Robin Andrzejczak
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014 | 5:02 p.m.
“Limelight” at the Plaza has generated powerfully positive word-of-mouth reviews around the scene, especially from those who are involved with the show (hah).
Justifiably, the cast and crew in this burlesque show in that hotel’s classically appointed showroom are very excited about what they have put onstage, and I am eager to finally get back to the Plaza to catch this plucky production.
But one of the cast members is already a familiar figure in Las Vegas. She’s a little bit country, rock ’n’ roll, pop, showgirl and now even burlesque. Felice Garcia is this performer — currently one of the performers in “Million Dollar Quartet” at Harrah’s, playing the character of Elvis’s gal Dyanne — who is keeping busy all over the city and beyond.
Garcia’s career is an example of how expanding ones repertoire and embracing versatility can keep an artist busy in an ever-fickle entertainment climate in Las Vegas. The first time I saw Garcia perform was as the main female singer on the final night of “Folies Bergere” at the Trop in March 2009.
Over the past several years, she has starred as Christina Aguilera and Carrie Underwood in “American Superstars” at Stratosphere, one of the lead singers in the ill-fated “iCandy” at Saxe Theater and swing singer in “Fantasy” at the Luxor before winning the plum role in “MDQ.”
Currently, Garcia also portrays Betty Boop in the “Limelight” concept of classic film figures coming to life onstage. Aside from the person playing the roles, the characters of Boop and Dyanne haven’t a whole lot in common.
“What I’m doing in ‘Limelight’ is very 1920s compared to the 1950s-era music in ‘Million Dollar Quartet,’ and more musical theater than I’ve done in the past,” Garcia says. “It’s a different type of singing than I’ve been used to. I’m doing more acting than I’ve done before. It’s a way to grow as a singer and as a performer, and I love doing it.”
Garcia has just released an EP titled “What I Want,” which carries a rock-pop vibe and is available on iTunes. It’s slickly produced and expertly performed, with three of the songs recorded at Tone Factory in Las Vegas and mastered by Las Vegas musician Ed Hamilton.
For the three songs recorded locally, Garcia was backed by musicians such as “MDQ” cast mates Ben Hale (Johnny Cash in the show and a terrific showman with his Crimson Balladeers band), who wrote three of the songs; Rob Lyons (Carl Perkins, who also just issued a solo CD, the alt-rock “When It Haunts You”); and drummer Mark Ferratt. Joining the “MDQ” crew were Las Vegas keyboardist Chris Lash and bassist Scott Teeple.
Matt “Melodious” Coe, who played all the instruments save the drumming by ex-Pearl Jam member Dave Krusen, arranged the single “What I Want,” recorded in Los Angeles. And on the same week the EP is being issued, Garcia is headed for Laughlin this weekend and next for an engagement at Don’s Celebrity Theater at the Riverside (the dates are tonight through Sunday and Sept. 24-28). That show is titled “Country Diva,” with Garcia playing, well, a country diva.
This show is nothing like what you’ll see in “Limelight” or “MDQ” or hear on the new EP. Garcia hopes to build that production into a show in Las Vegas, hopefully an off-Strip venue like South Point Showroom.
For good measure, Garcia took part in the country-themed “Mondays Dark” at Vinyl in the Hard Rock Hotel on Monday night. “Me & Bobby McGee” was the number uncorked for the latest version of the charity show hosted by “Rock of Ages” at the Venetian cast member Mark Shunock.
And there was the evening a couple of weeks ago when she was called in to sub in “Fantasy” after her two performances in “MDQ,” which made for a three-show night at two Strip venues.
Collect these gigs as a whole, and Garcia is the rare artist to perform on the Strip, downtown, at an off-Strip resort and in Laughlin — including a charity show and an adult production — all in the same month.
Garcia laughs when she is presented with the details of her own schedule.
“The thing is I like all of these different styles of music,” she says. “It seems like a lot of work, but to me it isn’t work. I really love it.”
Just as distinctive as it's famous neighbors Caesar's Palace and The Venetian, Harrah's Las Vegas has been entertaining guests since 1973. The 87,700-square foot casino is filled with 1,520 slot machines and 107 gaming tables. Outside the casino, guests are able to experience fun in a street-fair atmosphere at the Carnival Court, an outdoor lounge with live entertainment (including the bartenders), food stands and outdoor shops.
At Harrah's comedy is King, and that has never been more apparent then the comedy acts of Rita Rudner, the Mac King Comedy Magic Show and the Improv Comedy Club. After the show, guests are more than welcome to laugh at their friends at The Piano Bar, famous for its dueling pianos and karaoke. Most recently, Harrah's added tribute show "Legends in Concert" to its list of entertainment.
Restaurants like Ming's offers Asian cuisine, while Ruth's Chris Steak House offers guests fine steaks and fresh seafood. Toby Keith's I Love This Bar is a country-themed bar with a restaurant, live music and the occasional appearance from Keith himself.
The Plaza, renovated in 2011, has a lobby that features marble and inlaid mosaic tiles, chandeliers and a plush front desk that matches the classic Las Vegas feel with a contemporary look.
The hotel has 1,003 rooms and suites that showcase views of the Las Vegas Strip and downtown Las Vegas. Amenities include world-class entertainment, a casino floor that offers an array of classic gaming choice, which include 600 slot machines, a 400-seat bingo room, 18 table games and 57,120 square feet of casino space.
Among the dining options is Oscar's Beef * Booze * Broads, a steakhouse opened by former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, which is located in the glittery dome enclosure above the hotel's main entrance.
The Plaza sits at the west end of the Fremont Street Experience on the site of the first train depot and auction site in Las Vegas, dating back to the San Pedro-Los Angeles-Salt Lake Railroad in 1905. The railroad was sold to Union Pacific in 1921 and the depot was demolished in 1970 to make way for the Union Plaza Hotel, built in 1971.
The hotel has been featured or is visible in several movies, including the 1971 James Bond film, "Diamonds are Forever;" the 1989 film "Back to the Future Part II;" the 1995 move "Casino," and the 2000 movie "Pay it Forward."
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.
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