So I’ll be in Vegas with my girlfriend for the weekend of April 25 (plus perhaps a few days more).
I like to play poker, but we don’t really gamble aside from that. However, we’re interested in shows and other things. So, some questions:
(1) Has anyone ever done any of the helicopter-to-the-Grand-Canyon tours? Any one that you would recommend for or against, or general comments?
(2) Which cirque du soleil should we see, if any?
(3) What magician is the most entertaining? (I prefer sleight of hand with a touch of whimsical comedy to big-boxes-rock-music-tigers.)
(4) What about broadway-type shows? Is Avenue Q still playing? Is Spamalot worth it?
(1) Has anyone ever done any of the helicopter-to-the-Grand-Canyon tours? Any one that you would recommend for or against, or general comments?
There was a recent thread on this somewhere here. Maybe someone knows where it is?
(2) Which cirque du soleil should we see, if any?
I give my humble opinion on those shows on my website, but LOVE is currently the hottest Cirque ticket and there is currently a 2 for 1 deal (for locals) to see KA at MGM (ask nicely and I am sure I or someone here in Las Vegas will go with you to pick up those tickets).
(3) What magician is the most entertaining? (I prefer sleight of hand with a touch of whimsical comedy to big-boxes-rock-music-tigers.)
Again, lots to choose from but The World’s Greatest Magic Show (my neighbors are in the show) is pretty good - several magicians each doing their best tricks, so the show never gets stale. Crappy casino, but great showroom (in the old Debbie Reynold’s Casino, now called the Greek Isles, but soon to change names again.)
(4) What about broadway-type shows? Is Avenue Q still playing? Is Spamalot worth it?
Avenue Q was great, but closed. Spamalot is also very good and currently running, as well as Phantom of the Opera in the Venetian, Mama Mia in Mandalay Bay and just opening (in April) is Jersey Boys in the new Palazzo (next to the Venetian).
I was there a few months ago, but I must say the most entertaining magician by far: The Amazing Jonathan. Of course, he probably won’t do more than one or two actual magic tricks in the entire show – but you’ll be spending the whole time laughing.
(1) Grand Canyon helicopter tour. Haven’t done this.
(2) Which Cirque Du Soleil. I have seen “O”, “Mystere” and “Love”. Though I thoroughly enjoyed “Love” it was a bit different than the other ones (not just in music). I was used to “acts” for each number, where the act is a gymnastic/acrobatic type performance - something to awe you. “Love” had these, but they also had, what I would call simply “dance numbers”. Fun, but not as awe-inspiring as the other shows.
“O” was amazing if nothing else from the elaborate stage. The acts were all pretty spectacular as well.
“Mystere” was more of the traditional show, and was incredible. It has been running for years, and still sells out (even weekdays).
(3) Magicians. Can’t help you here.
(4) Broadway type show. I saw “Spamalot” at the Wynn, and loved it. I am a huge Monty Python fan, and was skeptical at first. But once I got into it, I loved it. (even bought the souvenir coconuts
One thing to consider is that there is an unwritten rule that all Vegas shows be no longer than 90 minutes. Something about the tradeoffs between attention span and keeping gamblers away from the tables.
Two thumbs up to Penn and Teller over at the Rio. Little side theater that looks like it needs a fresh coat of paint, but totally intimate. The show is cool, though I had seen a couple of the tricks they did on Bullshit. And, they both came out right after the show and signed autographs and talked to people for like an hour. Neat!
I’d recommend the “top of the world” restaurant at the Stratosphere. Somewhat spendy, our party of 6 was close to $1000, but the food was fantastic, best I’ve had in about two years. Nice ambiance, fantastic views, great service, but the elevator felt a little rickety on the way up.
“O” is pretty cool, though I haven’t seen other shows with which to compare it.
We attended a so-called “World’s Greatest Magic Show” over at the Greek Isles. The casino is really threadbare and the theatre is cheap and chintzy, but the magicians were all right. Better than all right, even. What made it worth it was the fact that during the show you see 5 or so different magicians–plus the emcee does some magic as well. So if you’re weighing that as an option, be willing to overlook how awful the venue is.
Can’t help you with anything but Cirque and magicians - we saw KA at MGM Grand, well worth it (we’ve seen three other shows and this one blew us away), and The Amazing Johnathan. I do realize I’m echoing others’ sentiments above-thread, but confirmation is a good thing, yeah?
Have fun. If you don’t smoke, you’ll pretty much need to hold your breath every time you go anywhere.
Let me know if you do the helicopter tour and how you like it when you get back. I’m doing it when I go in May. I also have tickets for Amazing Johnathan already booked.
For magicians, I strongly second Penn and Teller. The show is hilarious (whimsical comedy: check), the magic is fun (sleight of hand: check), and they’re super accessible. We ended up in the third row of the small auditorium to watch it. El Perro Fumando was brought up on stage for the first trick of the night. And they are indeed available to sign autographs and shoot the shit for an hour or so afterward. It’s awesome. One of the two coolest things we ended up doing in the week we were there.
Didn’t do the helicopter tours, but a general recommendation if you so choose: Try to get the last tour of the afternoon. You’ll get striking colors in the canyon as the shadows start to play, and you’ll come back into Vegas with the lights on.
The other coolest thing we did: The dueling pianos at Paris’ Napolean’s lounge. Last July, the two guys were on every weeknight starting at 9pm. We went the first time on a lark, the second time we got there early for good seats. Both times, by 9:30, it was packed inside and people were getting in trouble for impeding the walkway outside the doors. Of the two guys, one was much more subdued, the other an absolute cut-up. They crack jokes all night, and will play anything. Two of my favorites were a Prince medley of “Darling Nikki” and “Purple Rain” and muddling their way through Justin Timberlake’s “Sexyback.” One night, every half hour or so they’d play somebody’s college fight song, as people kept putting in money to hear their song after their rival’s.
I recommend against “Zumanity” (their X-rated show), which my boyfriend and I saw in Vegas last fall. The humor worked, but the stuff that was supposed to sexy/erotic just wasn’t. And the funny parts weren’t worth the ticket price. I’ve seen and enjoyed other Cirque shows, and wish I’d picked a different one.
I actually saw The Amazing Jonathan several years ago, and really really did not like him. Way too much mean-spirited humor, not nearly enough magic, imho.
I like Penn and Teller, but have seen them before (both live and on TV), so I guess it’s between that and the World’s Greatest Magic Show.
This may seem really dumb, I thought it was when I first heard about it, but here goes:
In the Luxor, there is a table game with tiny camels with riders. You bet on which will win and place. The odds change each game. I was there with a bunch of guys, and we were all pretty dismissive at first (except for the guy who suggested it), but after a few races we were all having fun and really into rooting for the camels we bet on.
I’ve seen Mystere, O, Ka!, Zumanity, and Love in Vegas, and Varekai on tour. O is probably the biggest spectacle, with Ka! as a close second. I’d actually recommend Ka! over O as a first Cirque show. It had a fairly easily followed narrative thread, while the others have general themes and recurring characters. Both O’ and Ka’ have amazing stages, which are characters in their own rights. I absolutely agree with Misnomer about Zumanity. I’ll almost certainly go see at least a couple of the other shows again, but I have absolutely no interest in going back to Zumanity.
I’ve seen Penn & Teller, and thought it was a bit lacking. IMHO, not enough magic. But they change the show constantly, so this might no longer be valid.
We sent friends to see Ka! while they were there recently, and they raved about it. Haven’t seen it myself though.
Update: My girlfriend (quasi-lurking-doper Araminty, for those keeping score) and I just got back today. Quick summation: Ka (Cirque du Soleil): Friggin amazing. Quite possibly the best live performance of anything I’ve ever seen Spamalot: Good fun entertainment, worth the pricey tickets, but not as good as Ka The Grand Canyon, via Papillon helicopters: Awesome. But of course, we expected it to be awesome. (We did the plane-copter-boat-copter-lunch-plane trip.) The World’s Greatest Magic Show: A bit of a letdown. But worth the cost of the very cheap (by Vegas standards) tickets
