MUSIC DIRECTOR OF “PHANTOM” OPENS NEW SONG & DANCE SHOW AT THE PLAZA
High Kicks and High Spirits Delight Audiences at the GRAND OLE VEGAS REVUE
Las Vegas audiences of all ages will stand up and cheer when the GRAND OLE VEGAS REVUE opens at the Plaza Hotel and Casino on November 3rd, 2012. Created by long-time “Phantom” performers Jonathan and Marisa Gorst, this gem of a show features the talent of seasoned Broadway and Las Vegas Strip performers in a quick-paced parade of song, dance, and comedy. Drawing inspiration from the vaudeville theater of the early 1900s, the GRAND OLE VEGAS REVUE delights in gags and chuckles liberally peppered throughout a sequence of top-quality performances. It’s a blend that, as Anthony Del Valle of the Las Vegas Review-Journal declared, is “bound to please.”
A belief in the merit of universally appealing entertainment drove the show’s creators to write, produce, and direct their way onto the stage in the Showroom at the Plaza. Jonathan Gorst has made his name as the Music Director of the National Tours of both “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Cats”, and most recently served as the Assistant Conductor in Las Vegas’s own production of “Phantom” at the Venetian. But his roots go back to Cripple Creek, CO, where he played the piano for a little show much like the one he’s produced. “There’s something truly magical about the simplicity of this show,” he says. “We’ve got one piano, a handful of actors, and a whole lot of heart and soul. There’s nothing to stand between the actors and the audience. The result is an enchanting intimacy that’s also comfortable because nothing is taken too seriously. These performers have stood on big stages across the world, but they’re not afraid of good old-fashioned pratfalls and whoopee cushions. It’s amazing how funny things get, even in rehearsals, because every piece of every act is so sincerely joyful.”
Mr. Gorst’s co-producer and wife, Marisa Paull Gorst, brings her own pedigree to the show, with a background in classical dance that saw her onstage at Lincoln Center with New York City Ballet and in Ljubljana, Slovenia with that country’s National Opera Ballet. Her most recent years were spent as part of the ballet chorus in “Phantom” at the Venetian, which brought her to Las Vegas. Joining her onstage are performers who’ve been seen in the national tours of “The Phantom of the Opera”, “Cats,” and “Singin’ In The Rain,” as well as Las Vegas Strip shows “Phantom”, “Spamalot”, “Jubilee!”, “Legends”, “Tony & Tina’s Wedding,” “Tournament Of Kings”, “Bareback”, “Best Little Whorehouse of Texas”, and many others.
With such a cast and the musically gifted Mr. Gorst on the piano, it’s no wonder that when the show previewed at Bonnie Springs Ranch this past summer the reviews were spectacular. Here’s a taste of what critics had to say:
“Surprisingly well-performed . . . a professional-level, well-sung, well-acted welcomed evening of vaudeville nonsense.” – Las Vegas Review-Journal
“Uproariously fresh and funny” – Vegas Only Entertainment
“I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard during a show before!” – Vegas Kool
“The best part: listening to the screams of the children who kept telling each other, “I liked that part the best. No, I liked it all the best.”” – Las Vegas Review-Journal
The GRAND OLE VEGAS REVUE opens Novemeber 3rd, 2012, at 5pm in the Showroom at the Plaza Hotel and Casino, 1 South Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89101. The show will run at 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. Tickets are $59.95 VIP, $49.95 adults, $19.95 children. Call 702-946-8934 for reservations, or visit www.Vegas-Revue.com. A pre-show old-fashioned sing-along begins approximately 15 minutes before curtain, featuring classics such as “Ain’t She Sweet” and “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad.” Lyrics will be provided for your convenience.