“Fantasy” at the Luxor star Lorena Peril and Ray Jon Narbaitz arrive for the “Showbiz Roast” of former Mayor Oscar Goodman on Tuesday, July 23, 2013, at Stratosphere Theater.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014 | 9:58 a.m.
Lorena Peril has experienced the thrill of performing for tens of thousands of fans in an open-air arena and 10 fans in the cozy confines of Rush Lounge at the Golden Nugget.
She knows Las Vegas showrooms, too, and is about to return to one. Well, it’s a theater, technically, but Peril is returning to a primary role in a Las Vegas production.
Fittingly, that Vegas show is “Vegas! The Show.”
Having returned to Las Vegas in the spring after taking part in the European tour of “Grease: The Arena Spectacular,” Peril has signed on to perform as one of the principal singers in the David Saxe Production at Saxe Theater in Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.
She is scheduled to open Aug. 11, and her move into the cast is that she is an added singer, not a performer replacing anyone departing the show.
“I’m learning all the tracks (or roles) of the main singers, and I’m really excited to be singing with so many talented girls,” Peril said in a phone interview Monday. “It’s a classy show, a sophisticated show and has a huge amount of talent. Everyone is great in this show.”
Peril’s is a nearly universal opinion of the most ambitious of Saxe’s 10 or so productions at V Theater and Saxe Theater at Miracle Mile. Over the past year, he has added former “Tarzan” and “Peepshow” leading man Josh Strickland to the cast, and the show has helped soon-to-depart principal dancer Tara Palsha grow into a genuine star.
Peril moved to Las Vegas nearly a decade ago, abandoning ship (literally) as she dumped a cruise-line gig to audition for “Fantasy” at the Luxor. The opportunity to perform as that show’s lead singer would open up in 2010, when Peril replaced Angelica Bridges as the show’s vocalist.
In the interim, she sang with the rock band Sunset Strip — which would evolve into Sin City Bad Girls — at the Las Vegas Hilton’s Shimmer Cabaret. She also portrayed Christina Aguilera in “American Superstars” at the Stratosphere.
“Superstars” closed just as the “Fantasy” role came open, and Peril powered that show for three years before an offer with “Grease” opened in April 2013. Peril and her ever-shredding hubby Ray Jon Narbaitz were each offered parts in the musical, with Peril portraying Sandy and Ray Jon playing Vince Fontaine.
The couple toured the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, thrilling festival-sized crowds at every stop.
When the duo returned this year, they were billed as just that — a duo. They have played Rush Lounge as musically impressive and comically smart-ass tandem on select nights from 6 to 9:30. It’s a very Sonny & Cher vibe with these two, but the act’s final nights are July 30-31. They are performing Thursday through Sunday this week.
“I’ll really miss the duo. I love being onstage with Ray Jon and just cutting it up,” Peril says. “The show was just starting to build, but we agreed that you can’t pass up an opportunity like this.
“It’s a great challenge, but I’ll get to play some characters, I’ll get to show my versatility as a singer, and I get to be in a show that’s all about Vegas. What could be better than that?”
Catering to the young and modern crowd, Planet Hollywood is a one-stop shop for entertainment with its massive shopping mall, slew of restaurants, spacious casino and clubs.
The ambiance of the casino is retro-chic meets high-tech with black granite floors throughout and colorful LED lights throughout the space. The theme carries into the 100,000 square-foot casino with 250 flat screens topping off slot machines. The casino is also home to 87 tables, a sports book and a poker room.
There's also the Miracle Mile Shops, one Vegas' largest malls, with 140 stores including BCBG Max Azaria, bebe, Urban Outfitters and The Discovery Channel Store.
Following an afternoon of shopping, guests can satisfy their appetites at one of the gourmet restaurants in Planet Hollywood, like the non-traditional approach to steakhouses at Strip House or check out the exotic Far East motif at KOI restaurant and lounge. And if guests are still looking for more, they can spend the after hours at Privé, Triq or Krave nightclubs.
Perhaps one of the resorts biggest attractions came in March with the addition of "Peepshow." The naughty twist on the story of Little Bo Peep is modern-day spin on the run-of-the-mill Vegas topless review. The "Peepshow" stage has seen visiting celebs like Scary Spice Mel B, "Dancing with the Stars" Kelly Monaco and Playboy's Holly Madison.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.
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