate venue with a traditional stage, where a set of beautiful, scantily clad girls come out to dance for the crowd’s enjoyment.

For having such a modest-sized theatre, the multiple award-winning show makes an impressive use of its space in terms of props, costuming and lighting to make sure that each act is completely different from the previous one.

The closest comparison to defining “Crazy Girls” is similar to what people would expect a classic “Golden Age” Las Vegas show to be. The girls perform a variety of acts that are playful and cheeky to sensual and alluring, set to music from the classic burlesque age to more modern songs. “Crazy Girls” keeps it simple, yet captivating, and for regular show-goers on The Strip, it makes for an experience that isn’t going to be found just anywhere else.

When defining “simple”, this means that the show sticks to its core idea of beautiful, half-naked women without delving into a lot of extraneous side acts. That’s not to say that the entire show is made up of just dancing and beautiful women. The show gives the audience a chance to cool down and be entertained in a new way by offering a series of fun card tricks after the opening act, and a longer comedy magic performance by illusionist Tony Douglas.

This segment of the show provides some genuine laughs, good banter with the audience, and most importantly, a series of illusions that leaves the audience wondering: “How does he do that?”

“Crazy Girls” is an entertaining compilation of sensual bodies, a wide range of music and performances, and a feeling of being involved in an old-style burlesque show with modern touches. There’s not a lot on The Strip that embodies the ideal of the old classic Vegas that is romanticized in so many movies and books, but this is a close capturing of that moment in time that will still leave you breathless for more.

• Crazy Girls Las Vegas Tickets

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• Jubilee! Las Vegas Tickets

by Lincoln Hudson

Having observed how the Las Vegas Strip has dramatically changed over the years in order to exclusively cater to the palette of the under thirties, sometimes it is good to come across a show that makes one pinch oneself and remember the entertainment that built Las Vegas and continues to cater to adults of all ages.

One of the shows doing such is Jubilee! at Ballys Hotel and Casino. If you need a break from watching French Canadian clowns pushing life size plastic balls across the stage, then Jubilee! is the right piece of camp, topless, musical brain candy for you.

Jubilee! is packed to the rafters with some of the most beautiful women showgirls, but it is much more. This retro-Vegas show is a charming mix of vaudeville theater, topless dancing and old time music hall which makes it among the best remaining traditional Las Vegas shows that there is left on The Strip.

Comfortably sitting behind an old school cocktail table and sipping an adult beverage, I stared in awe at the plethora of beautiful female bodies that adorned the stage as well as the shere volume of glittering rhinestones and showgirl headdress atire that helped to add some glitz to the glamor that is Jubilee! The singing and dancing was excellent, the cast magnificient, and the sinking of the Titanic was a nail biting piece of old time vaudeville.

For those who have never experienced the entertainment of legendary Las Vegas and want to enjoy one of the more modestly priced shows on the Las Vegas Strip, Jubilee! is just your ticket.

• Jubilee! Las Vegas Tickets

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