Spectacular, colourful and creative headdresses, feathers and finery are front and centre as performers from Club Vegas hit the stage. Broad smiles, popular song and dance numbers, athletic, dare-devil acrobatics and comic interludes are the order of the day. It is a show that is dynamic, bold and brassy, and has the enthusiastic audience cheering throughout.
For starters, I find it hard to go past the incredible costuming, the sensational work of designer Nina Randall Bahoudian. From bras and knickers to fabulous gowns with bustles, this production has it all. The elegant and opulent sit comfortably alongside the bold and gaudy. It is all a nod to the glamour and glitz, the razzle and dazzle, of the famous Vegas strip.
The beats are plentiful, with music drawn from classic crooners and chart-topping hits from the 70s to today. Now to the talent. I have had the good fortune to see and hear Jonathan Guthrie-Jones perform on several occasions and he is a rolled gold beauty. His vocalisation is immaculate and his contemporary patter isn’t half bad either.
The powerhouse that is Rachael Beck has a ball belting out the tunes, as does the effusive Lissa Dawson. Among the crowd pleasers is 9News ever-so-colourful veteran entertainment reporter Allan Raskall, who positively slays ‘em in his musical bracket. Resplendent in white naval attire, complete with diamantes, Raskall is such a natural.
He even manages a humorous exchange with Club Vegas’ funnyman James Liotta (known in the show as Gino Starr). Liotta, the MC, does the initial introductions and has playful interaction with the punters. And then we come to the sublime skills, the strength, balance and bravado, of artistes Danii and Sasha, both in the air and on the ground. They are superb at their craft.
The ensemble consists of 10 dancers – eight lithe and leggy women and two muscular and limber men – who are the mainstays of the piece. They are passionate, their routines poised and polished. Much credit must go to creative director Adam Dion Bahoudian, choreographer Alana Scanlan and co-choreographer Sue-Allen Shook.
Two hours five minutes, plus a 20-minute interval, Club Vegas is playing at Athenaeum Theatre until 2nd June, 2024.
