by Jackie Brett Send Me E-mail

The "Ovation" variety show, which features a lineup of specialty acts and performers, has opened downtown at the Lady Luck in the resort's tent showroom after having its initial successful debut at Desert Passage awhile back. Shows are nightly except Tuesdays at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $30.90 without the buffet and $40.65 with the buffet.

The show's formula is very simple but effective. Take the best specialty acts and string them together with a performing host keeping the show moving. Comedy magician Fielding West, who has been a Las Vegas fixture for more than 20 years, is always terrific as a magician, comedian and emcee. Aerial poetry in motion accomplished by the flying duo Cess & Caty and elegant sleight-of-hand magician Jason Byrne are great show additions.

Other terrific acts adding to the variety theme include the juggling Apollo Brothers, the singing Stinson Brothers, Tino Ferreira with his Rolla-Rolla balancing act, New Dynasty Chinese acrobats, life-size puppeteer Christopher and an unusual "Balloon Man" act where he pulls a giant balloon over his body.

It's amazing how the Verandah restaurant at the Four Seasons was completely transformed following a $2 million investment. It went from a light, bright airy almost high end coffee shop décor to a very elegant dramatic casual environment.

The new look includes a new bar and lounge that seats 29, additional outdoor seating that doubled to 106, and the addition of two private dining rooms - La Luna which seat 8 -10 and La Sala which seats up to 24. The goal was to make the existing space more intimate and flexible in its use.

The design has clean lines with pear and moss greens, mango and carrot orange colors mixed with warm woods and fabrics and wall coverings that emphasize natural material and colors, including chenilles, bamboo and grass cloth. Sheer curtains and drop screens help separate areas. The vibrant brightly colored artwork is from a local Bay Area artist, Jocelyn Konarski of Florendipity.

Must say the food is excellent, but the Mini Eskimos dessert, which is simply four small chocolate and hazelnut covered vanilla ice cream bars, is beyond divine.

The Verandah is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a breakfast buffet on Saturday and Sunday. The Business Lunch Guarantee is a two-course meal where diners are guaranteed to be in and out in under an hour with their car waiting at valet.

Primm, Nev. is located about 40 minutes south of Las Vegas off I-15 at the Nevada / California border. Three big resorts are located there and one is Whiskey Pete's, where there is a large showroom on the second floor. For a long time there was no production in the showroom until "Hail Hail Rock 'N' Roll" came along. This is a fun show starring rock and roll look alike singers.

The lineup with five to six headliners may change slightly. The show this reporter caught had the following lineup: Little Richard, 1956 Elvis, Buddy Holly, Linda Ronstadt, Jimi Hendrix and the jumpsuit Elvis. All the performers sing live and Hendrix does a mean guitar. They are backed by live band.

Shows are Wednesday-Sunday at 8 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Honestly for the $19.95 price tag with a players club card, there's no way you can beat the value and it's only a short jaunt from Las Vegas. For information, call 1-800-FUN-STOP.

Recently discovered that the Tuscany on Flamingo near the Strip has a small black with white accented showroom with "Performing As... Live" scheduled Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. The show stars Sebastian Anzaldo impersonating Frank Sinatra and Sharon Owens imitating Barbra Streisand. Both talents have performed at other Las Vegas properties in the past and Owens has performed in "Legends in Concert" in other cites.

What's interesting about the show, which is very intimate with a live piano player joining them center stage, is the music selection. They intertwine songs in a very interesting way. For example, Owens starts out singing "Papa" from the movie "Yentle," and Anzaldo enters singing "You'll Never Know How Much I Love You." Numerous times throughout the show they mingle hits by the two superstars.

The show is an off shoot from the FOX television network contest show "Performing As," which featured performers impersonating famous musical stars. Different show packages are available, call 1-866-830-0250.

Studio 54 at the MGM Grand will host the 6th annual "Nightmare on 54th Street." It's six nights of freaks, fetishes and frightening excess from Tuesday, Oct. 26 through Sunday, Oct. 31. Studio 54's regular nightclub décor will transition into a haunted nightlife playhouse.

Nightly, Studio 54 will feature performances of its own sinister version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" complete with a techno-house music blend. For the more eccentric of souls, FRANKENFURTER will tempt the crowd with a naughty version of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Admission for men is $10 Tuesday through Thursday except for special events, $20 on Friday and Saturday and free for the ladies. Minimum entrance age is 21.

The week-long line-up of sinful celebrations includes: HALLOW-EDEN on Oct. 26; PSYCHO-TRYST on Oct. 27; more costume craziness on Oct. 29 and 30; and Nightmare on 54th Street on Oct. 31 with costume contest prizes totaling $8,000. The fundraising 38th Annual Beaux Arts Costume Ball will take place on Oct. 28 with special performances made by cast members of "We Will Rock You," "Saturday Night Fever," and "Folies Bergere" and costume contests with cash prizes totaling more than $2,200.

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