Riviera’s ‘Splash!’ looks fine after much-needed makeover

Friday, June 24, 2005 | 8:22 a.m.

Director Jeff Kutash has managed to put some shine on "Splash!," which was becoming rusty with age after 20 years at the Riviera.

The made-over revue's official premiere was Wednesday.

While the show is given a dustup every couple of years in an effort to keep it fresh, the latest incarnation is one of the best in recent memory.

New dance numbers, a couple of new acts, new costumes, new music they all add up to an entertaining night.

Who better to perform cosmetic surgery on the aging beauty than Kutash, who created the production in 1985?

The 60-year-old producer, director and choreographer left the show in '96, selling his interest in the production to executive producer Meshulam Riklis.

Riklis invited Kutash back to rework the show with the idea of commemorating the 20th anniversary of "Splash!" and the 100th anniversary of Las Vegas.

It was a good decision by Riklis.

Kutash has managed to reinvigorate the flagging production, pumping new life and energy into a relatively low-budget show whose major flaws are too much lip-syncing and canned music.

While some of the acts have been around for a few years, this is a youthful production that places a lot of emphasis on dance especially street dancing, which was Kutash's forte at the onset of his career.

There is liberal use of video -- each segment of the show is introduced by a montage of film and still shots that trace the history of Vegas.

The show opens with a montage of old photos from the days before Vegas had paved streets, and quickly segues into live action -- with the stage filled with break dancers and showgirls performing to the tune of "Splash!"

Some of the showgirls are topless, but Kutash has chosen to use a more subtle approach to the adult aspect of the production -- only a couple of numbers feature bare breasts.

The girls range in stature from petite to long-legged, offering something for every male's taste. There is no attempt to clone one body type.

The array of acts are as diverse as the array of showgirls -- something for everybody, a perfusion of glamour, excitement and comedy.

Not all of the acts fit snugly into the show's history-oriented theme, but the bottom line here is entertainment, not a history lesson.

Los Latin Cowboys -- Hugo Latorre and Eduardo Lome -- have been in Vegas for years, entertaining fans with comedy blended in with their bongo drum playing and swinging bolos.

Latoree and Lome are a solid act, always fun to watch.

Also held over from previous versions of "Splash!" are the Richard Brothers (third-generation jugglers from Mexico), the ice-skating team of Mikhail Panin and Margarita Barber and Bela Tabak's Riders of the Thunderdome.

Riders of the Thunderdome is one of the most thrilling acts in the show, featuring four motorcyclists racing around inside a globe.

All of the holdovers were worthy of being held over.

One of the most exciting new acts with "Splash!" is Vitaly, who performs a silk rope routine that is both graceful and a breathtaking show of strength.

The new show is not afraid to pay homage to competition -- there is a tribute to "Mamma Mia!" (Mandalay Bay) and "Phantom of the Opera" (coming to the Venetian).

Nor does it shy away from acknowledging the more adult entertainment in town, with a nod to Olympic Garden, Little Darlin's and other venues featuring nude or topless performances.

There are tributes to Elvis, Ann-Margret, Tom Jones and patriotism (with a a troupe of Elvi wearing red- and white-striped capes that light up).

A lot is crammed into the 90-minute production -- fans certainly get their money's worth -- which is in itself a tribute to old Las Vegas.