Presented by: Festival Centre
Reviewed: 8 January 2016
Las Vegas hasn’t enjoyed a particularly esteemed reputation. Long held as America’s ‘party-town’ and ‘city of sin’, its origins as a gambling town established by the mafia has often been seen. Over several decades however many law-makers have attempted to clean its unsavoury reputation. Although now primarily a ‘safe family environment’, it still has elements of sleazy swagger amongst its gambling joints. Other than its profiteering, Vegas is also known for its shows, with Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and others cementing their star status as they performed for the punters. Some of these performances have gone down in history such has been their high production values and determination to entertain.
The Ultimate Vegas Show finds its way to the floor-boards of Her Majesty’s Theatre with a small tribute to these Vegas talents. Promising a variety spectacular with showgirls, magicians, musical marvels and of course an Elvis impersonator, it sets out to create the illusion of being in Vegas. In terms of entertainment value, it only barely succeeds due to uneven focus and poor production values. As the curtain rises to reveal a blancmange of gaudy kitsch, its tacky heart is firmly on its sequined sleeve. Overseen by David Cotter as Dean Martin, the near 2 hour show never really finds its rhythm. Perhaps it’s the repetitious nature of the performances or the off-colour gags as ‘The Ultimate Vegas Show’ doesn’t fly as it should.
The show’s producer and resident magician Michael Boyd struts onto the stage with a smattering of death-defying feats and simple magic acts. Whilst most conjure the ‘how did he do that?’ question everyone asks, the timing and use of an animal during the performances diluted any genuine enjoyment. More successful was a Spanish acrobat who charmed the audience with a very well-staged trampoline act and Charlie Chaplain-esque persona. However his act went on far too long – mirroring the rest of the very drawn-out show. The obligatory Elvis impersonator added some sparkle to a lacklustre show, even if perhaps his performance was more parody than tribute. He was aided by a bevy of dancing girls and boys who did their best to inject much needed energy. The show’s producers also made the mistake in not having enough diversity, with the acts from the show’s first part all returning for its second. Having billed itself as the Ultimate Vegas Show, one would have at least expected a Frank Sinatra, Liberace, Tom Jones or even a Wayne Newton tribute with none seen. This only highlighted its inexpensive nature with the minimal effort gone in creating a huge show obvious.
Aside from the lack of focus – exploring all aspects of Vegas instead of perhaps its classic era of the 1950’s/60’s – its biggest failing was its rock-bottom production values. The Ultimate Vegas Show promised a high-quality production and instead provided a very cheap and cheerful evening for the paying spectators. No more was this made clearer than during a tribute to Carmen Miranda as the showgirls and boys badly mimed in front of green florescent palm trees and an overly loud backing track. This may have been acceptable during the 1970’s with the Mike Walsh Show crowd, but in 2016 you’d expect better.
Perhaps only a certain section of the public would appreciate its cheapness and if it was mirroring the more down-market aspect of Vegas, then the Ultimate Vegas Show successfully delivered. The glum-looking on-stage band didn’t help either, with its members performing as if at a funeral. If it hadn’t been for the enthusiastic energy of the dancers, the show would have been more of a write-off than it already was.
The Ultimate Vegas Show is a poorly crafted production revelling in its bargain-basement spectacle. Whilst the majority of the audience seemed to appreciate its second-rate nature, shows such as these need to lift their game. Punters can only be fooled so often as the bosses of the real Vegas know. Perhaps in this case what happens in Vegas really should stay in Vegas with The Ultimate Vegas Show failing to hit the jackpot.
Rating out of 5: 2
Reviewed by: Patrick Moore
Twitter: @PatrickMoore14
Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Season: Ended
More News
