Oh sure, on the posters and billboards he looks all serious and intense like, but in person doesn't master illusionist Jan Rouven come off more like a German Dana Carvey? Then again his show Illusions at the Riviera starts off with black-clad dancers and a techno beat...is this going to be "Sprockets" if it had been a magic show? Not to worry, they're just marching to an Adele tune to welcome Rouven to the stage. He turns out to be personable and funny as well as capable of figuring out numerous ways to get himself in and out of small boxes, the key to many of his Illusions. In addition to death-defying stunts involving blades and saws, he makes lightning-fast escapes out of chains and a water tank, brings up audience members to assist with tricks in various amusing ways, and has a bit of business in one perplexing feat of legerdemain that suggests he's seen The Prestige (no spoiler alerts). He also re-creates the baffling "origami box" trick, a gift from his idols Siegfried and Roy, quipping "I still don't know how they did that one." One awkward moment in Saturday night's show when stagehands were unable for a moment to lower a box they'd raised to the rafters. "It's an old theater," Rouven explained to the waiting audience. In the end it all ended happily, with magic and dancing and an audience on its feet.
I dropped by Anna's Linens because their ad in the paper was offering microfiber sheets starting from $7.99 for a twin set (although of course my bed is full) but as it turns out they're also hosting a giveaway. Grand prize is a home makeover (a $2,000 Anna's Linens gift card and a two-hour consultation) and 50 first-prize winners will get a $100 Anna's Linens gift card. You can enter once a day, in the store or online, through April 27.
As a thank you to readers of the Review-Journal who voted them Best of Las Vegas, Raiding the Rock Vault at the LVH is offering tickets for $19 (plus tax and fee) on Sundays and Mondays in April. For those who abstained from voting out of ignorance of the show, it's a tribute to Classic Rock by those who lived it: Howard Leese (Heart, Bad Company), Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake), Robin McAuley (Survivor), John Payne (ASIA), Paul Shortino (Quiet Riot), Jay Shellen (ASIA), Andrew Freeman (Offspring), and Michael T. Ross (Lita Ford's band). You never know who will be sitting in, either; past guests have included Jon Anderson, Lou Gramm and Mickey Thomas.
While they're at it, the LVH are offering locals $6.99 lunch and dinner buffets through April as well. Make it dinner and a show! Bring your local ID for both deals.
They've played with everyone from Solomon Burke to Elliott Smith, and now alt-rockers The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion explode onto the stage at the Beauty Bar this Saturday, April 12, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12, so I can't quite include this in the "free shows" category but darn near. (517 Fremont Street)
If you're familiar with a certain stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard between the Strip and Downtown, you'll have noticed a certain motel has painted over the word "Adult" that used to precede "Movies" on their marquee, but no such qualms at the Desert Moon Motel at 1701 E. Fremont Street, which advertises XXX movies on flat-screen TVs. According to Cheryl the manager, the building dates back to the 1940's and has even appeared in a few movies over the years. Long-time readers will be familiar with my twin passions for movies and Las Vegas history... Anyway. Rooms start at $44.80 (tax included and no deposit) on weekday nights, and Friday-Saturday range from $56 up to $95 plus tax for jacuzzi rooms with a 55-inch TV. Currently on special: jacuzzi rooms for $85.99 plus tax midweek.
You never know who you'll see at the Forum Shops at Caesars. One weekend not that long ago saw Joe Montana signing at the Field of Dreams, while Khloe Kardashian was putting in an appearance at her family's namesake shop. Who you can always rely on seeing, though, are the statues at the Atlantis Fountain at the back of the Forum, who once an hour on the hour, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., come to life and re-enact the "Fall of Atlantis." It's a must-see spectacle full of water and fire, as the King of Atlantis ponders which of his squabbling children should inherit his throne. (Audience members are encouraged to put in their two cents' worth.) The finale is surprisingly dramatic and somber, with a not-too-subtle anti-war message. One thing's for sure, this show rules free entertainment on the Strip; at least, since T.I.'s pirate ships have sailed off into the sunset for the last time, it's certainly the best free show on the Strip where something sinks on a regular basis. There's also an aquarium in the base of the Atlantis Fountain where you can watch fish and rays swimming in what I can only hope is a soundproofed tank.
What better way to celebrate Victoria Day than a free show by Canada's platinum-selling pop/rock heartthrobs, Marianas Trench, eh? Mark your calendars now! Oh, yeah, that would be May 18, for you so-called Americans. The band will be taking the Third Street Stage on the Fremont Street Experience at 9 p.m. (Disclaimer: While the Third Street Stage is depicted in the accompanying photograph, that is not Marianas Trench performing. Hey, I do the best I can.)
