ent000892-020

SPACE-AGE STAGING ON THE GYPSY CIRCUIT: THE LAS VEGAS SCENE A series on dancers in show business By William Como Photos by Chet Kranz TJiF STi{ROUST: The long-limbed Bluebells, above, are a main attraction of the Lido de Paris room. Hetow, llluebells cnoreograprier, 7,aret Kelly, with show?╟╓s producer, Donn Arden. Opposite, above, front view oj the Stardust; below, a production rehearsal. Las Vegas c ment center of the world.?╟Ñ And, indeed, famous star, provide a kind of entertain- ment that can scarcely be equalled in any tres seating up to 800 guests for dinner. EH addition, a lounge show featuring fa- mous cabaret artists can be enjoyed for lh<^j|umQHEhU?·9H| With 1000 air-conditioned rooms, the the world?╟╓s largest resort hotels. (Begun death it came under the same ment as Wilbur Clark?╟╓s Desert Inn.) To revues presented there, the Stardust man- agement first had to create an elaborate The architectural design of the room, as conferences in Paris revealed Stardust?╟╓s Lido room would contain such exotic stage attractions as a waterfall Olympic size swimming pool. Audiences Stardust Lido de Paris Show Employing Marvels of Light, Sound Arts More than 5,500,000, persons have thrilled to the six editjons of the Stardust Hotel?╟╓s'musical extravaganza,?╟ú(?╟úLido de Paris;?╟Ñ during the past seven years. But few have realized what a show .business marvel the Pa- risian importation (the current edition twill be one year old May 29) really-is. When the owners of the Star- dust Hotel assigned Frank' Segues to..produce a new and unique stage spectacular for the Stardust's grand opening in 1958, an inspirational idea struck the showman. Why not combine the peerless entertainment val- ues of Paris?╟╓ world-famous Lido' Club with some of the elec- tronic wonders that have revo- lutionized everyday living? No sooner had Frank made up his rain'd,to execute this new and daring concept, ".than he. was on a plane bound for Paris. There he made a deal wife fee owners of fee Lido Club calling fot the export to Las Vegas of its entire show. Then he combed every European entertainment strohghold for the greatest -spe- cialty acts available for pres- entation in America. This having been accom- ?√ß plished, Sennes put Ed White,' one of fee nation?╟╓s top techni- cal directors, to work designing i a dazzling array of electronic devices never before used for Stage productions. Arden, White built from scratch a giant silicone rectifier light control hoard, fee first.such.de- vicC to be used successfully. The new facility enables tech- nicians ins the Stardust Hotel's light eOntrhl booth to paint a portrait-in 'light on the stage., Just as an artist is able to paint ail?╟╓ the colors of fee rainbow on canvas tjitife oils,, the .silicone board permits the light men to create a ,beautiful picture .on- stage by means of multi-colored lights. -Not only is fee effect more pleasing Inn?╟╓exciting, -but it-facilitates a smoother and more effective transition of moods through; light colors and intensities. . . . White also created a* new sound system consisting of FM wireless microphones through which each audible performer onstage) becomes in effect a walking radio -station, A mike concealed on the performer?╟╓s person broadcasts signals which are picked up by a receiver in' the control room and fed into- the sound system. . The sound System, by the way; is aided by another inno- vation conceived and built by White. This is a giant echo chamber in "?√ßwhich sound is picked up'by a battery of micro- phones after reverberating through fee "enclosure; The ?╟úLido de Paris?╟Ñ was afeo | the first production in show 1 business history fo use a, closed ! circuit television system for on- i stage monitoring purposes) Em-' j pldying"' transistorized Vifecon TV cameras, the action on-stage is telecast? via coaxial cable to ?╟╓TV monitors located 'in the orchestra?╟╓ pit-,' stage managers?╟╓ office and in fee dresisng rooms. This enables all personnel asso- ciated wife fee show, from chorines and stage hands to stage manager E&j)er Esau, to have?╟╓an up-to-the-second aware- ness-of what?╟╓s going on. The dividends 'this .system reaps are .obvious.. It helps to explain the titanic scope achieved by . the show and the | super-smooth operation and per- fect timing for- which- it is irf- ternationally CO}Cbraited. ' Only other ?╟ show in' fee world wife these spaep age facilities' is the ail-new second spectacular ?╟úHel- lo America?╟Ñ at fee Desert Inn, ' which- bggan using, them five years after their Nmveil-ing at the Stardust) ?√ß Revolutionary new light' con- trol and sound effects systems were premiered for the first time in show business history on the show?╟╓s historic opening night seven years?╟╓ago. Sennes had- conceived -fee startling innovation of present-; j ing artfully undraped lovelies 1 from Paris for the first time on an American stage. Conscious | of the sensitivity of the show- J going public, he was anxious to | present his semi-nude chorines | as artfully and tastefully as | possible. ?╟╓ J This patently called for the \ most flattering lighting possible. NO equipment adequate to the task at \hand then graced fee market./ So, W1ife- the appFOval ? of Sennes 1 aid; - Director Donn