Night Clubs Reviews

Feb 26, 2001 - "Carnival of Wonders" Gives the Reno Hilton Its Best Show Ever

By Jack Neal

Proclaiming the "Carnival of Wonders" the Reno Hilton's best show ever, shouldn't shock fans of Donn Arden's famed, multi-million dollar "Hello Hollywood, Hello." That fabulous show played in the same venue, when it was - in the heyday of the Arden show - the MGM. Then Ballys took over for a cheapening down of what remained one of the finest nightclub shows anywhere.

That explosion of entertainment in one of the world's most elegant showrooms on the world's largest indoor stage ocurred in 1976. When "Hello Hollywood" closed over a decade later the Reno Hilton Theater, renamed from the MGM's Ziegfeld Theater, has had many shows - some of them good, some of them dreadful - but nothing to match the panache and glamour Reno's grand showroom had become accustomed to during its Arden years.

Until now.

"Carnival of Wonders," which opened at the Reno Hilton Theater Saturday night (2/24/2001), is Reno's finest show. It's creators have made no attempt to match the lavish spending of yesteryear's blockbuster shows. Its very intimacy makes it an entirely different experience and a thoroughly entertaining one. After its two-year run at Reno's Flamingo Hilton, "Carnival of Wonders" has been revamped, beautifully honed for its new surroundings and is comfortably at home in what is still one of the greatest places to see a nightclub show - the Reno Hilton Theater.

Intimacy is still the key to the show's success. The expansive Reno Hilton Theater's sightlines have been scaled in, draped with the trappings of the traveling "big-top" shows that used to make America's rural areas light up with live circus and carnival entertainment. It's in this nostalgic and warm atmosphere that this new "Carnival of Wonders" blossoms and easily retains its hit status.

Once again, "Carnival of Wonders" doesn't just bring illusions of that old black magic to the stage of the Reno Hilton, it brings whimsy, radiant color and laughs. In addition to its many other feats of magic, it brings one of the biggest illusions ever to the stage; the disappearance of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet.

"Carnival" is the pipe dream of the production's director Joanie Spina, formerly with David Copperfield, who saw "Carnival's" stars on stage in Las Vegas and believed they had a personal quality their presentations were not tapping into. The show's stars, magician Mark Kalin, dancer Jinger Leigh and comic Jeff Hobson, teamed with Jim Steinmeyer, the show's illusion designer-writer, and Spina to develop a format and script that's a joy for anyone who enjoys fine writing and shrewd staging.

Spina's direction gives "Carnival" its perfect pace, a superb balance between magic, humor, ribald dance and a sincere sweetness that makes the show so very special. The inventive choreography of Peggy Hickey, whose theatrical flair taps in so fervently on the exotic world of carnival, is first-rate. Lucio Boliver's vivid and colorful costumes play entrancingly off Wally Coberg and Jack Hart's equally colorful and vivid sets. Gratitude goes to Blair Harris for a sound design audiences can comfortably hear without reaching for earplugs. The exceptional lighting of Emmy Award winner Jeff Calderon completes this formidable package of super creators.

But audiences still do not leave a show humming its sets. Performers still must light up a stage and "Carnival" is loaded with talented dancers, a cast of droll comedic artists, and stars that make everything work smashingly for an evening of grand family entertainment.

The classic comedic escapades of Jeff Hobson are unmatched. Hobson works on the cutting edge of being politically incorrect without ever becoming abrasive or stepping beyond good taste and sensitivity. Mark Kalin was named magician of the year in 1998 by the Academy of Magical Arts. Smooth, suave and handsome, Kalin lives up to his advance notices. Beyond his incredible feats of magic, his portion of the show includes a school boy's love of magic that is quiet, poignant and Chaplinesque in concept and execution.

The show's third star, Jinger-Leigh, is temporarily out of the show on maternity leave. She and Kalin are married and have just had their first child, a daughter Parker. Miss Leigh's more sensuous moments in the show are being played by the exquisitely seductive Shannon Shaffer. Miss Leigh's more rambunctious dance sequences are being danced by the highly energized Lisa Tadaro. Both are such top-drawer stage artists in their own right they can hardly be called fill-ins.

The on-stage and off stage artists who make "Carnival of Wonders" click are an auspicious collection of brilliantly talented people. They make "Carnival of Wonders" the splendid show it is; Reno's finest show in years.

"Carnival of Wonders" can be seen at the Reno Hilton Theater Saturdays at 7 and 9:30 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m. and Mondays through Thursdays at 8 p.m. The show is dark Fridays. For information call 775 789-2285.