Our year-end coverage of the highs, lows, and most puzzling in live shows.
BEST NEW SHOW – The Conjurors: Cabin of Wonders
Smoke and mirrors. Distractions and deceptions. They’re the hallmarks of magic shows. The Conjurors take a different approach. Imagine gathering with friends by a fireplace for an intimate, mesmerizing evening. That’s what you’ll get at CABIN OF WONDERS, which performs Tuesday through Thursday at 6 pm.
The family-friendly production features special versions for Halloween and Christmas. In place of flashing lights and blasting sound effects, you’re drawn in by intricate feats and charismatic charm.
Natasha Lamb (left) and Matthew Pomeroy (far right) with Pompey Entertainment’s Damian and Dayton Costa
Natasha Lamb and Matthew Pomeroy are THE CONJURORS, a pair of illusionists who instantly feel like family. They’re funny and clever, unveiling stunning moments of magic that make you believe in the couple’s wondrous abilities. You won’t ask “How did you do that?”, but “Can we see more?'”.
THE CONJURORS: Cabin of Wonders performs at The Venue inside Orleans Casino. Get tickets and details by heading here.
Honorable Mention – Cash After Dark (Alexis Park Resort)
Sure, there are plenty of Rat Pack and Michael Jackson tribute shows. But what about iconic Johnny Cash? The legendary “Man In Black” is an important part of our culture. Once CASH AFTER DARK begins, the memories will come flooding back.
CASH AFTER DARK is produced by Kurt Brown (ALL SHOOK UP) and features a live band with vocalists Deena Cary and Casey McConachie (SPICE WANNABE). The tribute show truly rekindles Johnny’s legendary ring of fire. CASH AFTER DARK performs Sunday through Thursday at 9 pm. Tickets start at $37.95 and can be purchased here.
SADDEST CLOSURE – The Beatles LOVE and PARTICLE INK (tie)
Company Manager Kim Scott (center) and cast members from The Beatles LOVE
You know that live entertainment is in jeopardy when two of the best shows in Las Vegas close mere months apart. Particle Ink: House of Shattered Prisms at Luxor (review here) might not have qualified as a traditional production, and that was the point. It had music, choreography, innovative technology, a genius-level usage of physical space, and messages of love and hope.
Come to think of it, that perfectly describes Cirque du Soleil‘s first collaboration with an existing intellectual property, too. The Beatles LOVE (farewell article here) blended music from the ‘Fab Four’ into a journey through the turbulent 60s in a way never before seen.
Thousands lined up for the final performance of The Beatles LOVE in early July
Las Vegas Entertainment lost two significant pieces of art with the closures of LOVE and PARTICLE INK. We at VEGAS 411 will always remember their messages and what these shows set out to achieve.
FASTEST RISE – The Docksiders at Venetian Resort’s 1923 LIVE
“And They Took Sin City By Storm” might be an appropriate title for the latest chapter in The Docksiders saga. Known as “America’s Favorite Yacht Rock Band”, The Docksiders arrived on the sandy streets of Las Vegas with a vision, inspiration, and a significant nudge from legendary singer Tony Orlando.
Superstar producer Kevin Sucher and wife Erin Sucher front the Milwaukee-born tribute experience. They’re supported by a crackerjack collection of musicians, most of whom moved with the Suchers to make the Vegas dream a reality. Sin City dynamo Derek Ferguson (BAZ) joined the band earlier this year, with Wisconsin resident Danny Williams taking the mic during tours.
In two years short years, The Docksiders have gone from starry-eyed transplants to a hit residency at Venetian’s new 1923 Live. They also released THE TIMELESS JOURNEY, an album recorded in Las Vegas. When not playing to thousands in venues across the country, their Vegas shows consistently sell out. Guest stars and other surprises make return visits even more special.
Relive the wonderful days of feel-good music. Grab a Captain’s hat and get on the boat for The Docksiders. You can reserve your seats by heading here.
BIGGEST FLAMEOUT – Jason Derulo at Venetian Resort’s VOLTAIRE
While The Docksiders drew crowds to Venetian’s 1923 Live, neighboring VOLTAIRE had the biggest flameout of 2024. Signing Jason Derulo, one of the hottest urban artists, to the city’s most gouging concert space was doomed from inception. Derulo’s ill-fated residency disappeared after two weekends, leaving Venetian’s troubled VOLTAIRE empty all summer long.
Screenshot via voltairlv.com dated 12/13/24
THE BEST SHOW EVER was apparently anything but. Despite Derulo’s massive failure, analysis of the crash-and-burn was nearly nonexistent. Absolutely nobody seemed to care. The same can be said about his two-evening “return” later this month. Barely any tickets have been sold (see above). Get the full story of VOLTAIRE‘s spectacular dud here.
MOST IMPRESSIVE RETURN – The Hilarious 7 (OYO Hotel Casino)
Speaking of returns, it’s industry jargon that when a show says it’s “looking for a new venue”, you’ll most likely never see it again. Unless you’re John Hilder, the creator and emcee of The Hilarious 7. Hilder’s rapid-fire showcase, in which seven comedians get ten minutes each to make you laugh, returned after three years to a packed house.
John Hilder
Backed by executive producer Pete Housley, The Hilarious 7 is one of the best entertainment bargains in the city. Priced from $15.95 (plus taxes/fees), the show performs Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm. Get tickets here.
MOST IMPRESSIVE RETURN #2 – Miss Behave’s MAVERICKS at Plaza Hotel
Do you hear that sound? It’s nonstop laughter from the cast and host of Miss Behave’s MAVERICKS. The wild and wacky variety show by Amy Saunders (above) is a nonstop cavalcade of acrobatics, burlesque, madness, shocks, and hysterical moments.
Why this brilliant and value-priced alternative to Spiegelworld’s ABSINTHE folded at Fremont East’s Cheapshot Showroom & Discotheque remains a mystery. Plaza Hotel at Fremont and Main St snatched up this wayward puppy and gave it an even better home in the glorious Plaza Showroom.
Expect the unexpected at MAVERICKS, from naughty wit to value-priced cocktails and tickets (starting at $35), free parking, and no service fees. Miss Saunders and Plaza’s CEO Jonathan Jossel miss the way Vegas used to be, and they’re determined to bring back a slice of vintage Sin City…with spicy jalepenos on top. Reserve your seats here.
MOST IMPROVED – MJ ONE at Mandalay Bay
This is a tricky category, as reimaginings weren’t that big of a deal in 2024. The only significant upgrade this writer experienced was for Cirque du Soleil’s MJ ONE, now in its eleventh year.
Adding elements to an existing production is a cost-efficient way to lure new and returning visitors alike. MJ ONE at Mandalay Bay revealed new acts and technical elements just last week. Still packing fans into its theater, the Cirque du Soleil hit shows no signs of stopping.
WORST OVERALL SHOW – Magic Mike Live (Sahara Las Vegas)
Another year, another ‘Worst Overall Show” award to MAGIC MIKE LIVE at Sahara Las Vegas. Congratulations to the cast, crew, and creator Channing Tatum for seven years of consistently being the most appalling turd in Las Vegas.
Pay for a male revue, get a cackling crow in leather fetish gear fingering her privates and screeching “Vagina! Unicorn! Vagina! Unicorn!” for 90 minutes. It’s as left-field bizarre and revolting as it sounds.
MAGIC MIKE LIVE is a one-woman show in which the star’s flapping mouth never closes and her legs are always open, quite often with ankles in the air. It’s crass, vulgar, unfunny, socially irresponsible, deceptive, heavy-handed, shrill, and totally unsexy.
This is a male revue? Where are the guys?
Sahara Las Vegas calls MAGIC MIKE LIVE “classy female empowerment”. We call it FANNY FOUL and her FRUMPY FRIENDS. It’s the worst male revue, worst musical production, worst “comedy” performance, most unappealing cast, most ill-conceived, a major rip-off, and the biggest pile of shit on the Strip. Full review here.
The ‘Defying Categories’ Award – Spiegelworld’s DISCOSHOW at The Linq
Let’s end this edition of 2024’s Best-of/Worst-of/WTF with a real puzzler. DiscoShow is a passion project from Spiegelworld mastermind Ross Mollison. The wealthy visionary wanted this show to exist, so it does. He wanted to bend traditional rules of live entertainment….and he got his wish. But is it a success?
It’s nearly impossible to categorize DiscoShow, except to call it an “experience”. It consists of separate areas: 99 Prince (a bar), The Glitterloft (a nightclub), Diner Ross (a restaurant), and the actual performance space. Only the latter requires a paid admission.
99 PRINCE
The Glitterloft
If all of this sounds complicated, it is. We devoted three separate columns (here, here, and here) to covering everything. The public’s reaction to it is equally baffling. Most love the music and retro details. Others complain about the thin storyline, lack of acrobatics, and downbeat finale.
Diner Ross
Even Diner Ross warrants polarizing reactions. This writer loved the restaurant’s atmosphere but loathed the menu, which offers anything but actual diner food. Instead, you’ll choose from fried olives, duck breast with grapes, mussels with fries, grilled oysters, bone marrow, foie gras (duck liver), or a $180.00 Tomahawk steak. Absolutely bizarre.
Eater Vegas chose Diner Ross as its “Best New Restaurant of 2024” while other colleagues have vowed never to return. The only way to discover whether you’ll like it is to visit yourself.
DiscoShow’s “Mother” has left the building…
Insiders tell me that the ticketed DiscoShow just went under the knife. Its drag-queen emcee “Mother” has been shown the door, and an already short run time was trimmed even further. One performer assures me that the result is very positive. We’ll find out when we go back for the fifth time.
Spiegelworld’s DiscoShow performs Wednesday through Sunday at 7 pm and 9:30 pm. Tickets, along with information on 99 Prince, Diner Ross, and The Glitterloft, are available here.
To see VEGAS 411’s rankings of 2024’s best and worst festivals and events, head here.
