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IllVlffllil tipi WMIlf 111 TropicarWs }Les Folies Bergere' gets impressive flfifflki She was pushing 40 and start- ing to show it, but the city?╟╓s grattde dame of production shows, ?╟úLes Fohes Bergere,?╟Ñ de- 4 cided the time had come for a few | nips and tucks to help return her | to the glory years of the Parisian- styled revue. The process took several months of planning and writing by talented Jerry Jackson, who previously had created and di- rected two ^LesFolies?╟╓?╟╓ editions for the Tropicana, 3801 Las Ve- gasBlvd. South, that rah from 1975 to this year. He wrote sev- eral new segments ?╟÷ only three of the show?╟╓s 14 scenes are hold- overs from the most recent pre- sentation ?╟÷ and retrieved sever- al scenes from ?╟úFolies?╟╓?╟╓shows staged before 1983. Then came six weeks of rugged rehearsals by the cast of about 55 feather- headed showgirls, male and fe- male dancers, Acrobatic dancers, and a sextet of singing and danc- ing principals. / The recently revealed result is titled ?╟úLes Folies Bergere ..rSexi- er Than Ever,?╟Ñ and despite a few stylistic missteps, it?╟╓s a near- perfect comeback for a show that proves that grand staging ges- tures fused with attractive bod- ies, pleasant music and glowingly lighted costumes will never go out of fashion: In fact, fashion plays a con- necting role ih the production?╟╓s - thematic glanceat the stylistic and social progress of women from the days of the old French music halls to todays strident woman, campily described as one ?╟úwho packs an AK-47 and knows how to use it!?╟Ñ Blessed with a good-looking and steady-stepping dance cast ?╟÷ the vocalists prove less consis- tent ?╟÷ the new version doesn?╟╓t skimp on generous displays of al- luring ladies parading gently m : MICHAEL PASKCVICH across the stage in creative cos-? tumes that often leave their breasts bared, thus limiting ad- mission to those 16 years and older. A montage that effectively cap- tures the feel of music halls by flashing vintage photos leads into a new adagio featuring the allur- ing skills of understudies Sean Cronin and Jeanne Laubscher, filling in that night for the tal- ented duet of Tom Lake and Sue White. The fill-ins team up for a quartet of dance interludes, the best coming after a French ball- room is quickly transformed into a dark and chilly forest. Dancing to the evocative ?╟úHope,?╟Ñ among Jackson?╟╓s times that blend with more familiar standards, Cronin and Laubscher set a wistful mood in a compelling adagio. The holdover ?╟úSouvenir of Par- is ?╟÷1900" segment features some fine acrobatic dancing and era-specific gowns, and even if the energy level seemed a bit down during the cancan number that Jackson strove to ax, the tourist-heavy ?╟÷ meaning often sedate ?╟÷ audience responded with vigorous applause as the women revealed their bloomers. ?╟úHollywood Glamour: 1930" traces women into the post-, flapper era ?╟÷ a playful French Riviera scene proceeds with towel-flashing flappers ?╟÷ and the vision of magenta fan-waving ladies laying on a rotating turn- table recalls the over-the-top staging of Busby Berkeley musi- Itgpiig i n | BiililllS | I i: WMS I I cals. Their synchronized moves are visible to the audience via an angled mirror at the back of the stage, and the effect is always eharming. ?╟úCool Jazz: 1950" follows the still-energetic holdover ?╟úJitter- bugs?╟Ñ segment set to ?╟úIn the Mood.?╟Ñ The jazz number features some aggressive lighting over neon-lighted costumes and moves into an interesting voice-over commentary about the women of the 1950s. ?╟úThey are aloof and unapproachable?╟Ñ is a comment on the great sex drought of the 1950s, and Jackson drives home this wry point in a funny strip- tease in which the women disap- pear as each item of black-lighted clothing takes flight. It?╟╓s a great bit, and Jackson might have had great psychedelic fun with a follow-up take on the 1960s. Instead, the show takes a misguided turn backward to the American music halls of the 1890s, resulting in a predictable hoedown that jumps about a lot # m miiiii .W i but goes nowhere. Perhaps this Western number was added to entertain foreign visitors, in which case a hanging would like- ly help, Ray ?╟úAnd Then We Danced?╟Ñ Fell has departed, and the show?╟╓s oiie specialty act, Charlie Frye & Co., remains one of the best in the business. The silent Frye, who moves like Charlie Chaplin but looks like Dick Van Dyke, juggles to good effect despite minimal support from his compa- ny, in this case spouse Sherry who is more concerned about keeping her nails filed than help- ing her hapless hubby. This ?╟≤ vaudeville-rooted performance al- ways evokes a strong reaction. The shoyj fast-forwards to the present for its ?╟úContemporarily Yours?╟Ñ finale that deals in the af- firmation of the human spirit oyer materialism through tunes such as ?╟úTell It to My Heart,?╟Ñ ?╟úDeeper Love?╟Ñ and ?╟úMoney Can?╟╓t Buy It.?╟Ñ Some heavy hip-hop and street dancing further liven up ?╟ÑLes Folies Bergere,?╟Ñ the long-running Tropi- cana production show, | has been updated by Jerry Jackson, who created and directed two earlier editions of the revue. this alluring segment that even- tually finds the female dancers parading down a central stair- way clad in turquoise fans and pink-feathered skullcaps. The entire cast gathers as Bruce Moore (filling in for Ron DeCar) leads them through ?╟úCir- cle of Life,?╟Ñ an uplifting yet still somber tune that seems to lack the spark this mostly excellent show deserves for its final cur- tain. Not that Jackson hasn?╟╓t worked miracles here, and princi- pals Jennifer Joseph, Carmel Smithe, Tracy Jordan, Candace Hager and Debra Inness all turn in consistently good work. In short, the old gal has never looked better. She?╟╓s on display daily at 8 and 10:30 p.m. with tickets priced at $45 for a seat, $55 each to share a booth. Michael Paskevich?╟╓s entertain- ment column appears Fridays and Sundays.