Sometimes there are shows where you spend much of your time checking your watch, fidgeting in your seat, jostling for the armrest, and end-up taking a very expensive nap.  Absinthe is not that sort of show!

The men of Atlantis tower over the spectators at Absinthe (Photo: Tom Donoghue)

Now, Absinthe has arrived in Las Vegas, and is putting a decidedly Downtown-fabulous spin on a genre dominated by Cirque du Soleil, in these parts, for the better part of two decades.

Absinthe takes place in The Spiegeltent, an intimate venue that harkens back to the opulent travelling European carnival tents of the early 20th century – with billowing velvet and brocades, teak chairs, lots of stained cut glass and mirrors, as well as wooden parquet floors and a number of velvet boots.  The Spiegeltent is the focus of Spiegelworld, a grown-up play land located opposite Serendipity3, where Caesars Palace abuts Las Vegas Boulevard.  Home to a beer garden, DJ, suitably eclectic food and tasty adult beverages, it’s perfectly suited to recharging the batteries of anyone over 21.

Ivan and Ivana Chekhov-Jones are a hoot as Absinthe's aerialists who never quite get off the ground (Photo: Erik Kabik)

And while Spiegelworld is oodles of fun, all by itself, Absinthe is the jewel in its crown.  I had heard from a number of people that it reminded them of Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity, which is (in and of itself) a compliment.  But I think it is safe to make the analogy that if Zumanity is cabaret, then Absinthe is burlesque.

The beguiling Melody Sweets (Photo: Tom Donoghue)

What does that mean?  Well, first and foremost, it means that I am a damned good analogist.  Secondly, it refers to the ways in which Absinthe thumbs its nose at more conventional establishment mores.  In plain English, Absinthe doesn't take itself too seriously.

The underlying current is one of humor – very clever, slightly crass humor, no doubt; but humor all the same.  It is produced on what I can only estimate is a fraction of the budget required to bring Zumanity to life.  Furthermore, while there’s a definite buzz of eroticism throughout, viewers are never made to feel uncomfortable.

The Gazillionaire and Penny (Photo: Erik Kabik)

The emcee of Absinthe, The Gazillionaire, wears a dinner jacket with gold lamé lapels, and wears a gold tooth to match.  His sidekick, Penny, does a shtick with sock puppets that is as raunchy as anything ever uttered by Andrew “Dice” Clay; but with her dingbat delivery, it catches you unawares. 

The Weather Girl (Photo: Erik Kabik)

But it’s the acts that are the stars of Absinthe’s yesteryear universe.  The intoxicating Melody Sweets sings her siren songs while descending from the apex of the tent or slinking on, over, and around a throne, dressed as the Green Fairy.  The Weather Girl shimmies her way into an enormous balloon, and then emerges with a bang.

Kids - Don't try this at home! (Photo: Erik Kabik)

Aerialists Ivan and Ivana Chekhov-Jones leave the audience in stitches while never quite getting off the ground.  The four young men of Atlantis climb over each other, throw each other into the air, and make human towers.

A man on roller-skates spins while his lady fair clings to a rope around his neck, and thanks to that kinetic effect known as centrifugal force, she is lifted off the ground.  It's the Pamchenko Twist on wheels!

The Esteemed Gentlemen of the Highwire (Photo: Erik Kabik)

The Bodyguards (Photo: Erik Kabik)

A human pretzel wrapped in black dominatrix gear hurls herself through the air.  And, in the show’s final act, two of The Esteemed Gentlemen of the Highwire, gracefully tread along, while supporting a keg on their shoulders, as their third compatriot drinks from it, while upside down, on his head, atop said keg.

As I looked around the audience, from under the pile of glitter Melody Sweets had sprinkled on my head, I noticed that people were vacillating between sitting mute with their jaws agape, and laughing (definitely with and not at what was happening, around them).

The Gazillionaire (Photo: Erik Kabik)

It might not be pretty all the time (you can see every squint, brace and bead of sweat), but it’s a hoot and a half, and is without question a terrific way to spend an evening.

Absinthe
Spiegelworld at Caesars Palace
Click HERE for times and tickets

Get into it!