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Awaiting the arrival of the Divine Miss M
By Len Butcher
A lot of buzz around town as everyone awaits the arrival of Bette Midler who will take the stage February 20 in the 4,100-seat Colosseum at Caesars Palace, replacing the long, successful run of Celine Dion. Big things are expected of her Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On show, and I don't think she'll disappoint.
When she agreed to the gig, she said, "You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to make them laugh. I think that's key in Las Vegas, that I be funny. I don't want to say it's a swan song," said the 61-year-old Midler. "I always say, 'I'm not retiring and you can't make me.' But in a funny way, I've been working toward something this large my whole life. And I think when it's over, I will probably go back to something very, very small."
In an interview, Midler said she was intrigued by the possibilities of both a non-touring production with a large cast and the Colosseum's technical capabilities.
"I'm doing it because I'm completely enraptured with that theater. It has things in it I've never been able to use before. ... I've always had the lowest tech humanly imaginable."
Midler will perform five shows a week, four weeks at a time. The 90-minute show will run 90 minutes, and will be much more than a reprise of her Kiss My Brass tour. There will be plenty of new material to delight her many fans.
She admits she hasn't spent much time in Las Vegas since she performed at Mandalay Bay in 1999. But coming back, she says, "The energy in the town is really exciting. It just felt like it was the right time."
Despite signing a two-year contract, she isn't sure if she'll buy a place here. "I have two homes in New York and that's really plenty. ... I'm gonna see. I'm taking it very slow. I don't really know the town. I'm seeing certain areas of town I've never seen before."
As a big fan, I wish her as much success as Celine Dion had.
And speaking of Dion, Midler says the singer has been giving her tips on how to protect her voice as she prepares for her 30-month gig at Caesars in the desert heat. "She gave me all her doctors' phone numbers. She said, 'Don't talk during the day,' and told me, 'Beware of the wind.'
"She had humidification built under the stage and into the dressing room. She cranked it. It was like the Amazon in there, and I intend to keep it the same. We've got vaporisers everywhere."
Midler will perform five nights a week (dark Mondays and Thursdays) at 7:30 p.m., the first run from February 20 thru March 16. Tickets range $95 to $250.
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