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the Las Vegas market. Some new propertieHiave performed well. Some have been on the cusp. Alouple have been downright disappointments from a financial perspective. I think more time iB needed to understand how the market ilB going to digest this last wave cfflsupply. PH: Does the Tropicanawme any need to bring in attractions such qs^mlebrity mjmfs and high profile brand name^^t HM: No. Our customers are middle market. We offer restaurants that provide value to our target cHtomers. We have|M| great buffet, a great coffee shop , we have a Chinesd* Mtaurant. and \fe hlBe Pietro ?╟╓ s gourmet room, one of thosgLas Vegas secrets. It?╟╓s like a small Michael Hat the Barbary Colt. That?╟╓s our niche. Our lisustomers; seefrB like it. PH: WhatfcWSs make q difference^t with custome^mI HM: The natuBof the experience, what IntertaihiSnt isBffered, what the hotel or resort amenitiH are. Another factors the: ' ,:: price. As I said earlier, a lot of people are pricBKhl^. Aslfobulou^lit f&t not everybody can afford Stay at the Bell agio. There is a price point they will not go beyond. At the Tropicana, we provide great price value. PH: What 's an amrage rijfom rate ? HM: ThS vary considerably, depending on the day of the week, the. time of the year. Our average rate i|B usually in the ,$70-$80 range. A lotrof timd^ during mid-week, you canffet rooms in the $50-$60 range. During the weekend, it might run in the $90-$ 110 range. PH: Were any omfeur customers asking JBiticketss^^mt month?╟╓s Madonna concert^* HM: We had aTew, and we got them tickets-1 understand it is probably one of the m6st high-demand tickets in the history of lias Vegti^H but the demand at our place was not huge. PH: With *$ome consolidation among tpur and travel Q^rdtWms'dt any more difficult for a Las Vegas visitor to find a good deal^U HM: Three of four years ago, Las' . Vegas was in a very competitive cycle prior to the opening of Bellagio and the other new mega-resorts. The market was kind of flat. There w| intense competition. Bp Gollp Those Folies... Tropicana production keeps on rolling It is said that life begins at 40. That couldn?╟╓t be more true when talking about the country?╟╓s longest-running, show, Folies Bergere. The Folies is in its 42nd year at the Tropicana and shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, audiences are stronger than ever. The show that originated in Paris more than 130 years ago (in 1869) has entered the 21st century none the worse for wear. To see the Folies Bergere at the Tropicana is like taking a journey through time with beautiful women, creative backdrops and inspiring costumes. In fact, says creator and director Jerry Jackson, the show is a ?╟úcelebration of beautiful women and to show how women have changed from 1850 to the present day.?╟Ñ Thanks to Jackson, often called a ?╟úRenaissance man,?╟Ñ the Folies has been able to stay fresh and exciting by adapting to changing times and a changing society. He says it would ?╟úbe very easy to say, ?╟ Oh, it?╟╓s a French revue,?╟╓ which means a lot of traditional production numbers. You could do that, but it would become dated very quickly.?╟Ñ Jackson, at 65, looks 15 years younger and has the energy to match. He says he likes to instill the essence of each period and style, ?╟úmuch like the movie Moulin Rouge. The costume designer and set director in that movie did not adhere to history or to authenticity, but they captured the spirit of the period,?╟Ñ Jackson is the creator and director, but is also the , choreographer, costume designer, writes special music, and co-produces. Behind the scenes, the production might be called organized bedlam, as some 100 members of the cast and crew change costumes (there are some nine costume changes), move sets and get in place for the next number. It?╟╓s hectic, says Jackson, ?╟úbecause the pace of the show has become very important, even more so since the advent of MTV. In the first five minutes there are three or four costume changes. I don?╟╓t like anything to stay on stage longer than 45 seconds to a few minutes before it is changed, whether it be the introduction of a new person, or a costume or set change. The audience?╟╓s attention span isn?╟╓t what it used to be.?╟Ñ He selects the dancers mostly by their ability to act and project on stage. ?╟úThey don?╟╓t have to be technically brilliant, although it helps,?╟Ñ he says. ?╟úBut they must know how to act, project and have lots of energy. I want them to have what I call a ?╟ dancer?╟╓s spirit.?╟╓ And ?╟ smiling, pretty?╟╓ doesn?╟╓t hurt.?╟Ñ In the Folies, there?╟╓s no shortage of ?╟úpretty.?╟Ñ Kristine Perchetti, 37, a native Nevadan, is a six-foot beauty who?╟╓s been with the show for almost 15 years. She studied criminal justice in college and joined the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. ?╟úI wanted to be a probation officer, but when I went to work in it, I found I didn?╟╓t like it as much as I thought I would. It was too emotionally draining.?╟Ñ She was working as a part-time cocktail waitress when the Folies stage manager suggested she audition for showgirl. She did, got the job and has been there since. ?╟úI liked the glamour, and loved working with the people backstage. The cast members became like a second family to me and my own family has always been very supportive,?╟Ñ she says. Kristine thinks a good showgirl needs to have the height, body and looks, but also needs ?╟úthe grace and elegance on stage. That?╟╓s very important.?╟Ñ Though there are many Folies showgirls and dancers, Kristine says, ?╟úWe?╟╓ve never been really competitive with each other, even though there are girls who want to be actresses or want to advance their careers. You?╟╓d think there would be some backstabbing and bickering, but there isn?╟╓t any. It?╟╓s amazing.?╟Ñ Being a showgirl, says Kristine, ?╟úallowed me to gain a lot of confidence and gave me wonderful friendships that have continued over the years.?╟Ñ Kristine, married with an autistic son, has started, with another woman, a program called ?╟úFamilies for Effective Autism Treatment?╟Ñ which helps other people in Las Vegas with autistic children. . ?╟úI do a lot of home therapy and work with the school district,?╟Ñ she says, ?╟úso we open our home to other families to show them our therapy programs. We have to hire our own therapists so we have a therapist pool going where we help each other find therapists, which isn?╟╓t that easy, and we provide support for parents with autistic children.?╟Ñ Despite the emotional, physical and financial pressures of raising an autistic child, Kristine October 2001 Las Vegas Style 52