Mr. Showbiz: Absinthe at Caesars Palace
Like its namesake, Absinthe, the show on the Strip at Caesars Palace, can make you feel like you took a psychoactive drug. Suddenly, you’re addicted. After all, how do you explain the hard-to-believe acrobatics that take place, including tightrope walkers doing keg stands and a roller skating dynamic duo spinning on a nine-foot diameter stage without knocking out an audience member’s tooth? Perhaps that’s what happened to The Gazilionnaire, the ringleader of the show sporting a gold front tooth and gold shoes.
Absinthe combines carnival attractions and burlesque tones under a velvet-lined big top reminiscent of the early 20th century. Dubbed the Spiegeltent, this wooden show tent opulently takes you back in time with its stained glass windows and mirrors. While the tent holds 600, the intimate nature of the show practically lets you see the sweat popping out of pores and muscles twitching to hold moves.
Jump out of your wooden chairs if you sit in front because they become part of the first act when an acrobat stacks the chairs to the roof for death-defying gymnastics high above the crowd. A burlesque singer, dubbed the Green Fairy, then descends upon the crowd from the ceiling seducing the audience with her siren songs. You’ll quickly realize this show is adults-only with the abundant drinking by the performers and the seven dirty words uttered throughout.
Four acrobats, initially dressed in drag, turn Cirque du Soleil-on-steroids-worthy acrobatics and later a sensual aerial performance will make you wonder if you just witnessed soft porn. The Gazilionnaire later reveals that the couple is a brother and sister act (surely he jests). Another bawdy babe seduces a giant bubblegum balloon and eventually returns to the womb, climbing inside the bubble. Later a Howard Stern channeling Borat man and mustached woman perform a hilarious rendition of a bad aerialist act complete with a foot in the crotch.
The outstanding moments of the 90-minute show include the roller skating duo that spin, he in a circle, she with her feet flying out while parallel to the floor. A pair of men glide into sculpture poses that defy gravity. And the show ends on a high note, literally, when the tightrope walkers practically drip sweat on the front row as they tiptoe across the high wire.
Before and after the show, explore the beer garden in front replete with drinking games such as Dom pong at $600 a round, Flip Stein in honor of Evil Knievel, who jumped fountains at Caesars, bean bag tosses and shuffleboard. A secret speakeasy slips you into a VIP world, if you can find it. And of course, you can find absinthe in case you want to make the experience even more hallucinogenic.
Tickets start at $69.00 plus tax and fees.
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 pm
Wednesday and Sunday, 8:00 pm
Roman Plaza at Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S.; 1-800-745-3000
