Hilton proud to be a ‘drag’

Jerry Fink

Monday, Feb. 27, 2006 | 7:39 a.m.

What: "Dragapella"

When: Beginning Friday, 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; dark Sundays and Mondays

Where: Las Vegas Hilton's Shimmer Cabaret

Tickets: $42.50

Information: 732-5755

With "Menopause the Musical" being one of the hottest tickets in town, the question is: Can lightning strike twice in the same showroom?

The producers of another musical comedy, "Dragapella," which premieres Friday, are betting that it can.

"What a fierce combination," said Rich Super, head of Super Artists in Los Angeles, co-producers of the show with Paul Reder at Lake Tahoe. "It's just one of those fits where both shows will help each other. The Shimmer Cabaret at the Las Vegas Hilton is destined to be one of the hottest showrooms in town."

And, he adds, the Hilton is the hottest venue in town.

"A lot of stuff is going on there," Super said. "The renovations, the refurbishing - they have a very aggressive, very visionary and stellar regime there."

Los Angeles-based Colony Capital bought the Hilton and its 59-acre site for $280 million in 2004.

It recently completed the first phase of a five-year remodeling project, which included extensive work on the entry and the casino and creation of a new nightclub, among other things.

In addition to redeveloping the property, the new owners seem determined to return the Hilton to its glory days of entertainment.

"Our goal is to present a strong entertainment schedule that will complement the new look of the Las Vegas Hilton," said entertainment director Ira David Sternberg.

Barry Manilow, the resident headliner in the main showroom, routinely sells out. His engagement has been so successful that it recently was extended from mid-2006 into 2007.

He will be joined in May by Reba McEntire, one of the most popular country singers in the business and star of the Fox TV series "Reba."

In between Manilow's appearances, the Hilton has been booking such entertainers as Michael Buble, a young vocalist who recently exploded on the music scene. Each of Buble's four performances was standing room only.

Donna Summer (the disco queen), Kenny G and Johnny Mathis are set to perform in the weeks ahead.

Super could not be happier with what is happening at the Hilton, which signed up "Dragapella" after the production presented a couple of showcases last year.

"When we were in discussions with them, I saw exactly what they were saying, and it made me really comfortable," Super said. "I have a lot of faith in our working relationship."

And he has a lot of faith in the show that he represents.

"Personally, it's one of my favorite shows," he said. "I've never seen anything like it. It's one of those shows that when I see it, I feel like I'm seeing it for the first time."

"Dragapella" features a cross-dressing, acappella-singing quartet of men in '50s style hairdos and dress who call themselves "The Kinsey Sicks."

"It's an edgy, smart, current show filled with satire," Reder said. "It's a parody about current life - it's not a traditional drag show - we have four talented, classically trained singers with a very funny story to tell about politics, religion and sex in America."

The cast includes Irwin Keller, Jeff Manabat, Chris Dilley and Ben Schatz.

The four have distinguished backgrounds - Schatz graduated from Harvard Law School and created the first national AIDS legal project; Keller is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, a linguist and former director of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel of the San Francisco Bay Area; and Dilley and Manabat were actors and singers when they joined the group.

"Dragapella" is a spoof of drag queen shows. It features humor filled with double-entendres and some great songs from the '50s and '60s.

Super said the group has such a large amount of material that the performers can make adjustments to suit the audiences.

"They are very smart performers," he said. "They can assess immediately if they have to nip and tuck."

Super said the production at the Hilton will give the "Kinsey Sicks" great exposure for other projects.

"We have the opportunity to break them in nationally, get them in on some daytime and late-night television," he said. "A film crew has been following them around for a year. Collectively, it is such a groundbreaking show - and individually, the stories of the performers are amazing."

Sarah Todora gig extended

The 18-year-old Louisiana native, displaced by Hurricane Katrina last summer, has been impressing fans with her heart-felt performances.

Phil Todora, Sarah's father and manager, said a live CD album will be made during one of her performances.

Featured on the album will be the original blues song "Too Young for Nashville," which she wrote at the age of 12.

Film submission deadline nears

The festival is set for June 9-17.

Organizers are encouraging local submissions to this year's festival, which will feature a special film section for movies and shorts from Nevada filmmakers.

For the first time, CineVegas will award cash prizes to two films: $10,000 to the winner of the Grand Jury Award for feature film and $1,000 for the Grand Jury Award for best short.

For additional information on submissions, go to www.cinevegas.com or call the CineVegas office at 992-7979.