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Las Vegas*?╟╓ 4 HALLELUJAH HOLLYWOOD *4/28/74 Beautiful To Look At?╟÷But By PJANNE TRAHAN SUN Staff Writer Busby ?╟╓Berkeley and the great Hollywood extravaganza are only a celluloid memory buriied' the elan of the Ziegfeld era, gum-popping chorus girls and stage-door-Johnnies. The ultimate of nostalgia?╟╓s new-born child, the Las Vegas stage show, premiered Friday night at the MGM Grand Hotel sacrificing the charm and punch of the Follies for the slick sophistication of a flawless visual spectacle. Hallelujah Hollywood is the pinnacle of a Strip production show. Donn Arden, director of the multi-million dollar tribute, was commissioned to assemble the most lavish revue in the history of show business and plays every trump known to the theatrical world. Hallelujah does every standard bit one better. Instead of one animal act, the show offers a veritable zoo of wild beasts ranging from disappearing Siberian tigers to a dolphin encased in a 20 ft. pool. The usual chorus line is replaced by a hiige troop of nearly a hundred dancers crowding the gigantic stage. The show offers more costume changes, more songs and more bare skin than any other predecessor. Arden attempts to awe his au<ffiroce with the last word in lavish-ipmduction but only succe^slrTlhe technical end of the spectrum missing the mark in the talent department. Stunning sets and costumes, affecting a forgotten Hollywood aura of glamor, easily steal the show while the real stars must claim a distant second the artistic opulence. Hallelujah 7 is a visual masterpiece. Every number is perfectly coordinated with flawless staging and striking costuipes which makes for quite an eyeshow. Award winning* Harwood designers-, Bob Mackie and Ray Aghayan drape the cast in great swirls of feathers and rhinestones. Thet pair inject a certain amount bf verve into the . usual showgirl dress Of spangles. and plumes and ship burn, explode and sink. HaNeli happens twice nightly in the Ziegfel MGM Grand Hotel. THE PIRATE ?╟÷ Donn Arden's Halleluiah Hollywood is, among other things, a lull grown pirate ship, complete with full-grown pirates ?╟÷ who pillage the village ~ capture and rape the native girls ?╟÷ only to have their inBu tSI SI II skillfully add a touch of old time Hollywood to the revue. Art director Michael Knight can also claim quite a large amount of credit for the sets which are a highlight in the well-directed show. Arden made his best bet however when he chose the music for Hallelujah. Songs are taken from the stockpile of MGM musical hits ranging from Cole Porter ballads to Gershwin standards. Although visually the MGM revue lives up to its pretension as a breathtaking extravaganza, talent-wise the ,?·how is # little less than spec-| tacular. None: of the principle ,per-fpi'jhers; are given eriough time on stage to' develop a rapport with" the audience so consequently the stars blur into an indistinguishable mass of frills and dancing feet with the exception of lead nude dancer, Trica Lee. Martin Ross and Diane Findlay are also good while the rest of the cast is highly forgettable. The routine where MGM greats, such as Groucho Marx and Mae West, were parodied was especially painful. The best moments of Hallelujah, however, were a few short film clips represen: tative of Hollywood former allure. These brief frames made it clear the grandeur of the legendary musical had ?╟≤vanished in a puff of Nostalgia. Extravaganza Las trVegas style is the new crown-|!ed king and those who prefer &Jhe former glamor as does this ifieviewer will just have to get ?√ßused to it. 18 Section 3 Chicago Tribune, Wednesday, May 1, 1974 | HALLELUJAH? Donn | landmark spectacle for the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, I finally made its debut" In the Ziegfeld Room after months of I construction, delays and technical difficulties. It has to be one I of the longest-rehearsed [six inonths] and costliest jf| mil- v 3 lion] shows in the world, with a cast of 120 chorus girls ?√ß \ imported from around the world?╟÷and one of/the most spec? ?╟╓Itacular. The costumes alone, fin told, cost $600,000. t