‘All U Can Dance’ needs to show fancy footwork

Friday, April 2, 2004 | 8:49 a.m.

The cast of "All U Can Dance" put all of their heart and soles into this fledgling production at Aladdin's Ovation Theatre, but in the end their tremendous effort may be for naught.

The best thing about the afternoon dance revue is singer Jennifer Page.

The worst is James Dimmare, an unfunny comedian/magician/dancer whose attempts at levity failed to produce even polite laughter at a recent performance.

In between the best and the worst is a show at the Aladdin that has a lot of energy expended by a troupe of 12 talented hoofers.

But the question is: Is it wasted energy?

The cast is in a production that has a number of strikes against it and faces an uncertain future.

Strike one, "All U Can Dance" is in a relatively unknown theater in the middle of the Desert Passage at Aladdin, a vast mall of shops and restaurants.

Strike two, the production has a few problems that need to be addressed before it will find an audience -- including lack of focus and some routines that fail to generate excitement.

Several patrons actually slipped out of the theater in the middle of one performance.

The production opens with a mime, Ricochet Rabbit, who is also an accomplished saxophonist, wandering through the audience.

A mime?

Maybe it's this low-budget show's nod to Cirque du Soleil's "Mystere," which features a mute clown character who interacts with fans as they enter the theater at Treasure Island.

The mime eventually finds his way to the stage and plays a few licks on his saxophone, stops and mugs for the audience and then when they applaud he holds up a sign that reads "Higher?"

He repeats the routine several times, each time holding up a larger sign.

The bit is pointless and adds nothing to the show.

Page, who has a commanding personality, long legs and a sexy, husky voice, follows the voiceless saxophone player. She is always entertaining to watch and to listen to.

The songstress has knocked around Vegas for years, performing in such productions as "Enter the Night," which closed at the Stardust in 1999.

Most recently Page was in a short-lived production at Fitzgeralds, "Divalicious."

Page's dynamic, take-charge personality is sorely needed for "All U Can Dance," which is so rife with lip-syncing by the dancers that it might give Milli Vanilli hopes for a comeback.

Page, of course, has no need to fake her songs.

She performs five solos, beginning with Pink's "Get the Party Started."

The opening number should have been perfect to set the tone for the rest of the show, but it stumbles when the song is interrupted several times to mention the names of various people responsible for the new production.

"All U Can Dance" is co-produced by Gino Venezia, who spent 12 years as a dancer in "Splash," and by Barbara Vacarro.

Their premise for the production is solid: a series of scenes, each one depicting a different era of dancing or different styles. The dancers cover jazz, hip hop, swing, tap, ballet, salsa, street and country.

The dancing opens with hip-hop and then bounces all over the map, with no logical flow to the routines.

There's a tribute to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz for no apparent reason, a takeoff on "Charlie's Angels" and a tap-dancing James Bond.

One scene is a battle between two decades -- rock 'n' roll and disco. Another takes place in a country bar and yet another is a scene featuring characters from Mike Myers' "Austin Powers" film series.

At a recent performance there were fewer than 50 lukewarm fans.

The Ovation Theatre seats 400. If attendance continues to lag, that leaves plenty of leg room.