Biloxi Casino Shows
Casinos are offering several productions
By PETE TATTERSALL
ptattersall@sunherald.com
Now is as good a time as any to throw the spotlight on three separate, and very different, productions currently playing at casinos in South Mississippi. The three shows, “Showgirls” (Casino Magic Biloxi), “Cats” (Grand Biloxi) and “Krasnaya” (Beau Rivage), offer something for almost any age, albeit with different levels of production quality. Even so, all three pass the minimum threshold for quality entertainment, at least as far as the regional litmus test goes.
Billed as a Greg Thompson production, this revue is something of a quandary. With only five dancers, the production only just lives up to its name. Ostensibly paying tribute to the “life of the American showgirl,” the show gives passing nods to earlier fads ranging from the Ziegfeld girls to “MTV video showgirls.” With minimal costume changes, a small stage and a theater that is far more intimate than others on the Coast, the production has more of a dinner theater feel to it than that of a Las Vegas showroom.
The five showgirls are complemented by lead male vocalist Robin Downward and lead female vocalist Jessie Terrebonne who, as her name suggests, hails from neighboring Louisiana. Both have strong voices, and both, particularly Downward, are adept at interacting with the crowd.
The dancing is pretty good. And everyone gives 100 percent. But to compare this show with the others is like comparing apples to oranges, if only because of the number of performers involved.
One standout aspect, however, can be found in the performance of comedian/magician Max Cleaver, whose portion of the show is genuinely funny. Bottom line on Cleaver? This is a very talented man.
Showgirls” performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. in the Magical Moments Theatre, located on the upper level of the casino at Casino Magic Biloxi. Tickets ($14.95 each) are available at the Magic Club; (866) 867-7711.
Based on T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” and with music by the inestimable Andrew Lloyd Webber, this production wraps locally on Sunday.
The show, the longest-running musical in Broadway history (18 years), goes the whole nine yards. Elaborate costume and stage designs, classically trained performers and an often stunning range of vocal talent made for a satisfied audience at a recent performance, even though the house was only about half-full.
With a running time of about 100 minutes, the 20-plus member cast performed 15 numbers, highlights of which included “Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats,” “Macavity” and “Mr. Mistoffelees.”
If elaborate musicals aren’t your idea of a good time, look elsewhere for entertainment. But for theater buffs, and kids in particular, the show is a welcome addition to the South Mississippi entertainment lineup.
Through Sunday: 7 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 3 and 7 p.m. Sunday; $24.95/$29.95 on Thursday and Sunday, $29.95/$34.95 on Friday and Saturday; (800) WIN-2-WIN.
An interesting mix of beautiful performers (both male and female) with hard bodies, often frenetic and almost always creative dancing, and aerial, acrobatic and clown acts reminiscent of the Moscow Circus, Krasnaya is the most vibrant piece of eye candy to hit South Mississippi in some time.
Featuring 42 Russian performers, the 85-minute production includes, but is hardly limited to, the following: tumblers and acrobats, funny clown performances, stunning women in lacy red outfits and fishnet stockings, seductive dances, trippy clowns, a female dancer in a bubble suspended 30 feet above the ground, a thoroughly erotic water bowl dance, leathery lingerie and perhaps just a tad too many pseudo-nouveau dance numbers.
And while portions of the show may raise an eyebrow or two, it never rises above the PG-13 level, if that.
As with the two productions described above, if this type of show isn’t your particular cup of tea, you almost have to admire the skill and hard work that clearly went into the production. But many will find it fun, exotic and, occasionally, breathtaking.
Tickets are $22.95 and $29.95 plus tax and service fee. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and 3 and 7 p.m. Sundays. No performances on Fridays; (888) 566-7469.