Columnist Kate Maddox: New show to have universal appeal

Kate Maddox

Friday, Aug. 25, 2000 | 8:57 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column appears Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays. Reach her at kmaddox@lasvegassun.com.

It looks like it will be a fall debut for the new musical-comedy "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" at the Flamingo Las Vegas showroom. Speculation about the production began a couple of months ago and the show began its casting process in the last few weeks.

Details on the he-said, she-said musical are sketchy at this point, but insiders describe the show as being "inspired" by the best seller penned by self-helper John Gray.

Finding an act for the vacant room ("The Great Radio City Spectacular" departed on July 31) means there's one less showroom in town hunting for a viable audience draw.

Entertainment types at Paris Las Vegas are still searching for a replacement for the gone and almost forgotten "Notre Dame de Paris." Rumors this week had the hotel eyeing a "Folies Bergere"-type production -- all cancan and showgirls -- but sources say the odds of the Paris putting a risque production into its main room are shaky at best. But the hotel is said to be in a big hurry to land an act; it needs to recoup the dough lost on its previous venture.

The Wednesday afternoon showing of the Breck Wall and Patrick Maes production "Bottoms Up" brought out a slew of Vegas entertainers.

Siegfried & Roy, David Cassidy and Sheena Easton (sitting some distance apart and looking a little frosty), Bill Acosta (who is said to still be in the running for a spot at the Flamingo if he can free himself from his current contract at the Luxor), Bob Anderson, Darren Romeo, Kenny Kerr (who recently got the news that his show at the Plaza is being dumped next month), Marty Allen, alleged Sahara magician Steve Wyrick, most of the Crazy Girls and the boys from "La Cage" were all in attendance to lend support to Wall as he debuted his age-old topless comedy revue.

Although most in the old-timer crowd claimed the jokes in Wednesday's show were the same ones generated back in the dark ages, the afternoon was still a bona fide hoot. And there are gags here that you won't see anywhere else in this new age of Strip entertainment. Personally, I'd pay good money to see Danny Gans or the cast of "Mystere" trot on stage in full drag, make jokes about ample-breasted women and lip-synch to cheesy love songs, but until that day comes "Bottoms Up" is a fiendishly good way to pass the time.

Although hotel sources are still claiming they don't know the future of the Motown Cafe, there are already deals in the works to snag a replacement for the theme restaurant.

Insiders speculate that an ESPN Zone "sports dining and entertainment venue" is slated to fill the spot at New York-New York if and when the Motown shimmies out of here, as rumored, in the next couple of months.

Forget the "suspicious" mini-fires at the Desert Inn. I'm hearing the hotel is warning customers about the dangers of mixing disgruntled employees and food service.

There are apparently warning labels on some of the menus at the DI advising those eating on the premises that it's not exactly Gourmet City in the kitchen these days and to eat at their own risk. What's left of hotel management doesn't want to take the blame just in case someone catches something in their catch-of-the-day.

And would this week be complete without one more word on "Survivor"? I won't go into my take on Sue's obviously unrequited love for Kelly, but I do have a word for what Rich has no doubt been up to since his win: liposuction. I'm betting he had it and, true to form, sneakily covered his tracks and paid cash. Welcome to celebrity-dom, Mr. Hatch.