Las Vegas Weekly

October 28, 2008 · 9:31 AM

Good golly, Miss Holly back in town as Believe countdown reaches Day 3

By Robin Leach

Photo: N9NE Group

Holly Madison, Criss Angel and the requisite bunny, at the Playboy Club.

Gorgeous blond beauty Holly Madison is back in town today! The 28-year-old, sexy siren, who was 82-year-old Hugh Hefner’s former live-in love has arrived with her Girls Next Door co-star Bridget Marquardt in tow.

Tonight (Tuesday), the two temptresses will host the “Trick ‘em and Treat ‘em” Halloween happening for N9NE nightclub czar J-Roc at the Playboy Club and the rooftop Moon nightclub above in the Palms Fantasy Tower. The glamour girls will be dressed up in their scandalous short skirts and plunging pulchritude –- and Holly’s closerthanthis pal, Criss Angel, is expected to hop over to join the fun after his last-but-one preview show of Believe before Friday’s glittering gala at the Luxor.

Holly has already confirmed to Luxe Life that she has accepted Criss’ personal invitation to be his guest at the “black carpet” Halloween night premiere and she’ll take Bridget as her “date” until she links up with Criss after his show at the first-night poolside party.

Photo: Scott Doctor

The name's Angel. Criss Angel.

THREE DAYS TO GO!

Meantime, the calendar has ticked down to just three days before the “big night” and the actual realization of Criss’ 15-year dream to bring the magical musical to the stage. Serge Denoncourt, director, has already dubbed it “Weirdtorian” to describe its dreamlike surrealism and Victorian atmosphere. Famed director Franco Dragone, who staged Steve Wynn’s La Reve show and Celine Dion’s production at Caesars Palace, stopped in to see the show and pronounced it “beautiful.” “I love it,” he said.

"I'm very, very excited -- not nervous just ecstatic,” Criss told me last night (Monday) in his dressing room, after yet another preview show. His aunt Stella, who gave him his first magic trick when he was just seven years old, attended the show and was backstage with all of us. Criss ran into the theater before the final new vanishing illusion to introduce her and his mother to the audience.

It’s easy and obvious to see the gigantic improvements and additional changes since I watched the first preview almost a month ago. “We had many long rehearsals, sleep-deprived nights and ups and downs to get here -- and we’ll still be improving it right up to Friday’s premiere. I am determined to give our audiences paying hard-earned money in a difficult economy an experience they will never forget,” said Criss. “And we’ll go on doing that every day to make every performance different and better.”

Tonight (Tuesday) is the final night of previews. Tomorrow, Criss gets an alleged “day off,” but he plans to spend it at the theater with final sound and lighting checks and introduce one more final surprise for the premiere. Thursday the twice nightly show schedule at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. begins with performances for members of the media who have flown in from around the world for the epic weekend. Then the world premiere arrives on Friday –- and our new VegasDeluxe.com website will cover it all with the most comprehensive coverage from start to finish.

We will be inside the theater as of noon Friday for our one-on-one interviews with Criss and all the Cirque creative team. We will be on the “black carpet” prior to curtain-up. I’ll have the full list of the celebrity turnout attending right here tomorrow –- and then we’ll be poolside for the gala after-party. I am sworn to secrecy about one “black carpet” surprise prior to the show but I can tell you to keep your eyes on Criss as he walks along it- before he races off to his dressing room to change for the premiere. That will be a Mindfreak moment to truly start the evening off right!!

Christiane Barette, associate director of Creation added: “We want to change the way people think of magic. The show is a fantastic journey, an out of this world rollercoaster ride into the sub conscious of a man with magical powers. Famed choreographer Wade Robson continued: “A lot of the style, the emotion behind the movement is really primal and raw. The dance is character and story driven and that is my most favorite place from which to create.”

Costume designer Meredith Caron has designed dark, rich velvet and brocade costumes to match the mood and mesh seamlessly with the set designs, masks, lighting, puppets and all the other stagecraft elements including the magic equipment. Criss, had Meredith sew the initials JDS into the collars of his on-stage coats in a tribute to his mother and late-father, John and Dimitra Sarantakos. They are so small they will be unseen by any member of the audience.

Criss summed up: “I like to create moments of wonder. Magic is an art that should provoke and touch people. My emphasis is not on the audience trying to work out how an illusion is done but it’s on how they feel when they see it that feeling, that very moment and sense of wonderment. Without Cirque we couldn’t have done this. The images on stage will ignite responses that cause people to reflect and that’s the truest form of magic. It’s not a magic show in that sense of the word. It’s unlike anything that anybody has ever before seen.”

Totally true as I watched again last night! I agreed that it is a fantasy -- a highly theatrical tableau of mood and reverie set against a backdrop of darkness and light exploring the mind of both Criss and the character of a Victorian gentleman that he created for Believe. It’s a fantasy, its pop-opera, its magical – and above all it is unique!

— From Vegas Deluxe

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