Entertainment in Las Vegas
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A
Cherry
Drawing a suburbanite crowd, Cherry is alluringly covered in lipstick-red and chocolate-brown leather. Feel an all-digital sound system throbbing through the soles of your feet on the smallish circular dance floor, then head outside to the poolside cabanas for more glam lounging. Take a peek at the playful restrooms before you leave. If the line looks too long, though, go for cocktails instead in the casino’s Rocks Lounge, where red-hot big band Zowie Bowie often plays.
reviewed
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B
Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey & Dean
Capitalising on Rat Pack nostalgia, the Greek Isles tries to return the old Sands hotel's Copa Room to what it was in the 60s. The show faithfully replicates the gang's routines, with the same songs, politically incorrect jokes and some embarrassing behaviour by Marilyn Monroe.
Ol' Blue Eyes may not be convincing, but you'll fall in love with Dino and the fantastic live big band. If only the crowd had more young hipsters and fewer cranky senior citizens, it'd be aces.
reviewed
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C
Stratosphere
Las Vegas has many buildings exceeding 20 stories, but only the Stratosphere tops a hundred. At 1149ft, the three-legged Stratosphere Tower is the tallest building in the USA west of the Mississippi River. At the base of the tapered tower is a casino favored by a loud-talkin’, hard-drinkin’ redneck crowd, but with little else in the way of a theme, although it does boast low-limit table games and 1500 reputedly loose slots and video-poker machines.
reviewed
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D
Bellagio
Built by Steve Wynn on the site of the legendary Dunes, the Bellagio is Vegas’ original, opulent, if entirely parvenu, pleasure villa. You may recognize it from the 2001 remake of the Rat Pack–era movie Ocean’s Eleven. At the water’s edge of an artificial lake, from which spring more than a thousand dancing fountains, is a cluster of Tuscan buildings purporting the illusion of having been plucked from Italy’s Lake District.
reviewed
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E
Freakin’ Frog
College students adore this zany bar because it’s a short stroll from the UNLV campus. Beer geeks love it for Nevada’s biggest list of bottled beers (over 750 kinds at last count) and over a dozen brews on tap – ask your ‘beertender’ which ones to try tonight. Don’t miss snacking on the lip-smackin’ sweet potato fries sprinkled with cinnamon and honey either. Live jazz bands usually play on Tuesday.
reviewed
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F
Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville
Parrot Heads, you’ve found your very own paradise on the Strip, with three floors, five bars and hundreds of fortysomething couples spilling onto the sidewalk every night. Inside, a faux volcano explodes hourly, pushing frozen margaritas with names like ‘Last Mango in Paris’ to overflow into big blenders. As the lead singer of the house cover band sums up the raucous scene: ‘Yes, we do play Skynnard.’
reviewed
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G
La Rêve
Aquatic acrobatic feats by scuba-certified performers are the centerpiece of this theater, which holds a one-million-gallon swimming pool; critics call it a less-inspiring version of Cirque’s O. Beware: the cheap seats are in the ‘splash zone.’ The VIP ‘Indulgence’ package offers champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, as well as personal video monitors for close-ups of the performance and behind-the-scenes glimpses.
reviewed
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H
Ice: Direct From Russia
It’s a classed-up variety show of wildly unrelated production numbers – some better than others, but all expertly executed by Russian athletes. A constantly changing line-up of risky acts are thrown together on a frozen stage, where ice skaters twirl hoops, juggle balls, ride unicycles and seem to float through the air. If only the performers weren’t so serious, and the tickets so provocatively overpriced.
reviewed
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I
Spamalot
Lovingly ripped off from the movie Monty Python & the Holy Grail, the stage version of the misadventures of King Arthur will keep you guffawing at the scatter-brained knights in tights, the feisty Frenchmen and the buxom damsels in distress. VIP ticketholders get to keep a souvenir grail and take a 45-minute backstage tour after the show, with opportunities to take photos with the cast, crew and the unique props.
reviewed
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J
MGM Grand Garden
With over 5040 rooms, MGM Grand held the ‘world’s largest hotel’ crown until just recently. Astoundingly, the resort contains no fewer than 18,000 doors, 7778 beds and 93 elevators. The important thing to remember is that despite its enormous size, the shimmering emerald-green ‘City of Entertainment’ – looking like something straight out of The Wizard of Oz – manages to feel intimate, even clubby.
reviewed
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Empire Ballroom
Though rundown, it’s still a DJ-driven weekend after-hours party spot (cover $20). Live sounds by acts like Veruca Salt and The Killers are occasionally heard inside this warehouse-sized club, where a psychedelic chandelier hangs above the raised dance floor. Rave kids chugging Red Bulls lounge on tatty couches upstairs. Whatever you do, do not drive here. Walking over from the MGM Grand monorail station is best.
reviewed
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L
Golden Nugget
When it debuted as the world’s largest casino in 1946, the Golden Nugget looked like a million bucks and, unbelievably, poker players were allowed to deal their own cards. In the 1970s, casino impresario Steve Wynn brought vintage Vegas back into style by inviting Frank Sinatra to star. In the 21st century the Nugget was catapulted into the national limelight by the Fox reality-TV series Casino.
reviewed
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M
Brendan’s Irish Pub
Blue-collar Brendan’s hosts a variety of live music, usually on weekend evenings, including traditional Irish tunes and rip-roarin’ Zydeco. It’s nothing fancy, but it does have Irish whiskeys, ales and more. Nearby, more authentic McMullan’s Irish Pub typically has live Celtic bands on Wednesday and Saturday nights, with interactive ‘Acoustic Soul’ on Friday.
reviewed
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N
Encore
Apparently, for casino mogul Steve Wynns creating eponymous resort Wynn Las Vegas wasn’t enough, and so he decide to build Encore resort right next-door. Flash your sun-kissed skin at Encore Beach Club, or get down with the hotties at XS nightclub. For nostalgic Rat Pack lovers, Sinatra restaurant is a love letter to the Chairman, while Switch steakhouse is a Vegas-worthy gimmick worth seeing once.
reviewed
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O
Rumjungle
Wannabe pirates get a whole lot more than just their bottle of rum here when the Caribbean-flavored restaurant transforms into a theatrical nightclub. For those who are more curious about their firewater than day-glo dancers, take a seat at the bar and sample a dark, light or spicy rum flight from the towering selection of more than 100 bottles. (Aficionados may lament that their favorite brands are oddly missing.)
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P
Voodoo Lounge
The views from the patio are fab, but the Day-Glo décor and lounge bands are just for laughs. Baby boomers get drunk on exotic drinks, like the ‘Witchy Woman, ’ which comes in a bowl steaming with dry ice. Monday is a hot Latin libido frenzy, while VooDoo Risin’ on Thursday imports hip-hop and house DJs. Otherwise it’s not worth much of a wait to get in, let alone a cover charge. Quasi-strict dress code.
reviewed
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Q
New York–New York
Give me your tired, huddled (over a Wheel of Fortune slot machine) masses. The mini-megapolis of New York–New York has scaled-down replicas of the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty, a mini Brooklyn Bridge and scale-warped renditions of the Chrysler and Ziggurat buildings, all topped off by a roller coaster wrapped around the colorful facade. The crowd is young and party-hardy.
reviewed
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R
Crown & Anchor
Homesick expats, university students and staff, soccer (oops, we mean football) fans from around the world and British beer lovers gather at this unpretentious pub. The list of draft beers seems endless, with Bass, Harp, Guinness, Hooegarden and even a handful of fruit ciders. Starving? Let ’em dish you up a Cornish pasty, plate of bangers and mash or basket full of fried Icelandic cod and chips.
reviewed
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S
La Cage
In this mainstream female-impersonator revue, the award-winning Frank Marino (who cameoed in Miss Congeniality 2 ) acts as a catty Joan Rivers, dispensing naughty jokes and remarks between mostly lip-synched impersonations of Diana Ross, Cher, Liza Minnelli and others. This drag show could flop big-time, but the mostly middle-aged straight couples in the audience have smiles on their faces.
reviewed
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T
Red Room Saloon
A locals’ hangout west of the I-15, this slick bar is staffed by serious mixologists (just try their vodka martinis if you don’t believe us). ‘Movie Mondays’ with drinking games ($10 buy-in), First Friday after parties and a variety of DJ nights, from ‘80s rock and reggae to soul and funk, plus bartending competitions, all keep the place packed.
reviewed
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O
Still a favorite is Cirque du Soleil's aquatic show, O, performed at the Bellagio.
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Stomp Out Loud
Bang, bang, bang. With a set constructed out of junkyard, antique and thrift-store finds, plus leftovers from Planet Hollywood’s recent renovations, this off-Broadway show invokes all things percussive, with energetic dancing and plenty of physical comedy, too. There’s no story line, but it’s so fast-paced you probably won’t mind. It’s all G-rated family fun.
reviewed
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Ooh la la
With a big wink and a teasing smile, this adult revue adds a twist to the usual adults-only revue. An all-woman cast performs not only all of the sexy dancing and racy suggestive scenes, but also magic tricks, acrobatic acts, stand-up comedy and vocal numbers. In another unexpected touch, female crew members dressed in dainty French maid’s outfits carry out the set changes. Va va voom!
reviewed
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Viva Elvis
Cirque du Soleil’s carnival of fun never stops on the Strip. Like the Beatles-themed LOVE, Viva Elvis is a musical journey through the life of The King of rock ’n’ roll, full of chart-topping hits and 1950s-inspired choreography. Don’t expect the high-flying acrobatics and aerial stunts of other Cirque shows, however. Stop by the official store for one-of-a-kind souvenirs.
reviewed
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Y
McMullan’s Irish Pub
McMullan’s Irish Pub ‘Purveyors of the perfect pint, ’ McMullan’s may be the friendliest Irish pub in Vegas. Stop by on Thursday night for all-you-can-eat fish and chips. Tuesday is quiz night (from 8pm), while Irish musicians perform on Wednesday (from 10pm) and most weekends after 9pm. Ask about video-poker happy hour promotions. Free wi-fi.
reviewed