Night Clubs Reviews

Jun 17, 2001 - "Les Folie's De Paris" is Brash, Bawdy and Occasionally Good!

By Jack Neal

Last Tuesday (6/12/2001) Reno's Eldorado Hotel Casino launched another of its big import shows hoping to keep its really lovely 580 seat theater purring along with sold out houses far into some distant future.

"Les Folie's de Paris" is the Eldorado's latest import, and who knows, it might catch on. Claude Thomas is the show's producer and he's reportedly had great success with his follies format in both France and Quebec, Canada, where it came to the attention of the Eldorado's management.

"Les Folie's de Paris" (the apparent misuse of the apostrophe in the title is at the producer's insistance) is an overblown souffle of feathers, sloppy dancing, some funny drag (called transformist artists) routines and a mishmash of other entertainment bits and pieces that add up to (a guest was overheard saying) "an evening of finales, none of them grand."

The company of some thirty dancers, singers and magicians cannot be faulted for trying. There is an enormous effort going on - some might call it an assault - before patrons of this zany performance art come anywhere near settling comfortably in their seats. Nor are they left alone once settled in; nor during the performance, which runs a little over 80 minutes. Nor are patrons left to their own devices when leaving. "Les Folie's de Paris" is a complete entertainment package that practically checks cars in and gets cars out of valet parking for anyone adventuresome enough to see the show.

Correctly, the show should be in a format that engages viewers beyond the normal ambiance of a theatrical venue. "Les Folie's" is a cabaret show that gained hit status by playing bistros, bars and other such wine-and-dine places. Someone called "Les Folie's" a French bordello entertainment and that's probably the show's most apt description. Whatever it is, and I'm not sure what a French bordello entertainment is although I might venture a guess, "Les Folie's de Paris" is not for the touch-me-nots, I-don't-wanna-be-part-of-the-show kind of theatergoer; or for that matter, reviewers who look desparately to press packets for clues as to what's going on, and who's doing what and with whom, and - possibly - to whom (the printed program offers few clues, and the terribly French sounding slur of diction from the stage is of little help to American ears).

A thorough investigation and some good detective work does allow some acknowledgments beyond the producer, Monsieur Thomas, whose name is easy to find everywhere.

The extraordinarily and darkly handsome young man and magician who warms the audience up before the show actually starts is Stephane Vanel, the 2001 Colombe d'Or Winner as the top European magician. Chanteuse Catherine Thery manages the show's more pops oriented singing, along with some beautifully sung operatic vignettes, and she manages her assignments quite well. Soprano Amel Lekhiar does the honors with "Les Folie's" "Phantom of the Opera" sequence and she does her singing purely, nicely and without the gawd-awful vocal and physical mannerisms Sarah Brightman brings to exactly the same music. Jacques Papon is the show's featured male singer. Papon brings an exceptional vocal range to his singing which suits "Les Folie's" far-reaching needs handsomely.

The dancing, which is of mostly questionable quality and execution, is the work of Joelle Turcotte and Pierre Noel Bright Akosse. The big disappointment in the show's dance department is the watered down version of "Can Can" "Les Folie's" offers dance enthusiasts. On the other hand, and at the other end of the dance continuum, the deliriously kaleidoscopic pink feather number (all those boys and all those fans) is a hoot and smartly entertaining. The show's lighting is functional, although it would be a treat to get away from the starry, starry backgrounds the Eldorado showroom has used in excess for several shows.

What is an out-and-out knockout smash hit about the show is "Les Folie's" over half-million-dollar wardrobe. Some of it may cover people in drag, but it is itself never a drag. Colorful, outlandish and casino-showroom chic (move over Las Vegas) whoever designed and created these clothes (even my detectives can't find out) has made the fashion aspect of "Les Folie's de Paris" worth the price of admission.

"Les Folie's de Paris" can be seen at the Eldorado Hotel Casino, 345 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada. For tickets and other information call 1-800 648-5966 or 775-786-5700.