Folies Bergère at the Tropicana

Adult Entertainment, Hotels, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Entertainment, Shows and Entertainment
Posted March 27th, 2009 by Christopher - 1 comment

They Just Don’t Make ‘em Like They Used To…

Tonight marked the last public performance of the Folies Bergère at the Tropicana Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The show had an almost fifty year-long run at the resort and has seen some unimaginable changes here in town. I was happy I was able to get a couple of tickets at a two person table in the center for one of tonight’s two performances.

Las Vegas’ topless showgirl and variety performance shows are definitely a dying breed in Las Vegas. It seems that producers don’t really know what will work well here in town, and as a result, when they find something that is working, they just try to duplicate that as often as they can, rather than really putting a lot of creativity, time, and money, into doing something entirely unique and original. (God forbid we even think of having a dinner theater with a truly memorable show following a wonderful meal..)

Somehow, I’d never seen Folies Bergère before. I’d always meant to but like a lot of shows, you put it off, and then they are gone. I get pretty nostalgic about the idea of classic Las Vegas, old Las Vegas – the superlative Las Vegas mythos – so seeing a traditional Las Vegas showgirl show going dark is pretty significant in my mind – they just don’t make ‘em like they used to. Cirque du Tatas, anyone?

Or do they?

I enjoyed the show, I did, so don’t get me wrong with what I’m about to say. I think part of the problem with “classic Las Vegas shows” is that they are still exactly like they use to make ‘em. From the tables to the handrails to the sets on stage, they haven’t changed a thing in years. I remember going to see “Crazy Girls” at The Riviera with my girlfriend years ago – one of the first few times I visited Las Vegas – and we were all excited looking for a sexy showgirl show in the classic Las Vegas sense. What a snoozer that was. Folies Bergère was much better, for sure, but there’s still a strong dated element to parts of the show – the theater itself, even. I had the feeling that some of the numbers, had they been written, choreographed, and styled in the 1960′s or 1970′s, might have been pretty sexy and pretty slick – maybe. Now, guys dancing wearing hats and sunglasses and putting on that silly “I’m a guy dancing but trying to act tough” thing, along with some of the costumes styled to look like some grandpa’s definition of “cool,” just seems completely ridiculous. Some of the numbers were pretty, though. That must be said. Pink feathers rock!

I’d really love to see a major theater that’s been renovated and modernized at some point in the recent past put on a spectacular showgirl show that would awe and – pardon the pun – titillate someone from my generation. The producers just don’t seem to have any real understanding of or connection with people less than fifty. Hell, the front row was filled with little old ladies with an average age of seventy-plus. I’m not joking. These were women who would have been of the age to have actually performed in the show in the first few years that it debuted in Las Vegas. Don’t misunderstand me – I’m glad they were there and enjoyed the show. My only point is that if you can’t connect with a new generation with an adult sort of entertainment, eventually, you’re going to run out of an audience, and that will be long after you’ve branded yourself as a dated, unimportant show in Las Vegas. And I suspect that that is a major component to why Folies Bergère at Tropicana is about to be no more. Sadly, they have a nice, large theater at the Trop that could have been made into something really special. As casinos age, though, no one seems into the idea of investing in renovation and makeovers. It’s always “raze it to the ground and build something completely different” – at least that’s the way it has been until the Great Recession hit. Las Vegas might just have to reinvent itself again – by learning to fix what it already has.

The Folies Bergère was inspired by the original Parisian music hall by the same name. Read more about the original Folies Bergère here.

Tags: classic Vegas, Crazy Girls, Folies Bergère, showgirls, The Riviera, Tropicana

One Comment

Rachael on April 5, 2009 :

Christopher,
read a story about this (via FARK)
and agree with the points you’ve raised about the demise.
Still sad though.

Damn, haven’t been to Vegas in at least 5 years. Better get my ass down there before everything I remember is gone

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