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By Matt Kelemen Photo by Lindsey Best
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Blue Man Group paints masterpieces of sound and vision
Once upon a blue moon, a trio of intrepid travelers left their home Blueniverse and landed in Las Vegas, looking for intelligent life. They found a pyramid-shaped structure where an alien named Carrot Top built a successful outpost, and calculated that a Blue Man Group could draw intelligent beings into a Luxor venue for performative engagements as did the Red Man. The Blue Man Group Theater materialized, a marshmallow supply chain was formed, and the Blue Man Group sent for their intergalactic instruments.
Whether the Blue Man Group gets nutrients and energy from marshmallows has yet to be determined. Inquiries are met with blank stares, but it has been theorized that a Blue Man brain experiences increased bluerotransmitter levels when catching a marshmallow from a distance. It’s as if the marshmallows were flying on a stream of consciousness, pulled by a magnetic force into Blue Man mouths, never to be seen again.
Marshmallow mayhem is an interlude between more raucous segments of the Blue Man Group show. It’s meant to challenge senses of sight and sound, with live music generated by real musicians and unorthodox tones coaxed from percussive instruments discovered or assembled by the three mute mallet pounders. Consider the air-tight calculation it takes to calibrate synthetic polymer pipes to optimal tunings while watching the Blues generate sound waves that disco producer Giorgio Moroder could appreciate, or just sit back and absorb the frequencies.
While the show is monochromatic for much of the evening, the Blue Man Group has a fondness for fluorescence and color, and technique was decidedly not obtained from Bob Ross. Their mouths have more functionality than for marshmallow catching, and demonstration of the method they devised for creating canvases is one of the splashiest parts of the proceedings.
The paint is edible, as are the Twinkies and Cap’N Crunch that serve as far more than junk food to a Blue Man. A Twinkie can help a Blue Man form a connection with an audience member. The sound of crunching cereal produces theta waves that cause neural oscillations, which positively affect cognitive and behavioral functioning. Cream cheese is a particular favorite of Blue Man Group. It is far less expensive than goat cheese.
The performance art concept originated by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman, and Phil Stanton 30 years ago at Astor Place in New York endures because the world becomes a more baffling place with the passage of time. No one is more baffled than a Blue Man. People connect with the characters because their antics tap into the memory of being a blank slate hungry for input and fearless about making mistakes. Then again, some folks come to experience vicariously what it’s like to paint one’s face blue and act weird, and some just for the absurdity of it all. Regardless, there’s a lesson to be learned about the connective tissue that holds us together— and the Blueniversal truths that bind us all.
Katy Perry has a special Vegas connection
By Brock Radke
July 29-30, Aug. 3, 5-6, 10, 12-13. axs.com
Photo by Getty Images/John Shearer
With her flamboyant, colorful style and infectious pop sounds, Katy Perry has long been an ideal fit for a Las Vegas Strip residency show, a dream that came to life last year when she brought the bombastic production Play to Resorts World. But the singer’s connections to this city and to that piece of land on the Strip run much deeper than the partying that inspired her hit “Waking Up in Vegas.” Perry detailed that history and the ideas behind her show recently when she was presented with the Key to the Strip by local dignitaries in a special ceremony broadcast on Resort World’s humongous hotel tower video screen.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my residency here and I’m so grateful to be part of the Resorts World Las Vegas family. I have a lot of roots here, and this just feels so natural to be here. My aunt was a showgirl here, my grandma was a seamstress here, my dad grew up here and ended up being a chauffeur. My parents met here and got married here, so it’s only natural that I would be onstage here eventually. But I did not think I would be getting a key to the Strip.
I remember doing one of my first shows in Vegas and wearing this full poker spread on my head, a headband with a print of all the cards. It just always left a big impression on me. I always wanted to have a residency and I have followed … a lot of really cool artists coming here and having their own residencies. Lady Gaga was here and I got to see her on opening night, and that was amazing.
I think there is a throughthread in my whole career of just being a little OTT (over the top), and that’s exactly what Las Vegas is, so it’s a perfect match. When I sat down to create the show with my team, the first question was: Who is my Las Vegas audience? You’re not on tour, it’s not based off one record, and it’s not going to always be just my hardcore fans. It’s going to be a real hodgepodge of wonderful people, people that are just passersby, people that are here celebrating something special, from their bachelorette to their 21st birthday. Maybe they’ve seen something online about the show, and they’re putting it together that this looks strange and fun, and it looks like we can escape a little bit. And that’s what I set out to do.
I wanted to create a show based on all the songs I’ve been able to put out, especially the ones that have been successful that people know and can sing along to. It’s a 90-minute show of song after song after song with a light storyline, and it transports you and helps you escape, and that’s something I think we can all use every once in a while. And that’s really why I think people come to Las Vegas. They want that stimulation, that dopamine, that escapism, and that’s what the show is. It’s a lot of joy, and I’m so happy to be synonymous with that word.
KÀ remains a marvel of engineering a fter 17 y ea r s By Nina King
So, you have your tickets for KÀ.
You know it’s the only Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas which has a proper storyline—a pair of royal twins have been separated during a devastating attack, and each is on a separate comingof-age journey which will lead them to their destiny. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
But it’s one thing to be sitting in a plush seat in the elaborate KÀ Theatre for 90 minutes, watching a massive bird swoop downward with several acrobats on its back, or seaside characters magnified to huge size frolicking on a sandy beach, or two warring sides scrambling up a cliffside, or an enormous wheel with flames shooting out. It’s quite another to realize what it actually takes to ensure that the production runs smoothly throughout the entire show.
The weight of the Tatami Deck in pounds
If you want to truly understand it, a look around the stage will leave you even more in awe of the complexities that go into each performance.
As you walk into the theater, it immediately seems so di erent from a normal theater. Sure, there are rows and rows of raked seating, but there are also many massive columns that seem to resemble some sort of sci-fi movie set. In each of those columns, connected by catwalks, you’ll fi nd multiple lights. Looking at the stage from the audience area, you’ll see many tiers of catwalks and multiple fl oors on the back and in the wings of the stage area. Turn around and you’ll see fl oors curving around the back walls of the theater, fi lled with equipment; they are dedicated to sound and lighting.
If you head down to the curved edge of the stage, that’s where you’ll really start noticing the di erence from a traditional theater. The edge of the stage, called the boardwalk, is several feet wide and looks like wooden planks.
During one recent afternoon, Jim Moran, KÀ’s technical director, who is in charge of many of the theater’s systems,
went over some of the more amazing facets of the area, including the sheer size of the pit. Glance over the edge—it’s 50 feet down. Look up—it’s 89 feet. And it seems like there’s something going on at every level (which there is). Moran points out five separate lifts used during performances in different areas of the pit, including one that is directly in front of the edge.
It’s frequently been said that the biggest character in KÀ is the Sand Cliff deck, an incredible moving platform that stands nearly vertical during some scenes. And it certainly dominates the scene before you. The deck itself weighs about 50 tons, and is 50 feet long, 25 feet wide and 6 feet deep, and is perched atop a gantry crane. The deck can rotate 360 degrees and tilt in all directions.
The hydraulic pistons, which move the stages, are “the longest in the world,” says Moran. There is also a power system built into the deck and lighting. Plus, there are areas which allow performers to appear from out of the stage. Video projection tiles allow different scenes to appear on the surface, from water to flame. It can also react to performers’ movements.
During the battle scene, when performers scale the vertical stage, they are actually making use of 80 pegs called rod actuators. Those give the performers handholds that are highly choreographed, not only when they appear but also when they disappear. Below the stage are two of the largest acrobatic nets in the world and one of the world’s largest airbags. It’s used in the climax, says Moran, and sits on top of the net so the artists slide off a deck and get in a nice little bounce. The Tatami deck is the second of KÀ’s movable stages, a 30-foot square piece weighing in at 75,000 pounds that, Moran says, “comes out like a big sliding drawer. And it can come right up to the edges of the stage.” In 2008, the
Sand Cliff Deck and the Tatami Deck helped KÀ win a Thea Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement from the Themed Entertainment Association. In the wings, there’s a lot that goes on. Stage right are the elevators. During a performance, these are on a strict schedule (they have their own cue track), but at other times you can take them down to the lower levels, where the airbags are filled, or up, where you’ll find several floors and a huge array of systems and props. Depending on the time of day, you might see set pieces being removed or replaced on the Tatami Deck (the Wheel of Death is stored here), or a green cover put on to emulate nature during the forest scene. In another area, you’ll find a giant winch with cables snaking out of it around and behind the stage. “In the forest … the big red (column) is actually moved by this— that’s our biggest winch in the theater. It’s a counterweight system. That assists in moving arbors that are on the other side of the theater,” Moran says.
A row of white cabinets may remind you of heating or air-conditioning
MGM Grand 702.531.3826
systems, but they are actually used to house the server for the computers, which control much of the mechanical aspects of the show, which need to be timed to the absolute second. “So, all the moves of the lifts … everything is in our automation system. And everything is programmed. We don’t just kind of wing it. Everything has to be programmed,” says Moran.
Go further and you’ll find a massive bin, which is used to help filter the beach sand. That sand is actually cork, and it is put through multiple filters every day, which remove any and all metal, and make sure it is exactly the right size. It’s then moistened. Why? Because it’s not only more comfortable for the artists, but it also keeps down dust, which is important, since KÀ’s systems employ thousands of sensors that might be obscured otherwise. It also keeps a potential fire hazard out of the air, which is also important, as pyrotechnics light up several scenes in KÀ. That cleanliness extends to the entire backstage area.
You’ll also find storage areas for different acts throughout upper and lower levels. As Moran says, it’s all about what is needed, and where. For example, in the scene where the nanny nearly drowns, she comes down from the top level of the wing. “They come up here; and this is where they get attached, and load for that act. So, rather than bring the nanny costume up here every day for a specific thing (they store the costumes here) … In fact, they get clipped in. They have a harness with two swivels on it. That particular costume has cutouts.”
In every show, the leading lady or man has the backing of an entire cast, and KÀ is no exception. “So during a show we have about 110 backstage, all in all about 135, about 70 artists—a lot of people, and it’s just as choreographed backstage as it is onstage,” says Moran.
As you walk backstage, you’ll be struck by the fact that nearly every person is wearing a harness. And in fact, as you walk through the floors, you’ll see many areas where a worker can hook into. And just as the acrobats in the show rehearse their scenes, so, too, do the backstage crew; workers go through extensive training when they join the crew of KÀ; and they’ll go through that training for different areas and different jobs, from 10-14 days.
For Moran, who helped open the theater back in 2005, there’s one aspect that impresses him most. “Everybody comes together and works together to make it happen. I mean, all the technical stuff’s amazing and (we) have lots of buttons to push, but really none of it happens without everybody—the artists and technicians, the management—(it) takes a big group to pull this off.”
Number of speakers in the theater
By Matt Kelemen
Powerhouse singers make ‘herstory’ at Legends in Concert
Legends in Concert has been a fail-safe tribute show, meeting all audience expectations when not exceeding them for almost 40 years. What was once the near-exclusive realm of Elvis impersonators has become an institution in Las Vegas. The acts are first class, the pacing swift, and the production itself evolves along with popular culture. It’s a perfect foundation for a fantasy concert, say, with Cher, Celine Dion, Adele and Lady Gaga … on the same stage … singing “Lady Marmalade.”
That’s exactly what has taken place six night weekly since February when Legends in Concert Presents Legendary Divas took over the Legends in Concert Theater, with guest host Frank Marino mastering the ceremonies via his acerbically funny Joan Rivers persona.
When Celine Dion started her groundbreaking headlining residency at Caesars and was the hottest ticket in town, fans faced with sold-out Celine concerts could console themselves at Legends with a performer who inhabits a Dion stage persona and causes eyes to
moisten with a rendition of “My Heart Will Go On.” Now Dion devotees holding tickets for her postponed Resorts World residency can gain free admission.
Likewise, fans of Adele holding tickets for her postponed residency can currently gain free admission as well to catch doppelganger Janae Longo belting out “Rolling in the Deep.” Dion is currently played by Elisa Furr, who shook the rafters in November on competition series Clash of the Cover Bands. Furr has performed live with Chaka Khan and jazz bassist Stanley Clarke, and worked with bands Winger and Starship.
Lady Gaga, one of Las Vegas’ latest resident headliners, is played by Tierney Allen, who began to develop her “Poker Face” persona in 2009 while working at a boutique in Santa Monica and being told she resembled Gaga after finalizing a transaction for Kate Beckinsale. Allen went all out creating costumes and choreography, and gets mistaken for Gaga often in public.
She also benefits from set design renovations that Cher tribute artist Lisa McClowry makes great use of on songs such as “If I Could Turn Back Time.” The live band shines backing up McClowry, a singer-songwriter and recording artist who refined her impersonation with her own tribute show, The Beat Goes On.
It would have been a crime not to bring all four performers onstage, and they bring the house down with a cover
of a disco classic by another formidable vocal quartet in Labelle. With the entire audience singing along to “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” the show becomes legend in every sense.
Legends in Concert Presents Legendary Divas runs at the Tropicana through Halloween, and free admission for Adele and Dion residency ticket holders continues through Sept. 5. These divas have the voices and the moves to do their chosen Legends justice. The show is electrifying, engaging and creates unparalleled audience enthusiasm. With Marino keeping the show rolling between acts, Legends in Concert is going where no tribute show has gone before as it makes Vegas history. Or herstory.
Tropicana Las Vegas, ticketmaster.com
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