Results tagged “Las Vegas” from Blogway Baby

DONNY AND MARIE at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas!

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Fun exceeds the legal limit at the Hollywood Theatre!

We bought our tickets for Donny & Marie at the MGM Grand back in November 2007. We figured we'd get good seats and it would force us to get away for at least a weekend in July 2008. As it turns out, it was a brilliant idea. I don't think we would have gone away for our "Hot and Sweaty 08" vacation in the desert if we hadn't bought those tickets. Of course at the time we didn't know they were going to also do a six month gig at the Flamingo Hotel starting in September!

At the time we also bought tickets that included going to the sound check before the show. That was very cool. About 75 people got to go into the theatre around 6:30pm, and Donny and Marie came out and chatted with us. Donny gave occasional sound notes (Hey guys, I'd prefer a real acoustic guitar for "The Twelfth of Never") but mostly it was just hanging around, eating a quick snack before the next show. Marie came out first munching on some ice cream. She looked amazing. She's lost over 40 pounds and looks fab. I asked her if she was considering doing Broadway again (She did THE KING AND I and THE SOUND OF MUSIC). She said she's had three offers but is really looking for a day gig since she has 8 (count 'em, 8!) kids, including a five year old. I knew that as a youngin' I had a huge crush on Donny, but what I didn't know was that my husband had (or should I say "has") a huge crush on Marie! It never occurred to me that she was a teen heartthrob - duh! So needless to say he was dumbstruck during the sound check and didn't ask any questions. It was like his "Mark Hamill moment" when he saw Luke Skywalker in the lobby of the Marquis Theatre in New York and stood frozen! But I digress…

We came back for the show at 8:30pm and had a-mah-zing seats! The theatre seats about 1500, but we were at a table that had a railing in front of it so there wasn't anybody in front of us at our eye level. It was as if Donny & Marie were performing just for us (weren't they?). The couple sharing our table was from Utah and their daughter had actually dated Donny's son, Brandon. Too cool!

The audience might have been made up of 40+ women and their husbands, but we screamed like teenyboppers when Donny & Marie came out singing. They had singers and dancers and a great band. They did a few rockin' numbers together (eg. Dancing in the Streets) and then each did their own segment. First Marie went and started with (of course) "Paper Roses" and then went on to do a varied set of rock, country, Broadway and opera! I never realized what a versatile, powerful voice she has! Marie invited one lucky male audience member up on stage with her and challenged him to a water chug (he won the first time, they tied the second time). Apparently she prides herself on her water chug! Then of course she had to sing her Broadway medley with a belly 'o water! Did you know her "Dancing with The Stars" partner Jonathan choreographed her dances for her segment? Now you do!

Donny started his segment with "Soldier of Love" his 80s comeback hit (he was helped in that stage of his career by Peter Gabriel - who knew?) Of course we all sang along for the "na na na na na na na na I’m a soldier of Love' bit. Did you know Donny has two grandkids? Now you do. Then he did a medley of hits from his favorite singer, Stevie Wonder and really danced up a storm. Did you know Donny broke his neck body surfing and had to have his neck fused? Now you do! Then he gave us a medley of his hits (Go Away Little Girl, Puppy Love etc.) When he sang the lyric "someone help me, help me" my table mate and I stood up and screamed "I'll help you!" . Sort of like the time my Swedish friend and I chased Rene Simard to his limo. But I digress…

Donny finished his segment off with "Any Dream Will Do" from JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, which he toured for six years! I saw him twice in Toronto. It seems like such a long time ago!

Then Donny and Marie got back together for a dance off (Marie won) and "I'm a Little Bit Country/I'm a Little Bit Rock and Roll" and a medley of the hits they had together. They ended with their classic goodbye song from their tv show:



May tomorrow be a perfect day

May you find love and laughter along the way

May God keep you in His tender care

Til He brings us together again…Goodnight everybody!



<sigh> Back to reality…

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By Suzy Conn on July 25, 2008 3:52 PM | | Comments (0)

BETTE MIDLER in LAS VEGAS

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THE SHOW GIRL MUST GO ON!

As I write this post, I’m wearing my super cool "Bette Midler The Showgirl Must Go On" T-shirt! My husband and I finally got away on a much deserved "awaycation" (we already had a "staycation" with the kids earlier in the month. The final leg of our "Hot and Sweaty 08" tour was Las Vegas (following triple digit weather in Palm Springs)) to see Bette Midler in concert at The Coloseum at Caesar's Palace, as well as Donny & Marie (yes, I'm over 40, duh!) at the MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre. But more on D&M in another post…

We don't smoke or gamble, so there is really only two other (legal) things to do in Vegas - see a show and hang out by the pool. Friday night we sent to see Bette Midler in The Coloseum, the ginormongus 4,000 seater theatre that was built for Celine Dion. It is currently being shared by Elton John and Cher. You can't get more seventies than that! We had bought our tickets a while back, so we had awesome seats, although there was a large screen for those seated in the nosebleed seats.

What an awesome show! Bette started with "Big Noise From Winnetka" and "The Show Girl Must Go On" and came out in a sparkly silver pantsuit, very Vegas. She had three amazing back up singers (The Staggering Harlettes) an amazing band, and a great line up of chorus girls (The Caesar Salad girls, with as little dressing as possible!). It's hard to believe she is 60 years old, running back and forth across that huge stage, and jumping up and down in a mermaid costume while singing and dancing! She is so funny, and so much fun to watch. Of course, no body sings with such emotion as Bette. She's the only singer I know who can make me cry just by singing. She did a crowd-pleasing set of her hits:

In The Mood, From A Distance (which she sang barefoot, in contrast to her usual six inch heels!), Do You Wanna Dance, The Rose (which included audiences waving their cell phones back and forth like lighters), Hello in There, and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.

She also did wonderfully zany segments as the finned "Dolores Delago" and "Soph", the oldest living showgirl -- "they gave me a f%@#$%ing chihuahua?"

Bette closed the show with Wind Beneath My Wings. I could listen to her forever!

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By Suzy Conn on July 23, 2008 4:04 PM | | Comments (1)

Never Say Never Again!

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Jackman, Hugh Jackman.


Since my idea of Vegas was formed entirely from old Rat Pack movies andconcerts, I had always wanted to visit and experience The Strip. I went to Las Vegas in January 2002 and I swore I'd never go back.

Never.

I found it depressing, tacky, seedy, and disappointingly cold [weather-wise]. Although I did have some good sushi at Nobu, and I stayed in luxury suite at the Four Seasons hotel, I just couldn't enjoy myself. I think it is because I don't gamble (lose you entire saved allowance once at the Midway at the CNE and you're cured forever!).

I had really great tickets for the Rick Springfield show at the MGM Grand, courtesy of one of my husband's work "associates". I was pretty excited to go and see a real Vegas show, but it was just awful. Vocal tracks, music too darn loud, lame jokes (hey, I can get that in Toronto -- just kidding folks!). Rick did look good after all those years of wishing he had Jesse's girl, but the whole thing felt too lame.

However I did get a fantastic backstage tour by one of the female dancers in the show (she was dating the work "associate" whom she constantly called "baby", and whom she eventually left for an Italian "count" after she got her breast implants: Yeesh!) and saw all the costumes and machinery it takes to run one of these suckers, so all was not lost. The dancer said she was just doing this until she could get a gig on Broadway (tell me about it!)

So, I left, vowing I'd never return.

Until I read the news in Playbill that Hugh Jackman is starting a world concert tour (is Toronto part of the world?) in Vegas -- WooHoo!
Hugh Jackman to Play Vegas; Wolfe to Direct

Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman will follow in the footsteps of Peter Allen, the late entertainer he memorably played in Broadway's The Boy From Oz.

Jackman will play Las Vegas, one of Peter Allen's more frequent concert destinations. Jackman will kick off his world concert tour in April when he plays the Wynn Resort.Caroline, or Change's George C. Wolfe will direct the Jackman concert, which will also boast choreography by Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall. Liz Smith also reports that Jackman's show will feature a troupe of dancers.

Hugh Jackman received a Tony Award for his portrayal of the late Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz. He received an Olivier Award nomination for his work in the London revival of Oklahoma! and an MO Award for his performance as Joe Gillis in the Australian production of Sunset Boulevard. Jackman's film credits include The X-Men,Someone Like You, Swordfish, Kate and Leopold (Golden Globe nomination) and Van Helsing.
This is also the hotel where Avenue Q will play to an intimate 1200 seat crowd. Puppets work best in a Gladiator-sized arena, don't you think?

I read somewhere else that Hugh will be performing there April 30, two days after the hotel officially opens, and that Carol Bayer Sager is writing a song especially for him. Sigh.

Road trip to Vegas anyone?

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By Suzy Conn on March 10, 2005 9:58 AM | | Comments (0)