Night Clubs Reviews

Jul 19, 1999 - Harrah's Tahoe "Erocktica 2000" Noisy Not Sexy

By Jack Neal

"Erocktica 2000" tries hard to be a high-octane rock 'n' roll show with ultra-erotic overtones. A hard driving nightclub show that knocks audiences into the new millennium by the sheer force of its deafening sound, "Erocktica" is neither with-it to hear, nor sexy. It takes more than racket and leather thongs to make an adult show fun to hear and sensuous to watch, points producer Greg Thompson and choreographer Mistinguett overlooked, when"Erocktica" was on the drawing board.

"Frankenstein," "Eat the Rich," "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and twelve other similar kinds of so-called hip songs make up the show's opening Rock "U" Medley. This is slam-bang stuff, especially given the relentless way it's performed, that lets up but twice in the show's 80-minute running time. Isabelle, a contortionist/aerialist, and Tony D'Andrea, the show's comic relief, supply some solice from "Erocktica's" onslaught of sound and over abundance of knee slides, heavenward finger pointing and pelvic gyrations that make up the common-place dance movement Mistinguett has charted in place of inventive choreography.

Flying about mid-air on the wings of pink ribbons and something akin to a bellowing pink sheet, Isabelle is very good at what she does. When she seems temporarily trapped in that pesky pink sheet, her act of amazing body contortions and lovely balletic moves verges on droll comedy. With Isabelle, "lost in space" takes on a meaning, well - all its own.

Tony D'Andrea is genuinely funny, although his use of sleaze humor (lots of the "F" word and the "S" word) is unworthy of his audience, his talent and the South Shore Room, a show place theater that has hosted some of entertainment's greatest stars. Regardless, D'Andrea does what little else in "Erocktica" does and that's entertain. I heard a criticism of the show in the men's room following the performance I saw (7/19/99) which is too to the point not to pass on. "D'Andrea's really funny. He almost makes the show worth it."

Also almost making the show worth it are two hunky young men on mortorcycles, an act called the Globe of Death Fusion Riders, whose daredevil antics in a sphere-shaped cage actually does defy death. Another plus: When the Mistinguett Dancers get their teeth into "Zoot Suit Riot" in a production number called Chrome Metal Be-Bop, they heat up the stage for a minute or so of dance excitement that's a hint of how good the whole show could be.

"True Love," the press packet trumpets, "introduces Karin Carmen, the sexy queen of 'Erocktica 2000,' as she steps out of her giant heart-shaped box of candy to give the audience a sweet taste of rock 'n' roll passion." That bit of hype would be true, Miss Carmen is capable of such a fete, if she weren't pushed to shouting through everything she sings; not belting, but shouting over a decible-pumped sound track that rattles bone marrow.

"Erocktica 2000" has an excellent cast of talented dancers and singers - gorgeous showgirls, handsome and for the most part buffed young men - that could make it a sizzler for the late night crowd, if it had better material. Ear plugs are recommended for one's first few "Erocktica 2000" experiences. After that, hearing aids sans batteries should do the trick. On a more upbeat note, there's a hidden bonus for seeing shows in the South Shore Room at Harrah's Tahoe. It's one of the finest nightclub venues in the world and has, based on its year-around star bookings when Bill Harrah was alive, a mystique that goes with being home two shows a night, two weeks a year for many of the world's greatest entertainers. For show business connoisseurs, the room itself is a thrill.

"Erocktica 2000" plays Harrah's Lake Tahoe (P.O. Box 8, Stateline, Nevada 89449) nightly at 10:30 except Tuesdays through September 26. For information and reservations call 1 800 HARRAHS (427 7247).