Night Clubs Reviews

Jul 8, 2000 - Reno Hilton's "Escape" is Too Schizoid to Succeed

By Jack Neal

As a nightclub show "Escape" is one strange experience. Its first 45 minutes is bad. The last 45 minutes isn't bad at all. "Escape," the new Reno Hilton show which shares the world's largest stage with its sister show, "Work That Skirt," opened two weeks ago.

Schizophrenia of sorts seems the only explanation for the bad-half, better-half tug-of-war it falls into.

Julie Renn is the show's producer, director, choreographer and costume designer. That's a big chunk of showbiz responsibility for any one person, but helps keep the budget in check for a casino that appears fearful of spending lots of money to make even more money via its showroom.

The Reno Hilton Theater was built to house "Hello Hollywood, Hello," the huge and hugely successful Donn Arden show that opened the room in 1976. The estimated cost of "Hello Hollywood" ranged from just under six million dollars to about fifteen million dollars, depending on one's source. The estimates for earnings varied everywhere

What producers are now expected to do in the Reno Hilton's expansive showroom is produce something that will fill the stage and fill the room with as little cost as possible. The Reno Hilton is getting what it's paying for (possibly more) and it's terribly uneven.

"Escape" features the talents of impressionist, comedian, singer David Hayes. Hayes does have talent, but not the star quality to carry solo moments in the Hilton Theater's vast space. Few solo performers do. Hayes also suffers from some dreadully written material that just isn't funny and from some hideous sketches, a return to "Laugh In" for one, a vulgar retread of Austin Powers for another, that precede his solo spots (two too-long spots) placing his act in the untenable position of having to succeed against great odds.

One of Hayes's best moments is his Bojangles tribute to Sammy Davis, Jr. Unfortunately that was damaged the night I attended (press night 7/5/2000), as was much of the evening, by the boorish behavior of many in the audience who presumed that loud, obnoxious hoots of appreciation were fabulous adjuncts to the show. Appreciation should be expressed, but not by drowning out what's going on on stage.

What is genuinely fabulous about "Escape" is its cast of dancers and singers. They are attractive, in great physical shape, dance exceedingly well and work their hearts out to please. And please they do in the show's second half, when "Escape" hits with a sizzling salsamedley of song and dance what should be its stride all evening long.

The excellent on-stage, eleven-piece orchestra is another of the show's pluses. Renn's costume designs can be very chic given what they're designed to do. They can also be terribly unflattering as they are much too often making "Escape's" gorgeous girls appear garrish rather than feminine, lovely - and sexy.

"Escape" plays Monday, Wednesday and Sarturday nights at 8 p.m. "Work That Skirt," which uses the same cast, plays Friday, Sunday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. The Reno Hilton Theater is located at 2500 East Second Street, Reno. For ticket information call 775-789-2285 or 1-800-648-3568.