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American Superstars
Michael Jackson still has a career in this impersonator show that tries to keep up with a pop culture curve that quickly turns idols into laughing stocks. A versatile four-piece band pushes along credible impressions of the likes of Tim McGraw, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in a revue that copies the "Legends in Concert" format, but also keeps that show on its toes. (Stratosphere)
Bite
A show featuring topless vampires should be either the best or the worst thing ever to hit the Strip. The adult revue managed to find the middle ground in between and that's frustrating. The women are attractive and the choreography is diverse. Fangs aside, the dance routines hold their own with the other late-night adult revues. (Stratosphere)
Blue Man Group
The new Blue Man Group show at The Venetian is changed more by its staging than by new content. But these are still funny guys who can't resist a joke about Las Vegas' penchant for stages so large you can land an airplane on them. (Venetian)
Chippendales: The Show
The original male strip club is now a busily choreographed revue that sometimes seems more tailored to the short attention span of MTV teens than the libidos of grown women. The men seem to have more license to thrill than their female counterparts on the Strip, with unobstructed rear views and autoerotic moves that go beyond the girlie shows. (Rio)
Crazy Girls
The longest-running of the topless cabaret revues on the Strip must be doing something right to stay open since 1987. Tatty wigs aside, "Crazy Girls' stays in the game with strong solo numbers and a lustier strip-club vibe than some of its classier competitors. Judge its appeal by whether you think that's a good thing. (Riviera)
Fantasy
The former 'Midnight Fantasy' tightened up its structure as well as its title. Music video and concert choreographer Cris Judd was recruited in mid-2005 to add fresh musical numbers, which allow an impressive female chorus line to balance tightly wound motion with sensuality. It's unpretentious eye candy that fills the basic requirements of the topless revue, though Stephanie Jordan's sultry live vocals add a needed dimension and Sal Salansang's physical comedy offers a male presence. (Luxor)
Fashionistas
A boldly erotic story (without nudity) told in dance, adapted from a hard-core movie of the same name by porn mogul John Stagliano. It's fascinating to see what a true adult show can be when it's independent of corporate casino input, and Stagliano delivers a committed vision full of style and humor. (Krave Nightclub, Desert Passage in Aladdin)
Folies Bergere
The city's longest-running show opened in 1959 and is now one of the last souvenirs of old Vegas and its Parisian-styled showgirls. The 2003 edition offers a few fresh sequences that, at their best, add some sexy humor and steer the focus to the dancers rather than the faded scenery. The "Folies" preserve a unique era of show business with a straight face, but you may leave wondering if it's in need of a more winking or revisionist approach. (Tropicana)
Jubilee!
As one of the last classic "feather shows," it's simultaneously one of the Strip's greatest treasures and the silliest reminder of its excessiveness. The sequined showgirls and chorus boys in white dinner jackets are from a lost era, and the "Titanic" and "Samson and Delilah" scenes are still impressive in a campy way, but newer sequences fall short as retro nostalgia. (Bally's)
Ka
The latest from Cirque du Soleil drops the the dreamy surrealism for a darkly textured atmosphere, connecting the acrobatics with a sketch of a story and creating a hybrid of theater, circus and cinema. The $165 million spectacle follows separated twins af an ancient and mythic Asian dynasty on a journey with amazing stuntwork and dazzling set designs. (MGM Grand)
La Femme
Las Vegas finally imported this arty, influential nudie show from the famous Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris, after years of knockoffs and lesser topless revues on the Strip. As such, you have to experience the subtlety, wit, creative lighting and distinctly European flair to appreciate the distinctions. (MGM Grand)
Legends in Concert
Producer John Stuart launched a much-copied format when this show debuted in 1983. But the impersonator gimmick is ultimately just a means to present an old-fashioned variety show, with music spanning from Liberace to Madonna. (Imperial Palace)
Le Reve
These dreams seem very familiar, as "O" and "Mystere" director Franco Dragone recycles imagery for a redundant aquatic show in-the-round. Subtitled, "A Small Collection of Imperfect Dreams," the skeletal plot has the mythic Morpheus leading an Everyman through a sensual, often dark dreamscape. Gorgeous imagery doesn't fully compensate for the underwhelming acrobatics. The collective effort shows how quickly innovation becomes formula. (Wynn Las Vegas)
Mamma Mia!
The stage equivalent of a chick flick, the musical blockbuster will thrill grown-up disco gals and at least offer frothy, escapist fun for anyone else enticed into the theater. The gimmick of drafting ABBA songs as show tunes is far more clever than the story, which coasts a little too much on its own good will and a TV sitcom level of humor. But at last the Strip offers real theater well-crafted, even for a vehicle so light. (Mandalay Bay)
Manilow: Music and Passion
"Music and Passion" isn't a drastic departure for Barry Manilow. It feels like a show from a veteran Las Vegas entertainer that could have been there a long time already. While a 90-minute show points out the redundancies in formula ballads, it also brings out the Brill Building finesse that rounded out the albums. (Las Vegas Hilton)
Menopause the Musical
This niche-marketed show isn't well-written enough to appeal far beyond its target audience of women who can relate to "the change." But anyone can appreciate the jubilant performance level, the fact that it's crisply produced and that it's a perfect fit for the Las Vegas Hilton's cozy Shimmer Cabaret. A quartet of archetypal women (alternately performed here by dual casts) commiserate and bond during a daylong romp through Bloomingdale's, giving pop standards new lyrics as they run through a checklist of menopause symptoms.(Las Vegas Hilton
Mystere
Cirque du Soleil's groundbreaking Vegas debut show proves that artful and challenging visual and staging elements could create an animal-free, nouvelle circus with a soul of its own. Progressive live music, stunning staging and a compelling cast of acrobats and "bungee birds" who swoop up and down over the crowd make "Mystere" a riveting and open-to-interpretation work that's a wonder to behold. (Treasure Island)
Nathan Burton Comedy Magic
The magician who squeezed a lot of airtime out of "America's Got Talent" injects humor into classic stage illusions. He offers one-stop shopping for all the basics of a solid magic show held together by a nice-guy personality. (Aladdin
O
Cirque du Soleil's astonishing spectacular showcases a colorful cast of 74 synchronized swimmers, trapeze artists, contortionists and others working on a wondrous stage that transforms from an Arctic Ocean to an African watering hole in the blink of an eye. It's an overwhelming visual feast that's unequaled anywhere in the known universe. (Bellagio)
The Soprano's Last Supper
The room feels like a genuine supper club, with a band and singer. It's interactive theater, a parady of the HBO series. However, the more the dinner show moves away from parody, the better it gets. (Empire Ballroom)
Splash
The revue that opened as an aquacade in 1985 now freezes the water; it's the only show on the Strip to feature ice skating. The skaters vie for attention amid loopy tributes to the likes of Michael Jackson and Madonna, but the variety acts steal the show. The caged motorcycle finale, Bela Tabak's Riders of the Thunderdome, gets the adrenalin pumping for those who make it through this oddball, scattershot salute to American pop culture. This show will be closing on September 30, 2006. (Riviera)
Thunder From Down Under
The safest compromise for good clean fun in a male revue that occasionally bares its hindquarters. The show varies a bit each night as the dancers rotate the four "solo" spots. (Excalibur)
Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding
This interactive dinner-theater hit has been playing around the country since 1985, but it's still one of the most inventive shows to hit Las Vegas in years. Creator Nancy Cassaro coached a local cast to balance subtlety with stereotype in bringing two extreme New York Italian families to life. Since the show goes on all around the warehouse "banquet hall," it pays -- especially at the most distant tables -- to move around and talk to the performers who never break character. (Rio)
Tournament of Kings
Youngsters and wrestling fans of all ages will particularly enjoy this knights-in-the-round spectacle. The stunt-show jousting and sword-fighting are staged in a dirt arena, surrounded by an audience eating sans utensils in the rare "dinner show" left on the Strip. (Excalibur)
V -- The Ultimate Variety Show
It was an idea so simple it was overlooked: Forget about the dance numbers and instead fill a show with the high-energy specialty acts that traditionally spelled the production numbers. There's nothing hip or high-tech about it, just the timeless appeal of human beings reaching out to an audience. (Aladdin)
Zumanity
Cirque du Soleil creators have kept the strong acrobatic set pieces and even added a new one -- a sexy aerialist -- but also worked to strengthen the connective material and give it more of a flow. Artistic director Ria Martens puts more zest into the choreography and gives new purpose to some notorious moments without changing the show's basic premise. Host-in-drag Joey Arias leads us through the slightly rearranged running order with shorter, snappier patter.
(New York-New York)
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