Monday, October 09, 2006

Folies Bergere Continues To Be A Must-See: Old Vegas So Retro It Is New Again

Local Review-Journal writer Mike Weatherford writes in this article:

You can't pump significant money into the Strip's longest-running show because the casino is widely acknowledged to be on borrowed time after a bidding war for owner Aztar Corp. Either an implosion or a significant remodeling could drop the curtain on the classic showgirl revue that has been around since 1959. But you can't just let it go either. Customers can sense when a show has been allowed to slide into stagnation. Note last Saturday's closing of the 21-year-old "Splash, which offered too little too late with a sketchy overhaul last year. So what do you do?

What you do is simply go see this show. A little bit classic Las Vegas, sexy topless production numbers with beautiful Las Vegas showgirls, and a reasonable price in a day that $100-plus tickets are the norm make this a fun time. And one that might not be around much longer.

When you think of Las Vegas entertainment, what do you think of? Lasers and tigers? No. You think of showgirls. They are in our movies, commercials, and surround the winners here whether it be a golf tournament, NASCAR race, or big jackpot winner. Folies Bergere has been presenting some of the best before James Bond or Elvis became synonymous with Las Vegas.

Folies is a true celebration of the showgirls and dance throughout the ages with a stunning display of fantasy and light. Opening scenes highlight the entire cast in song and dance with bits of real feathers flying around in the air.

Still undecided? Check out these Folies Bergere Las Vegas photos then check out Folis Bergere ticket info.

Recent Las Vegas related blog posts by Ted Newkirk:

Monday, October 02, 2006

"WaterWorld" Comes To Las Vegas... Will It Have More Luck?

A recent article titled A new Las Vegas water park in the works raised some eyebrows in Las Vegas. Should a desert city of almost 2 million people be without a water park? Not at all. But will a casino themed water park (with snow skiing to boot) make it in Las Vegas? The odds are certainly stacked against them.

Here is a quote from the article:

Las Vegas Wet hopes to attract tourists and locals alike. "We're probably going to be 40-60 locals, tourists. Maybe 50-50," said Dooner. The water park itself will cover roughly 30 acres with themes like Vintage Vegas, Glacier Bay, and Survivor Island. Part of the water park will even be indoors. "It will control the evaporation and also make it a little more comfortable on the days that it's a 130-thousand degrees," says Dooner. Las Vegas Wet also plans a snow dome for indoor skiing, two hotels, a casino, an events arena, dinning and shopping.

Las Vegas has had more than its share of developers holding huge press conferences touting mega-projects that never get built. And what is with a water park going after the 40-60 year old crowd? Yes, parents and grandparents do bring the kiddies to water parks, but they are not the target audience.

The developers have backgrounds with Disney and Universal Movie Studios, so we can't count them out. They claim to have been developing this idea for 18 months. Yet ... after 18 months, they fail to say exactly where this park will be.

Would this be a cool project to have here? Absolutely. Will it be built? Don't hold your breath.

Recent Las Vegas related blog posts by Ted Newkirk: