When you take your seat in the Saxe Theatre in Planet Hollywood, you know you’re not in for some run of the mill stage production. Being named after the city that it premiers in, Vegas! The Show knows that it has some hefty shoes to fill. Sin City is known for its overt showmanship, its opulent style, and an extravagance that filters itself throughout every inch of the desert city. Vegas! The Show works every angle it can to deliver its audience an experience that stays true to the city’s heart, and it does so in such a way that, when you leave the theatre, you feel as if you’re a part of the city itself.

Vegas! The Show has a focus on classical Sin City, with onstage performances that will transport you to the good ‘ole days. The show opens just as a custodian working in the infamous neon sign graveyard begins to reminisce about the old days, when places like the Sands and the Glass Pool Inn (all represented in an over-the-top set piece that resembles these classic signs) ruled the roost. It isn’t long before Ernie the custodian takes you back to the days where the Rat Pack ruled Vegas and the showgirls were nothing short of natural perfection. When Vegas! The Show truly kicks off, you’ll forget what year it is.

The performances in Vegas! The Show are spot on. Modern singers take on the roles of such greats as Sammy Davis Jr. and even a less-then-traditional Elvis, who jokes that the show is less about visually representing old Vegas, but rather putting a somewhat modern spin on it, as if looking at what some performers would look like if they were alive today. It doesn’t retract from the show itself, but rather adds a little bit of modern character.

Of course, Vegas is known for more than just its musical prowesses, and while the same ‘ole song and dance routines are spectacular to witness, when magic takes the stage the show starts to sing a different tune. The audience will get a glimpse of the magic acts that graced the stage during the age of classical Vegas. Typical to most magic acts, this illusionist will rely on the grace and beauty of Vegas showgirls, of whom put on quite a show.

Your viewing of Vegas! The Show may be in 2012, but the on-stage cast and behind the scenes stagehands, do all they can to transport you back to the golden days of Sin City, where there was more to the city than just frat boys and half-naked girls walking down the street. Watching acts like Sonny and Cher come to life on stage only help to further the classical feel. The only problem with Vegas! The Show is that it may leave you wishing you had been alive in that era, watching these pure classic artists do more in one night than most modern singers do in a week.

By “Dan Nunes”