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ABSINTHE Celebrates 12 Years with a “No Pants” Party

Spiegelworld’s original Vegas hit launches a new speakeasy and the city’s best “circus food” to commemorate its latest milestone.

ABSINTHE is the bawdy burlesque comedy that opened on April 1st, 2011. It’s hard to believe that twelve years have passed since the oddly-named production came to town. Newly arrived Spiegelworld set up outside of Caesars Palace and hired costumed hawkers to lure patrons into its vintage circus tent. Hoping to last a mere six weeks, ABSINTHE became a huge hit that forever changed the face of Vegas entertainment.

In the ensuing years, SPIEGELWORLD grew and took over where Cirque du Soleil once reigned. Shocking, daring, side-splitting, and totally adults-only, ABSINTHE paved the way for Venetian‘s ATOMIC SALOON SHOW and Cosmopolitan‘s OPM (with the fondly-remembered VEGAS NOCTURNE nestled in between).

SUPERFRICO is dinner with a side of insanity…

As the pandemic began to fade into memory, Spiegelworld broadened its palate to include SUPERFRICO, our choice for “Best New Restaurant of 2021”. Rumors persist about SKI LODGE, a speakeasy supposedly hidden within SUPERFRICO. We may have actually been there a time or three, but there’s no proof (ignore the photos below).

Are these photos from Spiegelworld’s SKI LODGE speakeasy? Perhaps, perhaps not…

Future projects include DiscoShow, their fourth resident Vegas production. It’s slated for a summer 2024 debut at the LINQ HOTEL. Then there’s THE HOOK, a massive 2023 undertaking at Caesars Palace Atlantic City that will bring new life to the once-glorious Warner Theater.

Finally, the remote California ghost town of Nipton has been purchased by Spiegelworld’s creator Ross Mollison. The eccentric visionary plans to transform Nipton into Spiegelworld’s global headquarters. The “circus town” will be a haven for dreamers and creators, artists and performers. Nipton has already sprouted the seeds of a new show called “Box Box”, but little is known about it at this time.

Coming full circle, Mollison gathered the cast, crew, media, fans, and performers from other Spiegelworld shows for a huge gala at ABSINTHE‘s glorious GREEN FAIRY GARDEN. The event took place on April 3rd and began with the official unveiling of PIER 17 Yacht Club.

Pier 17 Yacht Club is a new indoor-outdoor speakeasy open every day from 7 pm. The name comes from ABSINTHE‘s humble beginnings on a neglected pier near the Brooklyn Bridge. Now shining brightly on the Roman Plaza at Caesars Palace, Pier 17 boasts indoor and outdoor seating, lush vintage furnishings, and a very special food and beverage menu:

Pier 17 is the only place on earth to experience the deliciously elevated No Pants Yacht Tots featuring Trout Roe or the Super Yacht Tots with Oscietra Caviar.”

Food at Pier 17 Yacht Club is provided by NO PANTS, a “Circus Food” venue operating along Green Fairy Garden‘s midway. While this writer rarely indulges in burgers, I can easily say that the No Pants burger is the best-tasting hamburger I’ve eaten in Las Vegas.

Two bites in and I was uttering “Oh my God!”. Made with a short-rib meat blend, grilled onions, pickles, secret sauce, and American cheese atop a brioche bun, the No Pants burger alone is worth a trip to the Roman Plaza.

After enjoying food and cocktails, guests were ushered into the Spiegeltent for a special performance of ABSINTHE. A new banquine act entitled “It’s Ukrainian Men – Hallelujah!” dazzled the crowd. Six Ukrainian acrobats and a Russian world champion toss and catch each other, flying over the audience without nets or safety gear. For a few minutes each night, ABSINTHE is literally raining men.

Other acts include an erotic hand-balancing between Wayne Skivington and longtime ZUMANITY partner Kat Bazar-ova. Gravity-defying former LE REVE hunk Alberto del Campo took to the air for a solo act, then remained grounded as a quartet of sway-pole performers turned him into a living centerpiece (below).

The show came to a close with “The Gazillionaire”, who thanked everyone in his usual backhand way. He then introduced a 20-piece marching band that naturally performed minus pants. The band led everyone from the tent out to Green Fairy Garden for more cocktails, burgers, revelry, and schmoozing.

Partying continued into the wee hours, with music provided by DJ Ana Calderone. The Gazillionaire presented a birthday cake to honor his hardworking cast. Guests lined up at a number of new shipping container cocktail bars, each decorated with shards of colored mirrors. And of course, everyone wanted photos with Mollison and The Gazillionaire.

If you feel sad about missing the party, why not throw your own? ABSINTHE performs every night, 365 days a year. The Green Fairy Garden and Pier 17 Yacht Club are open nightly as well. So make it a full evening and indulge in a tall glass of ABSINTHE.

ABSINTHE performs at Caesars Palace every Sunday through Thursday at 8 pm and 10 pm. Showtimes on Friday and Saturday are 7 pm, 9 pm, and 11 pm. Tickets start at $129 (plus taxes/fees) and are available here

Photos: VEGAS 411 and Rachel Harrison Communications for Spiegelworld