Las Vegas Shows Reviews

By Sarah Harris

“Defending The Caveman” is by far one of the funniest shows on the Las Vegas Strip. The fun starts even before the show! Stroll on into the showroom and you’ll be greeted by a caveman and a cavewoman, who will pose for pictures with you. “Defending the Caveman,” a one-man show performed by Kevin Burke, is about the inherent differences between the sexes and how we relate to one another. The show was conceived and written by comedian Rob Becker and has been performed across the country and is now being performed across the world. We’re lucky to have it here in Vegas permanently. “Defending the Caveman” holds the record for the longest running solo show on Broadway.

According to Burke, there are so many basic and primitive differences between men and women that we speak different languages, have different customs, and at times live in different worlds. Separate worlds in fact. And there’s a physical reason. While women have brains that allow us to multi-task – it’s no joke – our corpus callosums works differently. While messages go back and forth between both sides of our brains, this doesn’t occur as much in the brains of men. As a result, men can only focus on one thing at a time.

Kevin Burke takes us back to cavemen times when we had more defined roles. Men were the hunters and women were the gatherers. As a result, we had different jobs and purposes. While modern society has mixed things up a bit in our roles, we relate to each other differently. We relate to each other (men to women, women to men) in what we know and how we’d like the other person to relate to us. This is where the confusion comes in, as well as the comedy in this hilarious show. The first thing that women do when they get together, is compliment each other on how we look. Men, in Burke’s book, insult their friends upon getting together as terms of endearment. The mistake that most couples make in today’s world is thinking that when we marry that we form one gender, instead of facing the inevitable – that there are two.

Burke’s analogy of the Caveman trying to tell us something about men and women is brilliant and quite true. The way he conveys it is truly funny and entertaining. He invites us to take a look at children. Women when they’re little girls will play house, which consists of pretending to do chores. Young girls, he also observes, enjoy playing jump rope. It doesn’t occur to a girl to tie someone up with that rope.

“Defending the Caveman” lets us laugh at ourselves about the ways men and women fight, and ultimately love each other. Do yourself a favor – whether you’re visiting Las Vegas or if you live here – go see “Defending the Caveman” at Excalibur. It’s a gem of a show.

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By Denise Almas

“The Lion King”

Lumbering down the aisles towards the stage, life-size puppets of elephants and rhinoceroses gather with giraffes and gazelles to greet Simba, the future Lion King of Pride Rock. With the renewal of life, the jungle is alive with hope as King Mufasa’s son is presented to the animals.

“The Lion King” is truly a unique addition to Las Vegas. By bringing this award winning show to a town that is not always “kid friendly,” Disney has given visitors and locals alike an opportunity for a truly unforgettable night with the entire family. It is also an excellent choice for a romantic night out.

As the story progresses, we see young Simba fall into trouble as his evil Uncle, Scar, would like to be king. Scar readily admits that he is no physical match to Simba’s father, Mufasa; however, he insists that he got the brains in the family and should be the rightful king. Unfortunately for Scar, Simba’s birth meant that he would never have the opportunity. So, Scar leads the playful young Simba into danger. While Simba is rescued by his father from a stampede, Mufasa is not so lucky. After convincing the young lion that his father’s death is his fault, Scar urges Simba to run away.

Predictably, Scar becomes king and Pride Rock begins to fall apart. In the midst of this darkness, Simba’s wanderings with some new friends allow him to forget his troubles, as well as lose himself, for a while. As Simba grew, he became restless and tired of wandering. When his childhood friend Nala, the lioness to whom he was betrothed, finds him and reminds him of who he is, Simba begins to find what he lost – himself.

Like all coming of age stories, there is a moment in which a child becomes an adult and is ready to take his place in the world. After much reflection, Simba returns to Pride Rock, confronts his past, and reclaims his thrown.

Though most people are familiar with Disney’s “The Lion King,” the stage version is both breathtaking and wondrous. This simple coming of age story is transformed into a spectacular event through vibrant costumes, puppetry, dancing, and music. The blending of African rhythms with music created by Elton John and Tim Rice makes this production truly fabulous.

This show is definitely suitable for all ages and, most remarkably, this production does an excellent job of conveying themes such as life and death, as well as good versus evil, without scaring the children. Instead, younger children will be amazed at the elephants walking down the aisle next to them and delighted by the music and dancing. As my four-year-old daughter commented with delight, “The Lion King is wonderful!” I could not agree more.

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By Guy Chapman

Nestled deep within the outskirts of the Venetian Hotel and Casino is a chance to meet and mingle with some of the greatest celebrities and historical figures of our time. It doesn’t matter if they are still alive or not, or even if they’re from this century. They’ll be waiting for eager visitors to hang around them, or even snap as many playful photos as one wants with them, and they won’t even say a word. Of course, the fact that these “celebrities” are made from wax could have something to do with all of this.

Madame Tussauds of Las Vegas is the Venetian’s official branch of the venerable and revered wax museum. From the moment visitors walk in, they are given the full star treatment, complete with a red carpet appearance of a statuette of Joan Rivers and a full paparazzi ready to “snap photos” of their visitors. And that’s before the admission ticket is even scanned.

The attraction starts with a selection of some of the best and brightest from television, films, politics, sports, and media, each with sections highlighting these stars and important figures from various time periods, and there are a number of celebrities in attendance. Among the number of figures present range from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Britney Spears, Evel Knievel, Jessica Simpson, Michael Jackson, Paul Newman, Michael Jordan, and President Obama.

The attention to detail is remarkable and somewhat jarring in its realism. There are times that a quick glance can surprise visitors into thinking that there is another actual person standing right next to them, and the sense of a physical presence is remarkable. The sculptors of these figures capture every facet of a personality in the most meticulous of detail.

But this isn’t the standard museum experience where one is expected to look but not touch. The museum encourages visitors to “play” with the sculptures for photo opportunities. This includes the chance to lie in bed with Hugh Hefner, shooting hoops with Shaq, to having Simon Cowell critique a music performance during karaoke. And for the ladies, one can complete their fantasy of marrying George Clooney at the altar, complete with putting on a wedding dress. The immersion in the experience brings the fun of the museum’s experience to a whole new level.

Speaking of a “whole new level”, braver visiting souls have a chance to visit the “Scream Spook Show”. Once going down the stairs and past an agile looking Spider-Man sculpture, guests can participate in this interactive horror tour. This section substitutes the wax sculptures for jumps and scares, as a group of visitors must brave a twisting maze of fast moving ghouls, dark corridors, and flashing light effects. For those guests looking for a more casual less intense experience, never fear: This section of the museum is completely optional.

Among the highlights of the tour includes an entire section devoted to the names and faces of Las Vegas who has built the reputation of the city as one of the greatest entertainment capitals of the world, complete with a sculpture of Mayor Oscar Goodman greeting all newcomers. Visitors can encounter, and play with The Rat Pack, Liberace, Wayne Newton, Elton John, Elvis, and many others.

The overall tour will keep delighted guests busy with photo opportunities and celebrity encounters unlike what can be found anywhere else. As visitors turn each corner, they will never know who they may run into next, so keep that camera ready!

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