Talent put to good use in modest ‘Superstars’

Friday, July 2, 2004 | 9:05 a.m.

When: 7 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday; 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; dark Thursday.

Where: The Stratosphere's Theater of the Stars.

Rating (out of five stars): MMM1/2.

"American Superstars" opens with the pounding music now heard at practically every sporting event in the world "We Will Rock You" and segues into the theme of the epic motion picture "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Hyperbolically speaking, the two numbers are a bit of an overstatement for this 8-year-old production that is modest in comparison to more ambitious shows farther south on the Strip.

However, the prices are modest as well ($25.25 for children, $36.25 for adults), making the revue of tribute artistry a bargain in this age of $100-plus tickets, which may account for its generally high attendance numbers.

The vocal talent is adequate, the music is often rousing and the dancing is one of the best elements of the production. The hardest-working members of the cast are the Superstars Dancers, under the direction of choreographer Missy Cochran. They spend more time onstage than anyone but the band.

"American Superstars" made its debut at the Stratosphere in April 1996.

Periodically it changes a cast member to keep the show up to date. Past productions have included tributes to, among others, Madonna, Gloria Estefan and the Spice Girls. The most recent change is the addition of Kristie Fisher as Britney Spears.

Fisher, though older, is every bit as sexy as Spears and does a good job performing "Toxic," "Oops! ... I Did It Again," "Stronger" and "...Baby One More Time."

Her costumes are almost as revealing as those worn by the pop icon, who has turned a generation of adolescent girls into eye candy for lecherous old men as the youngsters try to emulate their idol in the way they dress and carry themselves.

Fisher's dancing is as provocative as the real Spears', which is a little too provocative for children -- but that doesn't seem to bother a lot of parents, who bring the kids anyway.

Fisher was one of five acts at a recent performance. The others included Michael Colby as Ricky Martin; Damian Brantley as Michael Jackson; Naomi Rodriguez as Christina Aguilera and Johnny Potash as Charlie Daniels.

Of the cast, Colby may be the closest in actual appearance to the person he imitates. His performance is a steamy one, accentuated by several costume changes designed to excite the ladies.

However, the most popular cast member, judging from the applause, was Brantley, who does a stunning job as Jackson.

One would think Brantley is watching his career collapse on the 5 o'clock news, but apparently fans are not put off by the child molestation accusations leveled against Jackson, who has become the brunt of jokes by every comedian in the country.

The enthusiasm for Brantley's moon-walking, crotch-grabbing performance is either a tribute to the enduring popularity of Jackson or to Brantley's own charisma.

Nevada fiddle champion Johnny Potash closes the show as Charlie Daniels, fiddling out such classics as "Orange Blossom Special," "Drinking My Baby Goodbye" and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

The grand finale, led by Potash, includes the entire cast wearing patriotic colors and singing a couple of patriotic numbers (including Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.") that gets most of the audience on its feet.

Potash has the physical dimensions of the super-patriot Daniels and is a superb fiddle player -- even better than Daniels.

While Potash is weak on some of the vocals, his dexterity with the fiddle, and his enthusiasm for his performance, more than compensate for the shortcoming.

Naomi Rodriguez also approaches her performance as Christina Aguilera with enthusiasm, but one has to wonder if her days are numbered. Does the show need both an Aguilera and a Spears? It's almost redundant.

For a little contrast, maybe the producers could bring in a tribute artist to imitate Pam Anderson or Carmen Electra -- someone for the over-30 generation.