Let’s Get this EXTRAVAGANZA started!

All of us have given up much that we love during the past year.  For me, live theatre has been one of the greatest deprivations.  Sure, there have been broadcasts of live productions, Zoom productions, drive-in productions held in open fields or parking garages, but like masturbation, they were sometimes good, more often not, and never quite up to the real thing.

New York has authorized a very limited opening of theatres as of April 1, but the limits exclude typical Broadway fare.  Performances include a few concerts, a very small dance production, and a couple of stand-up comedians.  Full Broadway musicals are currently prohibited through May 30.  Hamilton expects to open on July 4.  Some prophets believe warhorses like Phantom and Wicked will open first because everyone involved has muscle memory of the shows.  Others believe that those perennials appeal to tourists and not New Yorkers, and tourists are not likely to gush forth, at least in early summer.  A production like Phantom has about a hundred times more costumes, sets, and technical effects than Chicago, so that will likely be a factor to consider. Theatre producers across the country are united in stating that they must perform to at least 75% houses in order to stay open. Although theatres across the country all closed on roughly the same date, their reopening will be quite the opposite, and that’s healthy. 

Here on the West Coast, since most of our big productions are national tours, the phone lines between producers and venues are buzzing.  The first firm-ish opening is The Lion King at Hollywood’s Pantages, opening July 8 (L A will be the fourth stop for this tour, scheduled to begin on May 6!). Mean Girls, The Band’s Visit and My Fair Lady all have dates.  Many other titles are promised, but without actual dates until the tour producers can work out routes that keep their shows open without undue travel requirements.

EXTRAVAGANZA:  Is it any surprise that the first live shows in the West would be in Sin City?  Although Cirque du Soleil has filed for bankruptcy, there are a handful of shows, mostly stand-up comedians, braving some draconian seating restrictions. They seem to be selling out every performance.  However, a “Sold Out House” really means around 25% of the venue’s capacity, so there are a lot emptier seats than full.  I found that to be very challenging. The best show in Las Vegas, hands down, is Extravaganza at Bally’s on The Strip.  This bright and brisk musical review pays homage to the great styles of Vegas shows over the years.  For the “Tits & Feathers” era, we have several befeathered showgirls in some scenes (with their girl stuff covered, thankfully). 

For an homage to the Vegas celebrities, Elvis, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn appear as holograms.  With a nod to Cirque du Soleil, there are a couple of aerialists and a breathtaking act with three motorcycles racing at breakneck speeds inside a large metal cage.  And saluting the current trend of Spiegle Tent performances, there are a few two-person acts of acrobatics, contortion, and even a couple roller skating on a 12’ wide raised platform.  Each of those acts is outstanding, and each features well-muscled and shirtless men.

There is a hint of a plot:  an “average Joe” in a big city gets fired from his job and dumped by his girlfriend all at once.  A stranger gives him a ticket to Las Vegas.  When he gets there, he is dazzled by the spectacle of it all, and somehow even manages to fall in love.  There is an ensemble of eight guys and eight girls who always have clear plastic masks on as they dance and cavort between specialty numbers.  When the acrobatic duos perform, they do not wear masks (as if they needed something to make their acts more difficult!), and anytime a soloist is on stage, they are mask less.

Much of the brightness and excitement of the show comes from the upstage wall and a couple of side panels all being video walls, in constant motion during the production numbers.  Frankly, the 16 dancers are less than 1/3 the number used during Jubilee, the show that ran in the same theatre for decades, but the “living set” keeps the entire stage alive during the big dance numbers, and some very clever effects like a moving background making a bus look like it was traveling.

Special note must be made of one of the most unique specialty acts I have ever seen.  Sylvia Sylvia is an archer who wields a crossbow with some amazing results.  At one point, she stacks five crossbows on top of each other and shoots five balloons pinned on a board around her assistant, all at once.  She even manages to shoot an apple off her own head.  I think it’s safe to say this attractive lady has been performing for over a half century, but she’s still damned amazing!

The only thing that keeps me from raising both my thumbs is the small audience, as mandated by Covid restrictions.  If the auditorium seats 800 people, there were perhaps 150 there, even though the performance showed as “Sold Out.”  The audience tried to adjust by enthusiastically cheering, and the performers were trying their hardest to give 110% in their performances, but I look forward to vaccinations or herd immunity or whatever it takes to get more bums on seats.  That interchange between audience and performers is what makes live theatre different than any other medium, and nothing is as exciting to audience or performers as a full house!  Extravaganza is on an open-ended run at Bally’s, Las Vegas GET TICKETS HERE

Photos Courtesy of Denis Bazhenov