ent000815-038

Beverly Hills, Calif. [The World?╟╓s Costliest Floorshow- Stardust?╟╓s $500,000 Lido Array Citizen (Glr. 7,954) 1959 Las Vegas, June 30. | Le Lido de Paris, long a symbol of the French postcard civilization, has in its U.s. transposition be- come synonymous with opulence, 'liishness, and b.o. insurance, even though none of its epidermis ac- cent is missing. Peculiarly enough, it cost more to adorn the un- dressed. The costuming bill on this opus, the second edition to be used at the Stardust, is much over $300,000. While cost accountants haven?╟╓t finished tallying up all the charges, it?╟╓s expected that this show will run in the neighbor- hood of $500,000. making this the costliest floorshow ever to be pre- sented in the U.S. or maybe any-* where in the world. An idea of the shows size and opulence is that 1, It required two chartered planes to transport the production and talent from Paris; 2, the show necessitates a backstage crew of 32 stagehands, elestricians, etc; 3, :extra pumps have to be built for the spectacular waterfalls effect ^imported), to supplement the six pumps already installed. The initial shock of nudity, if ever there was one during the first edition of Le Lido layout which closed recently after a year?╟╓s run, is gone. The show has to make it on its own. Nudity, it so happens, is a small (but important) element here. The show has so many other Stardos^ Las Vegas Stardust presentation of Le Lido de Paris show, ?╟úCa C?╟╓Est L9Amour,?╟Ñ produced by Pierre Lpuis Guerin & Rene Fra- day; staged & directed by Bonn -Arden; costumes, Folco; mu- sic, Landreau, Brienne & Del? vincourt; lyrics, Charles Jar- rell; choreography, Arden; Orchestra, Eddie O?╟╓Neal; sets, Harvey Warren & Fost. With Les Lido Models, Les Bluebell Girls, Les Marottes, Marjii Lee, Les Lucky Latinos (3), Alfredo Alaria Ballet (11), Les Marottes, (5), J ohn Juliano, Jack Rains, Beverly Richards, Marion [ Conrad. Opened June 23, ?╟╓59; $3 bev- erage minimum. i important attributes that it can I get along handsomely for its con- templated 18-month run, and con- I tinue with the standup business |that the Stardust has become ac- I customed to. t There are times when the spec- Itacle is overwhelming. The sight J evident than in this number in ?√ß which white-dressed courtiers a.hd 1 of 6,000 gallons of water per min- I iite cascading onstage is sufficient I to incite gasps. There are other I awe-inspirers such as the burning I of Paris during the Revolution, and I a torrent of fireworks at the finale. I There are many elements of spec- I tacular proportions. V On the opening last Tuesday ?║J23), it was evident that the pro- duction had to be cut froih its 105 minutes, it was also evident that the acts needed reroutining I and perhaps a replacement or two, but these are defects easily man* aged, and the returns are expected I to be as strong as it has beeij. Probably the most opulent epl- I sode is the Versailles number. The I attractiveness of the undraped up-1 stairs cheesecake was never more I extravagant red costuming of the I courtesans make for brilliant spec- I tacle. In this sequence, the sacking I of Paris takes place. While the fire- I making apparatus didn?╟╓t perform I at its peak, there was tremendous I excitement. The Brazilian number I similarly, begat gasps. The water- I fall is used at this juncture with I the Alfredo Alaria Ballet sparking I the number. The Japanese se- quence is similarly strong with ceramic masks worn by the dolls- giving the proceedings an unreal and old-print look, but withal hav- ing a great deal of charm, Worthy of recognition is the CinemaScope stage, which can do as many tricks as a troupe of Arabian tumblers. It?╟╓s a rival to the Radio City Music Hall in its inventive * design. The stage is equipped to make rain, snow* fire and holocausts of various descrip- tions. The Stardust is still to use the full potential of its facilities. The act retinue is spotty, un- fortunately. The major item is the holdover of Gino Donati & George, who had already gone back to Paris with the end of the run of the first Lido edition, but were called back when the replacing comedy act wasn?╟╓t working out. They some- how didn?╟╓t fit into this layout, and therefore deprived the show of an important comedy element. These singing-acrobats are essentially a clever act and were the hit of the first edition. Another major act, the Alaria Ballet, showed a mixed-up tenden- cy. The 11-person troupe is ex- cellently disciplined, is live and responsive, and there?╟╓s been a lot of creativity poured into this turn. Unfortunately, its viewpoint seems warped. There?╟╓s a neurotic quality in many of its efforts. The makeup, for example, is unreal. It is seem- ingly seeking to symbolize ortho- dox dances, but they go into a murky and turgid area in which many viewers would feel uncom- fortable. Its explorations of the nether world of terpsichorean thought give an insight to a rarely seen facet of. the dance, but a nitery housing an essentially escapist show is hardly a likely exhibition spot for this turn. The flamenco numbers give strongest evidence of the tendency to over- Symbolize what is essentially an earthy type of dance. Showing up better were a Brazilian sequence which permits a comedic byplay | and ?╟ which takes off some of the curse of its viewpoint. Les Lucky Latinos (3) v are an expert troupe of dancers with a flair for comedy. They turn in stretches of song and comedy which, coupled with genuine acro- batic ability, provide a combina- | tion that puts them well ahead. Probably as charming a turn as has been seen in a nitery are Les Marottes, a puppet turn which j needs five operators as presented here. It?╟╓s a fanciful and happy ; romp during which they over- whelm the viewers with weight | of numbers and loads of charm. Their opening is centered around ! a line of mice. While all the ver- | biage wasn?╟╓t caught, there?╟╓s enough to plbase. A topper is the cater- pillar and snail duet, and there?╟╓s j a Russian sequence that provides many laughs. The costuming and ! general conception are ultra-im-1 aginative. There are many production aides* that come off well including. Beverly Richards in song, and danc- er Marion Conrad. The vocals by John Juliano and Jack Rains dress up the works and a brief, tasteful and exciting ice skating sequence is by Marjii Lee during the Japa- nese number. Donn Arden has done a master- ful job of collating the numerous and diverse elements that consti- tute this exhibit. He has used his usual good taste and expert organ- izihg ability to top advantage. JL1US5& New Vegas Stardust Revue lops ben Predecessor By soJln |u,irtl __SB Bustj Hot6l lmpossi r-*_ ?╟≤ ?╟÷ lu.-juv?╟÷man the I-famous revue which preceded ri!f million-do%r extravagan za bowed in at the hotel's sumptuous Cafe Continental be nrI?½,a opacity audience com mendfi Chlefly newspaper- from *nWn ln on press J'aunts from all over the country. they witnessed a nine-act production of breath-taking de- and Production pinned on a theme of international love broth-"M,1 ,wf a??n?╟╓t mean the ?╟úI ?y kmd ' ' ' rangmg from Les Amours De Paris?╟Ñ and LAmour Exo^ue-- ln japari |t0 a jungle-love presentation *n Las ground!, pumping water at the S'?½ per min' rjh maVery WeJi Pl-ove to be the outstanding bit of staging of the year. l??P..EuroPean per- in the show, By B m The, g| ?√ß?√ß?√ß Ye?af. dld the impossible last mgnt -in |pr#s?·hting a new 1960 version of Le Lido De Paris show, whcih was more lavish tar^and* ^ore^costly?╟÷than^t}^' L SeVenty top famous revue which nYec ? ,mers appear ?╟? , "rr?*** * I * 111 * V me show and are scheduled to do two uraay. This fast-movTrig spec- tacularly spectacular show is * ymouSLf??rtLaS Vegas visitors Y Aifh I?½ t?,See Jt t0 believe it. Aifredo Alaria and his danc- ofthe?½1111^ a goodly P??ftion of the one-hour and 28-minute spectacle, and their first Amer- Mtlppfrance rates them with top dancers anywhere. Other featured artists, include Gerard Sety, Marjii Lee Les Marottes, Marion Conrad,?╟╓ Bew Jack John Juliano, Rams and the wild, wild Lucky Latinos. ^Margaret Kelly IMiss Blue- Kh??nn2- ,her wor]d famed Bluebell Girls aro all excellent Costumes by Falco of -Italy wfrVh r??m M audience-?╟÷ S tL f grat.ifylng consider- ing the fantastic cost m excess of $225,000. I L?╟╓Amour?╟Ñ, the Jsec- l^eTSS^rareXs m wm ffntrt?╟÷...J * TOps The bare-bosomed girls star- png and beautiful as they are Uuid detract little fromthTs 'or0Th1s0d?they,beekmina^ nent rumt m-packed entertain- lesfre^ f kagu Ieaves iiiile to red for sheer enjoyment-