When burlesque superstar Dita Von Teese announced a residency at the Horseshoe earlier this year, we had some small idea of what to expect. We knew her image, from tight-corseted fetish work to silver screen striptease, and we knew that she’s a sought-after entertainer who’s been shimmying around the world since the 1990s.
But what we didn’t realize, and should have, is that Von Teese is as passionate a fan of her art as she is its foremost modern practitioner. Dita Las Vegas, showing three nights a week in the Horseshoe’s storied Jubilee Theater, is every bit the burlesque showcase you might expect of Von Teese. But this “jubilant revue” is something else, something even better: It’s a time warp. It’s a new generation of performers—of all genders, all colors, all body types—rediscovering the classic Vegas showgirl variety revue, utilizing costumes and props from the defunct Donn Arden spectacular Jubilee.
The proof of Von Teese’s curiosity and commitment is displayed in the show’s opening number. The curtain rises, the stage blazes with light and there they are: some two dozen performers, strutting across the boards in Pete Menefee and Bob Mackie-designed costumes of red and orange feathers and Swarovski crystal. It’s one thing to grab selfies with street performers dressed in cheap showgirl garb, and quite another to be hit with a wave of color and glitz touched by Mackie, a legendary Tony and Emmy award-winner. (He was nominated for three Oscars and should’ve won at least two.) Von Teese and her crew took these and other artifacts in the theater’s storeroom and restored them to full, imaginative use once more.
And the wows don’t let up. Dita Las Vegas showcases several of the artist’s signature acts: the giant Champagne glass makes an appearance, as does her breathy rendition of the Irving Berlin standard “Lazy” and the dazzling projection-mapped striptease act created for Von Teese’s Crazy Horse Paris performances. She rides a pink mechanical bull; floats down from the ceiling on a suspended platform; graciously bows to influences ranging from Sally Rand to Bettie Page. And while she’s usually the focal point of the showstopping numbers, she often yields the spotlight to others by allowing them to perform some of her routines, or by standing aside and watching, beguiled, as they chew up the scenery.
Two featured performers stand out. “No-Pantser Romancer” Jett Adore offers a terrific homage to a classic Strip performer that, in the interest of preserving the surprise, won’t be named here. (One big hint: there’s a candelabra prop.) And “Ms. 44 and a whole lot more,” Dirty Martini, does a tassel twirl set that’s the equivalent of a Prince guitar solo, both in its “did I really just see that?” factor and its sheer virtuosity.
Dita Las Vegas pulls together a lot of threads—the choreography of Kevin Wilson, Johanna Sapakie, Marcel Wilson and Ferly Prado; the direction of Michael Schwandt, a seasoned creative who’s worked with Cirque du Soleil, Lady Gaga and others; the lighting design of David Finn and Alex Goldberg; the routines and costumes created with Von Teese’s longtime collaborator Catherine D’Lish; the Jubilee treasures; the unique talents and looks of its performers—and weaves them together into a brilliant, sexy piece of living history. Longtime Las Vegans will applaud its familiarity, and younger generations might say, “So that’s what the big deal was.”
DITA LAS VEGAS Thursday-Saturday, 9 p.m., $59-$208. Jubilee Theater, ticketmaster.com.
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