Las Vegas Weekly

August 1, 2010 · 12:58 PM

Photos: Angelica Bridges bids adieu to Fantasy amid Luxor shutdown

By Don Chareunsy

Some of photographer Tom Donoghue's favorite images of Angelica Bridges, including her final performance in Fantasy at the Luxor on July 31, 2010.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor

Playboy model, Baywatch star and Strawberry Blonde lead singer Angelica Bridges planned to go out with a bang last night in her final performance in Fantasy at the Luxor, but a potential real-life blast nearly overshadowed her swan song.

The closure of the Luxor parking lot, with early reports that it was a bomb scare, delayed the redheaded beauty and led to unexpected changes in her act, which was her final bow after a 10-month run as the lead vocalist in the topless burlesque.

“I had to borrow costumes for the first four numbers, pretty much all the numbers!” Bridges said. “The only costume I didn’t have to borrow was for the finale. All my costumes were in my car. My mom ran to the car to try to get them. I had all new costumes for the finale because that’s just how I like to go out -- with a bang! And they were all in the car because of a bomb threat!”

But the show must go on, and it went on without a noticeable hitch. Bridges spoke with Vegas DeLuxe after the 10:30 p.m. performance as the clocked ticked past the midnight hour.

How did she feel about her final night? “It’s kind of bittersweet because there are lots of tears tonight, and at the same time, it is kind of exciting to go on to new things.”

“I was going into a 10th anniversary special for one night, and it turned into three months, and then three months turned into six months, and six months turned into nine months, which I didn’t expect. I just thought I was going to be here for one night.”

Bridges said Fantasy was a good challenge for her. “It was very demanding, but I’m a really hard worker, and I love to work. This kind of schedule was really up my alley, and I thrived with it.”

She has not met Lorena Peril, the Sin City Bad Girls singer who debuts at the lead vocalist tonight, but she says that she will return to see the show because she loves the production.

“When I go into the audience, they really get to see my personality, and I think that’s important because I’m not the normal Baywatch girl, or what people would perceive me. I’m really like the girl next door. … I’m a small-town Missouri girl.”

There will be no break for Bridges in the short term, as she is taking part in the Comedy Central roast of Baywatch co-star David Hasselhoff this evening (“Nothing is off limits. It’s going to be a really fun roast!”), judging a Be the Next Dorothy competition Tuesday for a new The Wizard of Oz musical and going into the studio Wednesday for a new Strawberry Blonde song. Plus, she’s starting rehearsals soon for It’s Just Sex, a play now onstage in L.A. with plans to bring it here in October.

At the end of her splendid final performance, Sean E. Cooper, Fantasy’s hilarious comedian, presented Bridges with roses and said that she would be back for guest appearances. This was news to her. She doesn’t know if she’ll be making any future guest appearances, but she is open to the idea. (A PR rep said that the door is open, since the departure is on good terms on all sides.)

“Anything could happen at this point,” Bridges said. “I’m not going to rule anything out.”

Thanks to contributing photographer Tom Donoghue for his photographs from Bridges’ last night, as well as from some of his favorite photo shoots with her.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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