Taking stock in ‘Shock’: It’s merely strange

Friday, Nov. 8, 2002 | 8:58 a.m.

"Shock" may be too strong a title for this unorthodox revue being showcased at the Riviera's Le Bistro Theatre.

Better names might be "Strange" or "Ick!"

There is nothing truly shocking about the routines of the performers who make up the cast of "Shock," which has the flavor of a carnival or circus sideshow.

But there are some strange things that pleased a recent late-night audience, including a comedic herpetologist ("No, it's not the study of herpes"), a sword swallower ("And now, I could die"), a contortionist (singing "Bend Me, Shape Me") and a comedic magician emcee.

Dr. Scott Lewis, who has a comedy hypnotist act at Le Bistro, and Robert Allen, who spent nine years as a comedian with the Riviera's "Splash," are co-producers of the show that they hope will attract a young audience with a strong stomach.

There clearly is a demand for shows that shock -- immensely popular Amazing Johnathan is about to leave the Golden Nugget, where his blood-and-guts magic show attracted lots of fans, for a gig at Flamingo Las Vegas. Also, the low-budget film "Jackass: The Movie" grossed over $40 million in its first two weeks.

Lewis says he wants "Shock" to be the most extreme show in Las Vegas. He has a good idea, but the production has a ways to go to achieve that status.

The production might not be edgier because of the venue -- the producers said they were unable to present some of the acts they had wanted to (such as the fire breather) because of house rules.

"Shock" will be on hiatus Monday (Veteran's Day) and return Nov. 18 for one last performance. By then, the producers hope they will have found a permanent home.

Though "Shock" was not extremely revolting, last week it was fun for a half-filled room that holds about 140.

Assuming Lewis' goal of producing the most shocking show in Vegas is attained, he has the perfect opening to set the tone -- as the audience is being seated a film clip from the 1932 cult classic film "Freaks" is shown.

However, the clip sets a high standard for freakishness that "Shock" fails to reach. "Freaks" features a cast of sideshow attractions that included a hermaphrodite, a man with no arms or legs, midgets, cojoined twins, armless women, legless men and other assorted characters. The cast so repulsed the viewing audience that the film was withdrawn from circulation shortly after it was released and wasn't shown again for decades.

"Shock" created some squeamish moments -- after all, who can sit still when there are snakes in the house? But it was nothing like "Freaks."

The producers probably would like to strike a happy balance, one that is pleasantly revolting -- acts that make you want to cover your eyes, but peek between your fingers.

After the film clip ended, sultry vocalist Keka (aka Kelly Karl) slinked through the audience singing The Doors' "People are Strange," another nice touch to set up the hour of entertainment.

Robert Strong, a comic magician, is the show's emcee. He is funny, but not over-the-top with his magic -- I was hoping to see something along the lines of the macabre performance of Amazing Johnathan, which would have been perfect for a show titled "Shock."

After Strong demonstrated his magical craftsmanship, David Smith demonstrated his elasticity.

Smith is a lanky figure who has a dry wit.

"In a moment, I'm going to -- there's no other way to say this -- I'm going to put my legs behind my head and stand on my hands," Smith said in a monotone voice. "Many of you are probably wondering what would lead a man to do such a thing. I think the answer lies in my childhood ..."

After explaining his psyche, Smith sat on a straight-back chair and put his legs behind his head, as promised.

"That's great, someone said, but it needs something more," Smith said. "To which I said, 'What more do you want from a man with both legs behind his head,' and they said 'dance.' "

And Smith did the macarena using his hands. Funny, but not shocking.

Smith also juggled, played the guitar and sang.

Sword swallower Phoenix Blaze (Edward D. Robinson) followed Smith. I suppose there is an art and a certain amount of danger to swallowing a blade, but for me it wasn't particularly interesting.

On the other hand, I couldn't take my eyes off Darryl Sprout and his cast of boas, anacondas and other varieties of snakes. Sprout may be the only stand-up comic snake handler in the world. Not only was his show humorous, it was educational.

"There's no such thing as poisonous snakes," Sprout pointed out. "If a snake is venomous, I'm in trouble if he bites me. If he's poisonous I'm in trouble if I bite him. Snakes are not poisonous. Snakes taste like chicken."

The only problem with Sprout's routine was that he took a little too long. But who's going to rush a man holding a python?