Strip performers to unite to help those living with HIV/AIDS

Golden Rainbow will mark 25 years helping Southern Nevadans living with HIV and AIDS the same way it started in 1987.

"Golden Rainbow" was the name of the first show of Strip performers coming together for a cause. Now it's known as "Ribbon of Life," and the charge is as mighty as ever.

Entertainers are scheduled to unite at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Paris Theatre at Paris Las Vegas , 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South, to increase awareness and raise funds for those living with HIV/AIDS.

Confirmed performers include comedian George Wallace, Motown artists Human Nature and cast members from "Jubilee!," "O," "Le Reve," "Zumanity," "Fantasy," "The Lion King," "Peepshow" and more.

Tickets are priced at $35, $50 and $100, and VIP-level tickets are available for $200.

The nonprofit Golden Rainbow provides housing and financial assistance to Southern Nevadans living with HIV and AID S.

The first event, which premiered July 11, 1987, was orchestrated by the peers of a Strip performer who struggled to support himself and his health due to the illness and was forced to live and die in a friend's garage.

A grass roots, charitable organization was spurred, and now 22 people have safe, permanent housing and about 600 receive support from Golden Rainbow, said Lea Carrasco-Zanini, executive director.

"Ribbon of Life" has changed from a little show to a large fundraiser and labor of love for organizers, Carrasco-Zanini said.

"It's a lot of work for a great show, but it's very unique to Las Vegas," she said. "It's the best of the Las Vegas entertainment industry all under one roof for one day."

This year's theme is Hollywood and Movies, an homage to the first theme, and organizers hope to net more than $175,000, which was last year's "Ribbon of Life" gain.

The event is the centerpiece of fundraising for Golden Rainbow and its main source of revenue for the year. Events during less economically troubled years brought in up to $250,000 in one "Ribbon of Life" event.

"Just like any organization, it's been tough, and you have to get creative with your fundraising," Carrasco-
Zanini said.

But despite the financial challenges, the entertainment has stayed strong, said Barry Morgan, entertainment director for MGM Grand.

Wallace has been a repeat performer, Liza Minnelli has regaled audiences and dance shoes and microphone stands from several Strip shows have met a "Ribbon of Life" stage, he said.

Morgan was a performer in the first show as part of "Folies Bergére" and has had a hand in every one since 1987.

Many original performers are set to return for Saturday's show and will do a number from "A Chorus Line."

"It's such a warm feeling of having so much talent and love on stage . It doesn't matter how many years have passed, you just pick it up," Morgan said. "Not only is it a gift of love, it's a family reunion for the performers."

He joked about how performers of the first production came from risque acts, and they wanted to do the opposite for "Golden Rainbow." They donned Broadway-esque garb and sang standards instead of their strip-tease nightly acts.

Morgan said the first show was "special but scary" because little was known about HIV/AIDS . He had a fellow cast member in another production die in 1985 of the disease, and his costumes were burned and staffers were on edge, he said.

"They wanted the wardrobe attendants to dress the men in rubber gloves," he said. "It was a scary period, but we were just uneducated."

Decades later, everyone who is gathered at the event will be there in celebration he said.

"We want to be uplifting and give people hope," Morgan said. "You can't match that caliber of talent. You get so much for one ticket."

All tickets include entry to the after-party directly following "Ribbon of Life" at the Chateau Nightclub & Gardens inside Paris Las Vegas .

Tickets can be purchased at parislasvegas.com, ticketmaster.com and the Paris Las Vegas box office at 888-746-7784.

Contact Centennial and Paradise View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.