We continue our three part feature series on exploring classic throwback elements of Las Vegas and opportunities to show your folks or role models a good time in a town eager to be fresh and cutting edge – while always embracing its history.
An ongoing story in Las Vegas is the decline of gambling and the growth of other revenue streams in the era of “the economic recovery that isn’t.” Regardless of what the political spin machine tells you, folks are still hurting out there. Or, at the very least, they have to be careful with their money to prevent potential financial pain. While those struggles haven’t put Vegas out of business (and won’t), tourists heading to the wild and wooly desert seem to be spending their money differently.
I’ve looked at this phenomena in the recent past and it seems to be holding steady. If any average visitor to Las Vegas drops maybe $500 or $1,000 whenever he or she comes west to play, that reveler wants to take something back with them for that expenditure – perhaps to justify to himself or herself (or others) that the money out brought a little something back in for the trouble.
Maybe it’s some shopping treat that can’t be had at home. Maybe it’s the enduring memory of elite dining. Often, it’s the experience of entertainment only Las Vegas offers. With that in mind, we turn to all of that potential entertainment with a focus on appealing to the kind of older guests we want to impress – and that Vegas wants back in town.
We’re taking the opportunity to show some gratitude to our folks – and to score some Karmic points – by taking our parents to experience age appropriate entertainment. And, we’re still calling it “visiting Vegas Classic.”
A Throwback to That Vegas Classic
Las Vegas existed before The Rat Pack, but it was Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Joey Bishop that set the first standard for the king of entertainment only Sin City could offer.
Legend has it that when The Rat Pack members settled into Vegas to film the original (and vastly superior) Ocean’s 11, they would shoot on set by day before donning tuxedos and entertaining sell-out crowds at The Sands by night.
The Sands Hotel is gone, and the members of The Rat Pack have all passed on to the martini bar in the sky. But, the spirit of The Rat Pack lives on at the Rio Hotel and Casino in The Rat Pack Is Back. The show is essentially an impersonators’ re-creation of the show Sinatra, Martin, Davis and Bishop would run out at the Sands and elsewhere during their Vegas heyday.
Impersonator shows can come off cheesy, as most Elvis-themed Vegas shows will prove. But, The Rat Pack Is Back puts a strong veteran band to work before a selection of artists dedicated to recreating the sound and vibe Sinatra and company. Each performer sings their hits, including “Luck Be a Lady,” “Volare” and “Mr. Bojangles.” While the singing voices are close approximations of the originals, the chemistry between the cast when it all comes together recaptures some of that original 60s magic.
Still Making a Splash at The Wynn
Las Vegas history has it that Steve Wynn was originally going to call his self-titled Las Vegas resort “Le Reve” – or “The Dream” in French. Instead, we have The Wynn and its sister resort, The Encore. If I was going to build a multi-million dollar hotel and casino, I might be tempted to put my own name on it, too – so we can’t blame Steve for going in that direction.
When it came time to name the massive aquatic show that would be the standing centerpiece of entertainment at The Wynn, Le Reve came back into fashion. Le Reve is a massive aquatic production that opened in 2005. Costing more than $30 million to produce,
Le Reve tells a fantasy based story of a young woman venturing through good and evil in search of love. With two shows per night running Friday through Tuesday, the show is directed by Franco Dragone (one of the minds behind Cirque du Soleil’s O and Mystere,) Le Reve is a multi-million dollar blend of swimming, diving, acrobatics, athletics and surreal artistry.
As with so many big budget Las Vegas shows, safety is always the first concern during every performance. Since the artists spend so much of the show underwater, the massive pool incorporated into the stage contains underwater breathing tubes for artists to draw on using 70 oxygen tanks backstage. There are 14 technicians and attendants in wet suits and SCUBA gear hidden below the surface away from the audience’s eyes at all times. Those divers rehearse with the artists to make sure they are always where they need to be to aid the performers.
The theater is 180 ft. across, but no seat is more than 42 ft from the pool and stage. Some 750 horsepower of hydraulics move that stage in and around the pool during the performance. Performed in the round, Le Reve competes directly with the multiple Cirque du Soleil productions along the strip. But, The Wynn’s production sticks its chin out proudly with elite artistry, and athleticism worthy of its elite resort home base. Its eye-popping feats make it a perfect entertainment option for a visitor of any age.
Cirque Remains the King without The King
Over the last decade, Las Vegas and Cirque du Soleil entered into a marriage that shows no sign of breaking down anytime soon. A partnership with MGM Resorts installed eight shows along The Strip, starting with Mystere and moving to Michael Jackson – One this month.
Since Cirque is known for putting up shows that wander toward the surreal and bizarre, that aura of intrigue can scare off some older visitors. Folks born in the 40s and 50s had a perfect Cirque opportunity with Viva Elvis at The Aria. Sadly, that show closed early – leaving the question open as to what remaining shows work best for your folks and their peers.
The former is traditional, friendly Cirque – combining live music, acrobatics dance, puppetry and comedy – all of the elements Vegas visitors have come to identify with the desert’s Montreal-based import. It’s pure Cirque, if you like, and the most playful of any show the company mounts in Las Vegas. It also incorporates characters aged from cradle to old age, making it a prime pick for any senior visitor to town who hasn’t seen such a show before.
Love is a baby boomer’s dream – a Cirque show devoted to the British Invasion, the free love 60s and Psychedelia.
I’ve wondered in the past if Viva Elvis closed early because The King isn’t “Cirque” enough. He’s classic Red State Americana – the musical equivalent of Memphis BBQ, peanut butter and bananas and Mississippi River Rhythm and Blues. You won’t find that menu in Montreal. So, while Cirque fans don’t usually embrace Elvis, and Elvis fans might be reluctant to take in a Cirque show, The Beatles offer nothing like those problems.
The Fab Four embraced surrealism, metaphors and narratives of the bizarre – providing perfect fodder for Cirque artists. Love pays a little homage to that 1963 pop foundation of early Beatles, but Cirque’s artsy nature plays better with later Liverpool music. Songs like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, I Am the Walrus and Strawberry Fields seem written especially for Cirque du Soleil interpretation.
The theater lobby, bar and shop outside Love are tributes to that classic era of British music – making the entire experience perfect for that older loved one in your life who was just flirting with grown up life when the Lads from Liverpool changed the music world.
Coming Soon: Look for the final segment of our exploration of Classic Vegas as part three goes out to eat.
Check out Part One in this series on the most luxurious Las Vegas hotels.
