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PUBL ISHERMichael Skenandore

EDI T ORI A LEDITOR Matt Jacob

SENIOR EDITORS Paul Szydelko, Xania Woodman

A&E EDITOR Cindi Reed

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Camille Cannon

SENIOR WRITERS Steve Bornfeld, Geoff Carter, Lissa Townsend Rodgers

CALENDAR COORDINATOR Ian Caramanzana

SENIOR CON T RIBU T ING EDI T ORMelinda Sheckells (style)

CON T RIBU T ING EDI T ORSMichael Green (politics), Al Mancini (dining),

David G. Schwartz (gaming/hospitality)

A R TCREATIVE DIRECTOR Ryan Olbrysh

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Jon Estrada, Cierra Pedro

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Anthony Mair

V EGASSE V EN.COMDIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA Nicole Ely

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Herbert Akinyele

ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Zoneil Maharaj

SENIOR WRITER, RUNREBS.COM Mike Grimala

ASSISTANT WEB PRODUCER Amber Sampson

PRODUC T ION / DIS T RIBU T IONDIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION Marc Barrington

ADVERTISING MANAGER Jimmy Bearse

DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Jasen Ono

S A L ESBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Christy Corda

DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Nicole Scherer

ACCOUNT MANAGER Brittany Quintana

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Alyse Britt, Robyn Weiss

IN T ERNS

James Cale, Kayla Dean, Rachel Kerr, Aric Lairmore, Brent Martelli

Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger

PRESIDENT Michael Skenandore

VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND EVENTS Kyle Markman

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS Michael Uriarte

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sherwin Yumul

MARKETING MANAGER Maureen Hank

LAS VEGAS’ WEEKLY CITY MAGAZINE | FOUNDED FEBRUARY 2010

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CHRON’S & COLITIS WALKAbout 200 participants dusted off their sneakers to

make noise for “silent diseases” in the Take Steps

for Chron’s & Colitis community walk May 30. The

event at Exploration Peak Park at Mountain’s Edge

brought in nearly $30,000 to benefit the Chron’s

& Colitis Foundation of America, which raises

research funds and awareness for inflammatory

bowel diseases. Among those in attendance was

Brittany MacDonald, the 2015 Take Steps Honored

Hero who shared her story as a part of the program.

Following the walk, participants indulged in music,

games and food, courtesy of Pepsi, Dunkin’ Donuts,

Einstein Bros. Bagels and Granello Bakery.

UPCOMING EVENTS • June 5-6 The Mario Batali Foundation Las Vegas Celebrity Golf Classic [MarioBataliFoundation.org] • June 6 Epicurean Charitable Foundation’s Mommy and Me Fashion Show [ECFLV.org]

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Rollin’ Smoke’s Duo Choice of ribs and brisket (see Page 25).

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Tonkatsu Kiyoshi’s Rose Katsu Dinner.

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PRIX FIXE LUNCH, DB BrasserieDaniel Boulud’s Venetian restaurant has been one

of the most celebrated spots in town over the past

year. But eating there can get a little pricey, with

even the burgers selling for between $16 and $19.

So take advantage of the two- or three-course

lunch offerings. There are several options each for

your starter, entrée and dessert, and they include

house favorites such as salmon rilletts, steamed

mussels, the gourmet Yankee Burger and cara-

mel-chocolate fondant. However, we’d be remiss

if we didn’t warn you: Once you try these dishes,

there’s a good chance you’ll return for a more ex-

pensive menu sampling. $26 and $32, in the Palazzo, 702-430-1235, DBBrasserie.com.

SMOKED LOX BAGEL, Makers and FindersSo, yeah, it’s a $10 bagel, but it’s the best $10 bagel

you can get in Vegas. Scallion cream cheese is

spread on an everything bagel, which is topped with

a heaping portion of smoked salmon, capers and

drizzled with olive oil. The smokiness of the salmon,

the fancy cream cheese and olive oil bring the

typical bagel and lox to a whole new level—a level

that’s free of buyer’s remorse. $10, 1120 S. Main St., Suite 110, 702-586-8255, MakersAndFindersLV.com.

ANGUS STEAKS, Herbs & RyeJuicy, perfectly chargrilled steaks are nearly as

much of a good reason to head to Herbs & Rye as

the history-conscious cocktails. This is especially

true during one of two daily happy hours (5-8 p.m.,

midnight-close), when many of the 100 percent

certified Angus steaks—as well as other entrées,

appetizers and flatbreads—are half off. Last year,

owner Nectaly Mendoza received his Certified

Angus Beef accreditation in Kansas, and this year,

executive chef Mariano Ochoa did the same in

Nebraska. Herbs & Rye purchases side slabs from

Desert Meats and butchers them in-house “the old

fashioned way: with a meat cleaver, boning knife

and saw.” Steaks start at $14 during happy hour, 3713 W. Sahara Ave., 702-982-8036, HerbsAndRye.com.

FOUR-COURSE DINNER, Japanese Cuisine by OmaeWhen Michelin-starred chef Takeshi Omae opened

his westside restaurant last year, seven-course,

$150 meals were the only dinner option, while the

big bargain was the $20 lunch. But the chef is

now offering a more reasonable nighttime option.

The hefty $150 price tag has been cut in half, and

it entitles you to such gourmet touches as wasabi

grated tableside on a sharkskin grater, live botan

shrimp and other delicacies from Tokyo’s Tsukiji

market, and mascarpone ice cream with green

tea sauce—depending on what day you show up.

A meal like this on the Strip would cost twice

as much. $75, 3650 S. Decatur Blvd., 702-966-8080,OmaeVegas.com.

PRE-THEATER/SUNSET MENUS

We’ve all seen that Seinfeld episode where Jerry’s

parents insist on eating early to save a few bucks.

For most of us, early dining probably isn’t worth it

if it’s in a Florida retirement community, but some

of Las Vegas’ most extravagant restaurants offer

a classier version of the early-bird special. At Bel-

lagio, you can get three courses at Le Cirque (702-

693-8100, LeCirque.com) for $72 between 5:30

and 6:15 p.m., or three courses at Michael Mina

(702-693-7223, MichaelMina.net) for $68 between

5:30 and 6:30. Between 5-7 p.m. at Mario Batali’s

B&B Ristorante in the Venetian (702-266-9977,

BAndBRistorante.com), you can get three courses

for $55. And, no, you don’t have to be a septuage-

narian to score these specials.

Splurge and SaveFive higher-end value menus

DB Brasserie’s Yankee Burger.

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Do you plan to continue with your current

live production, or do you have plans to

switch it up?

On every album, we want to take the show somewhere else. Every album is like a chapter in a history of live performances. Once the next album is done, we’ll try to revamp the show as well.

Explain the set design during your current

live show.

When we play at Drai’s, the set design is different from what you might see when we play at a festival or at a club show, because we have a custom rig for that place. But if you saw us at Coachella or at EDC Las Vegas or whatever, the whole set is chrome to go with the Chromeo theme. And all of our instruments are chrome. We have this really cool set design where we’ve got infnity mirrors and a lot of plays on light refection. The idea was just to go with a sculptural set design, as op-posed to the massive LED cliché type of things you see with a lot of electronic music. Because we’re a

band, we just wanted to go some-where a little bit different.

Do you prefer to play live shows or

DJ sets?

Definitely live shows. But DJ sets are fun, too, because then we can play our friends’ music. We’re guys in a band; we’re not real DJs. There are a lot better DJs out there, but people like seeing us because we’ll have a section of songs that’s a little more unconventional since we don’t come from the DJ world. It also means we can have really inti-mate contact with our fans, because we’re not busy playing guitars and

keyboards. We’re there behind the decks and we can make eye contact, we can jump up and down, shake hands, you know? Sometimes after a [live] show, it’s fun to do an after-party and DJ.

Would you ever do that at Drai’s?

At Drai’s it’s like one or the other. But you never know. Maybe I’ll come to [Drai’s Afterhours] and do a set. That would be a good vibe.

What else do you do after your shows

in Las Vegas?

We stay off the Strip and we go to weird spots Downtown. There are

a lot of cool foodie places off-Strip, that’s one thing I’ve learned about Vegas. There are so many chefs there.

I heard you guys are fans of Guy Fieri.

Have you tried his Vegas spots, yet?

No, but we still fuck with him. He’s cool. I love him because he’s not pretentious; he’s not elitist. I like the fact that he goes to random, regular restaurants and just, like, gives props to some cook who didn’t have [conventional] training. That’s cool.

What’s the most memorable thing that’s

happened to you here?

I don’t gamble, but P-Thugg, one time after a show, made $7,000 and lost it all and then made it all back just before checkout. I slept [the whole time]. I left when he was on his winning streak and I came back in the morning and he was still down there. And I was like, “Why are you still here?” And he’s like, “Aw, man, I lost everything and I had to make it all back.” And then we just got on the fight and left. P

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“We’ve forged a clear identity with the lyrics we write: It’s always kinda humorous and

tongue-in-cheek, without being tacky.”

Chromeo plays a live set at Drai’s in March.

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T I C K E T S & V I P R E S E R V A T I O N S | O M N I A N I G H T C L U B . C O M | 7 0 2 . 7 8 5 . 6 2 0 0 |

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DRAI’S NIGHTCLUBThe Cromwell

[ UPCOMING ]

June 4 DJ Shift spins

June 5 Ciara performs

June 6 Makj Spins

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK STAR IS MANNING THE DECKSYou might know Taryn Manning as comedic villain/walking PSA for oral hygiene Tif-fany “Pennsatucky” Doggett on Orange Is the New Black. Or from any of her dozens of roles—a résumé that includes 8 Mile, Sons of Anarchy and Britney Spears’ flick Crossroads (which we’ve never seen…). But the 36-year-old is much more than a supporting role. With roots placed as firmly in music and dance as acting, Manning will soon unveil her long-awaited solo EP. We caught up with Manning recently to talk about Season 3 of OITNB (premiering June 12 on Netflix) and being an Internet meme before she hosts Ditch Fridays on June 5 at the Palms and mans the turntables at Foun-dation Room on June 6 in Mandalay Bay.

What can we expect from your DJ sets?I read the room as much as I can. I lean more toward a dance set. It’s girly because I’m a girl and I love vocals and all that. But there’ll be some hip-hop, some pop remixes. It’s kind of all over the place. I’ll even throw it back to some grunge, like some Pearl Jam and Nirvana and then some Prodigy and then go into Calvin Harris and Drake and ev-erything else that’s popping right now.

What can we expect from the new season of OITNB?More development and understanding of where these people come from. It’s just really an awesome show. I’m always in awe of the scripts. I’m like, Oh good God! No, they didn’t! It’s just shocking. Right when you’re feeling high, it takes you low. When you’re feeling low, it takes you back up. It has that crazy whirlwind effect.

I hope you have very little in common with your character, Pennsatucky. But is there any part of you that identifies with her?She’s kind of a mystery—I like that about her. She’s really just vacillating between: Is she a bully or is she a softy? I feel like we all are trying to figure out who we are. I identify with that part of it.

People like her, so much that she’s become an Internet meme. Do you have a favorite?I do. It’s the “The moment when you find the last French fry in the bag” or some-thing. I love that one because I’ve been there. I’m like, yes! – Zoneil Maharaj

Manning talks more about the show

and her morbid life goals at

VegasSeven.com/TarynManning.

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PALMS POOLThe Palms

[ UPCOMING ]

June 5 Ditch Fridays with Taryn Manning

June 8 Cabanas for a Cause—Special Olympics

June 12 Ditch Fridays with Dave Audé and Vassy

INSOMNIAC REVEALS VIP DINING DETAILS FOR EDC LAS VEGASWith only a matter of weeks left until Electric Daisy Carnival re-turns to Las Vegas, buzz is rapidly mounting. In the fiercely competi-tive festival arena, EDC founder Insomniac has recognized that it must create a truly immersive ex-perience and that no aspect can be overlooked—including the food. We caught up with chef Keven Alan Lee of Los Angeles’ My World on a Plate, who will be creating and executing the menus for bottle-service clients, as well as guests who partake in EDC’s VIP dining experience or dine at the café.

This will be Lee’s second year helming the EDC Las Vegas kitch-ens. “Insomniac has doubled my space and given me two kitchens,” Lee says. As for the food, think: “Hypnotic Tacos,” Lee says. “We’re going to do a bao-style taco fin-ished with Japanese neon-color puffed rice. It articulates the show, and is designed to maintain the same feel and emotion as the music. We’re not just talking about meat on a stick or meat on a bun.”

Speaking about realizing his lofty goals for EDC’s outdoor din-ing decks, “My biggest challenge will be the endurance of my team and resources. You’ve got to be resourceful. We do Burning Man on one of the most amazing camp-sites [on the Playa], and that’s a true test of endurance. [At EDC] there will be a café dining deck menu, a three-course sit-down menu for the VIP dining experience and cabana VIP platters for the bottle-service patrons.”

“[Insomniac’s] eliminating food trucks and giving us the opportu-nity to take care of that under one roof,” Lee says. His food will vary from VIP area to VIP area, but, he says, “there will obviously be some cross utilization [of ingredients].” Fittingly, the delivery method for the cabana tables will be platters. “The electric fruit platters are go-ing to be out of this world,” Lee says. “We will also have massive platters of sushi and burgers.”

And if ever there was a time or place for a massive platter of any-thing, it’s at Las Vegas’ most over-the-top-by-design festival. - David Morris

Check out Lee’s VIP menus at VegasSeven.com/EDCDining.

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Restaurant reviews, news and sherry is the new staple your cocktails are craving

“Dinner for two at the town’s best restaurants

can cost more than a rent or mortgage payment.”

{PAGE 56}

Chef Beni Velazquez in his new kitchen.

Changing Course Midstream

Beni Velazquez’s two new Desert Shores restaurants vary in quality

By Al Mancini

AMBITION IS A GOOD QUALITY IN A CHEF. BUT I’ve also seen many chefs take on too much at once, with unimpressive results. That’s what I’m worried may have hap-pened with Beni Velazquez, the former chef for Arts District hot spot Bar+Bistro.

Valazquez announced last year that he was opening a pair of adjacent res-taurants on Lake Jacqueline in the Des-ert Shores community. Republic Café & Kitchen is a breakfast and lunch spot specializing in high-end coffee and tea. His more formal restaurant, Latin Fish, opened very briefy, serving Spanish and South American tapas. It quickly shuttered, however, and was rebranded Isabela’s Seafood, Tapas & Grill. Now, with the two restaurants operating, Valazquez tells me he’s also planning a pizza place in the complex. Unfortu-nately, while Republic is a quaint little spot with very good food and service, Isabela’s still hasn’t found its footing, and could use a lot more work before the chef takes on something new.

The decision to close Latin Fish so quickly was reportedly based on many factors, including trademark issues with the name and an elderly clientele that wasn’t receptive to the descriptions of the food. So the chef used the down-time to rewrite the menu in a way that presented his style of cooking in a more approachable way. Not having dined at Latin Fish during its brief lifespan, I’m not qualifed to comment on how much has changed. But I do know that most of the food I’ve had at Isabela’s does not live up to what Velazquez did at Bar+Bistro. In fact, everything seemed to have at least one major faw.

The garlic chicken, for example, had dry white meat segments and a sauce that was more sweet than garlicky. Then there was an order of Honduran Fire & Ice Lobster that reminded me of the contents of a cold lobster roll simply plopped in the middle of a bowl of sweet coconut curry that lacked any of the hints of jalapeño and ginger the menu promised. And while a trio of crab cakes was tasty, they were far too mushy in texture.

The best dish I’ve sampled at Isabela’s so far has been a paella loaded with sea-food. But even that lacked socarrat—the crisp rice crust from the bottom of the pan. That’s probably because the chef didn’t completely reduce the liquid, offering something closer to broth with rice and seafood than a proper paella. Service at Isabela’s was also disap-pointing, with dishes taking too long to arrive, and my waitress completely for-

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OUR ANNUAL CHEAP EATS ISSUE IS especially important in Las Vegas, because we’re among the most ex-pensive cities in America for dining out. Dinner for two at the town’s best restaurants can cost more than a rent or mortgage payment. And while that’s inconceivable to many, it’s pretty commonplace on the Strip. So, as we concentrate on the bargains in most of this issue, it seems only fair to show you the other end of the spec-trum. I’ve dined at all of these places (usually on someone else’s dime), and I can tell you they’re all spectacular, although I wouldn’t dare pass judg-ment on whether they’re “worth” the high price of admission—that’s between you and your accountant. (All prices are before tax and tip, and smaller and/or a la carte meals are also available.)

JOËL ROBUCHON

Walking into Joël Robuchon is like entering a French palace—this is undoubtedly the most elegant res-taurant in town. And while menus are offered for as “little” as $120 per

person, splurging here means the Menu Degustation. Priced at $445, it starts with an amuse bouche of Osce-tra caviar over a delicate king crab gelée, then progresses to fve savory courses (four of which are trios) and three dessert courses. Oh, yeah, they also boast the town’s most impressive bread cart. Wine pairings are avail-able at various price points. In MGM Grand, 702-891-7433.

RESTAURANT GUY SAVOY

Parisian superstar Guy Savoy’s Caesars Palace restaurant has a minimalist, modern décor and a menu that com-bines French classics with contempo-rary innovations. If it’s your frst visit, you may want to try the nine-course Signature Menu that features some of the chef’s best-known dishes, includ-ing his bright Colors of Caviar and his famed artichoke and black truffe soup for $290. A few years ago, however, the restaurant introduced the more modern 14-course Innovations Menu, with fashier items such as lobster “candy” with seaweed granité, a piece of salmon cured on a slab of dry ice,

and sea bass with sauerkraut and oyster. The latter menu will set you back $375, plus wine. In Caesars Palace, 702-731-7286.

TWIST BY PIERRE GAGNAIRE

Of the French chefs on this list, Pierre Gagnaire is the most experimental, offering countless whimsical modern touches. His fve-course tasting menu starts with sea urchin custard, cold potato soup with vodka, smoked had-dock, and a pear and lettuce wrap with smoked eel and oro blanco—and that’s just one course. Similarly, dessert is composed of four separate elaborate dishes. And it’s all served in a gorgeous dining room with a phenomenal view of the Strip. That tasting alone is $155, and various available wine pairings can bring the total as high as a whop-ping $777 per person. In Mandarin Oriental, 702-590-8888.

É BY JOSÉ ANDRÉS

Tucked in the back of Jaleo in the Cos-mopolitan, É by José Andrés is one of the most exclusive restaurants in Las Vegas. The tiny room seats only eight

people at a single curved bar where the chefs prepare your meal in front of you. Among the 20-plus courses, you’ll fnd plenty of Andrés' signature scientifc avant garde techniques. The basic meal is $195 with beverage pair-ings available for $130 and $300. You can only secure reservations via email, starting at midnight 90 days from the date requested, and it's confrmed by mailing you a golden ticket. In the Cos-mopolitan, Reserve@EByJoseAndres.com.

NOBU

On the ground foor of the Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace sits the world’s largest Nobu restaurant. It’s also the only Nobu in the U.S. with teppan tables. If you prefer the chef’s classic Peruvian/Japanese fusion dishes, opt for the main dining room, where omakase tasting menus are priced at $125 and $175. Over at the teppan tables, the high-end menu costs $125. A word of warning: Do not expect the knife and fre tricks you know from Benihana—unless you ask really nicely. In Caesars Palace, 702-785-6628.

Break the BankWhere to eat when someone else is paying

By Al Mancini

Clockwise from left: the main dining room at Joël Robuchon; inside É by José Andrés;

and dry-ice-cured salmon at Guy Savoy.

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Spamalot failed on the Strip, but found new life at Spring

Mountain Ranch in 2014.SUPER SUMMER THEATRE’S

40TH SEASON

Spring Mountain Ranch State Park,

Highway 159, Blue Diamond,

$20 ($12 in advance),

ages 5 and under free,

702-594-7529,

SuperSummerTheatre.org.

• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

by P.S. Productions, 8 p.m.

Wed-Sat, June 10-27.

• Bye Bye Birdie

by Table 8 Productions, 8 p.m.

Wed-Sat, July 8-25.

• Tarzan by Huntsman Entertainment,

8 p.m. Wed-Sat, Aug. 12-29.

• Lend Me a Tenor

by BNTA/United Production Works,

7 p.m. Thu-Sat, Sept. 10-26.

thing else in the Valley,” Brooks says of the rustic showcase 18 miles west of Las Vegas. “We have some neat people who work on the Strip who come out to do our shows as actors and directors. They do their thing and earn their wages, but they get bored because it’s the same thing every night and they want to do something different, and give back.”

After preparing the palate last month for the anniversary season with an appetizer—the two-night Keepin’ It Country revue—Super Summer serves up the main course starting June 10-27 with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Farther down the menu will be Bye Bye Birdie (July 8-25), Tarzan (Aug. 12-29) and Lend Me a Tenor (Sept. 10-26).

On the weird-’n’-wonderful scale, Super Summer Theatre gets a stand-ing-O on both counts.

* * * * *

in a nostalgic mood, vegas seven invited several Super Summer vets to reminisce about the challenges, frustrations, oddities and, ultimately, unabashed love for the stage at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park.

Joining the remember-when with Shelburne are: Terrence Williams, for-mer artistic director of now-disbanded Stage Door Entertainment (involved in shows by his and other troupes including Ragtime, West Side Story, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Annie); actor/director Steve Huntsman of Huntsman Enter-tainment (Godspell, Seussical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Wiz, Aida and this year’s Tarzan) and actor/creative director Troy Heard of Table 8 Productions (last year’s Arsenic and Old Lace, this season’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang):

‘NOTHING MORE GORGEOUS’

williams: “The overall vibe is lots of love and a sense that you’re working on ‘the big show in town.’”huntsman: “I’ve been going to the shows since I was 12; the location is out of this world. I went with a church

group the frst time to see Grease, and it was the frst time I was out at Red Rock [Canyon]. When I saw Joseph, it was like, ‘Oh, I want to do that.’ And I’ve been doing it ever since.”heard: “You’ve got to fght for at-tention with God and nature, but it excites you so much that you’re not sitting on a theater chair inside four walls, that stodginess, with an usher walking you to your velvet seat. And the kids are enraptured out there. It heightens the magic.”shelburne: “There’s nothing more gorgeous than stepping on that stage when it’s all silence and looking up into the mountain and the occasional braying of the burro. Just beautiful.”

‘THE NAZIS HAD TO RUN’

huntsman: During The Wiz, I was playing the Scarecrow. One night the bugs were so bad that when I sang my song at the beginning of the show, my very last note, a very big bug few right in my mouth and I ended up swallow-ing it. I have it on videotape! I just kept going because once Dorothy picks us all up, we’re on the yellow brick road and there isn’t much downtime. But maybe that bug had a harder time than I did.”shelburne: “I’ve been onstage when there’s been a wildfre burning to the right of us.”heard: “Creepy-crawlies come on-stage occasionally. My wife, Kady, when we frst started dating, she had been cast in Crazy for You out there and she told me there were feld mice that would come up.”williams: During tech week, there are sprinklers that pop out of the grass and occasionally soak your lighting consoles. The bats would occasionally swoop, but they were more of a dis-traction than anything else. And when no one is around, the burros will wan-der right up to the stage. Tech nights occasionally featured burros surpris-ing you by breathing down your neck as you sat at a table in the meadow.”shelburne: “The wind is highly prob-lematic. When we did Man of La Man-

cha, we had the entire stage-left castle turret just pick up from the force of the wind and throw down in the mid-dle of the meadow. It landed in a big heap. Luckily, the show had just ended and the audience was out.”heard: “My wife did The Producers out there, and some of the sets became sails because of the wind. During ‘Springtime for Hitler,’ some of the Na-zis had to run.”williams: “One of the older [sound] operators had a notorious time keep-ing up with who was on/off stage and turning mics on and off. We had warned the cast that they should always presume their mics are on for at least 15-20 seconds after they leave the stage. During Ragtime, [an actress] performed her opening song, ‘Goodbye, My Love,’ to an audience that was actually quite silent on this particular Thursday. The song ended and the applause was def-nitely less than enthusiastic. She exits stage left and we immediately hear, at full volume, no less: ‘This audience SUCKS! They wouldn’t know talent if it came and bit them on the ass!’ Needless to say, the applause did not improve for the remainder of the evening.”huntsman: “Every time in Godspell, when we got to the point when we cru-cifed Jesus, those burros would go on and on and on. They must have a sense of humor.”

‘YOU HEAR STRANGE THINGS’

huntsman: “At the ranch, you play to this huge football feld, so it’s impor-tant the actors understand you don’t want them to overact, you want them to make interesting [acting] choices and some of them are subtle, but you have to present them in a big way so they read to an audience.”shelburne: “The audience’s perspec-tive is different. In most theaters, the audience has the advantage of sitting up so they’re looking down into the stage area. But the way this plays, you can’t see the foor. You lose a playing feld that’s quite important. We can’t put a lot of lighting there. You have to

handle it differently visually.”williams: “The meadow is huge. You need mics for everything. Projection is out the window, particularly if there’s a light breeze.”shelburne: “There is very little wing space and no fy space [a large, open area above the stage to accommodate a complex system of ropes, counter-weights and pulleys to drop and lift sets and scenery]. So Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is going to be an immensely diffcult show. I’ve got a car that drives, foats, fies and is supposed to have personal-ity, not to mention 38 different loca-tions and scenes. We have to build it from scratch, and we have to build a ramp out of the back of the theater.”williams: “You have to re-engineer ev-erything with no wings or fy space. I had a performer enter down a rope from the ceiling at center stage. How did he get on the rope? A very complex series of scaffolding and platforming hidden among the lights. A real, driving Model T onstage [in Ragtime]? The set was built around the Model T, so we didn’t have to fgure out how to bring it on and off. It was hidden there the entire time.”huntsman: “There have been plenty of times when I’ve created an intense, intimate moment onstage. It’s sup-posed to be when the energy gets all focused and quiet, and that’s when you hear all the merrymaking going on in the audience. The music stops and you hear strange things.”heard: “Having had the advantage of being an audience member before I started directing there—and having had the fermented beverages—I know there will be some audience members out there doing the same. So Bye Bye Birdie will be super-super fast. The shows have to be twice as large to keep the attention.”

* * * * *

forty seasons in, it’s showtime again.

Tune up the band. Turn up the stage lights. Cue the moonlight.

BLENDING CHARM, NOSTALGIA, GOOD HUMOR and a tune or 10—as long as none begin with “come and knock on our door”—is a solidly entertaining for-mula for a Vegas cabaret show.

And Suzanne Somers is a solid enter-tainer in Suzanne Sizzles, her new, inti-mate residency at Westgate Las Vegas.

Relying solely on singing would’ve been a misfre—she’s sweetly melodic, but no stylist. Yet as she’s proven over decades as a performer, author and businesswoman, Somers is savvy at branding herself in ways that intersect—and here too, she succeeds by refusing to play the one-trick pony. Playful patter, a video travelogue through her career and an innate ability to connect with a crowd serve her well.

In the cozy West-gate (ex-Shimmer) Cabaret, Somers, who performed here in the ’80s when it was the Las Vegas Hilton, keeps it fairly simple. Supported by a small ensemble of piano, bass, drums, sax and synthe-sizer, she kicks off with “Let’s Fall in Love,” then establishes a rapport with naughty one-liners (“You know how to make a hormone? Don’t pay her.”) and a self-deprecating retrospective aided by three mounted video monitors.

Although Step by Step and She’s the Sheriff merit only passing mentions, her Dancing With the Stars stint earns a multi-clip review, followed by her blink-length cameo as American Graf-fti’s blond dream babe, her days as mistress of the ThighMaster and her adorable initial appearance with a firtatious Johnny Carson. Everything is woven into Somers’ retelling of her life from small-town kid with star-dust hopes to a surprisingly enduring career. While such an extended per-sonal indulgence could play as ego-

centric by some performers, Somers pulls it off like a friend sharing home movies and giggling along.

Narrating a Three’s Company mon-tage from when she portrayed goofy-sexy Chrissy Snow, Somers is at her good-sport best, poking fun at her own coltish sensuality with a series of “Chrissy jumping” clips, her bounc-ing, braless breasts christening what became known as “jiggle TV.”

All of this is interspersed with numerous costume switch-outs (onstage, behind a platform, as she talks us up); a knack for reactive comedy (as her mic stand suddenly slipped down, she quipped: “That reminds me of an old boyfriend”);

and a refreshingly eclectic set list.

Classics such as “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” “Ain’t Misbehavin” and “The One I Love

Belongs to Somebody Else” are familiar stops on the Great American Songbook tour. More intriguing, though, are de-tours from the tried-and-true tracks. In a tribute to her friend, the late Eydie Gorme, she goes all torch-song chanteuse on the gorgeous (and little-performed) lament, “Guess Who I Saw Today?” Other offbeat treats include purring Jimmy Van Heusen’s lus-cious “But Beautiful” and unearthing a musical theater pearl, “A Cockeyed Optimist,” from South Pacifc.

Perhaps Suzanne Sizzles isn’t the right title for this enjoyably easygoing eve-ning. More accurately, it’s like a warm hug from an old friend.

As Somers told the crowd: “I belong here. This is me.”

Yes she does. Yes it is.

Got an entertainment tip? Email Steve.Bornfeld@VegasSeven.com.P

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SOMERS’ LOVIN’New Westgate showcase reveals Suzanne Somers

to be good company

She’ll forever be the ThighMaster of our hearts.

M A R K E T P L A C E