Al Powers for Spiegelworld
Dusty Moonboots takes control during the grand opening performance of “Opium.”
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 | 2 a.m.
There are moments during Spiegelworld’s new sci-fi comedy variety show “Opium” that make you forget you’re sitting in a luxurious mega-resort on the Las Vegas Strip. If you’ve seen its wildly popular predecessor “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace, you won’t be surprised by the raunchy humor and outlandish acts that populate this 90-minute show. And yet “Opium” pushes further into the realm of weird in a mostly refreshing way, creating a wild ride that feels like it could go off the rails at any moment but never does — or, to stick with the theme, an Orbital People Mover that lost its course on its inaugural interplanetary flight but somehow finds its way to Vegas. From Uranus. Of course.
“Opium” is cut from the same cloth as “Absinthe” but has some crucial elemental differences: a live band (The Many Moons) and a storyline. We’re all on this space voyage together and we get to meet the ship’s crazy crew, including the party-ready, Russian-accented Captain Ann Tennille; her Freddie Mercury-obsessed lieutenant, Lou Tenant; Chip, a new recruit with a pageboy haircut; and resident half-naked android Rob the Robot. These and other characters keep the trip spicy with song and dance, juggling, sword-swallowing, feats of strength and dog-balancing and a lot of silly, dirty jokes. The narrative momentum dips a bit here and there but expect all wrinkles to be ironed out as the show just closed its preview period and continues to tweak and tuck. Any such dips are forgiven thanks to those aforementioned moments of extreme excitement and eccentricity, which force some audience members to cover their eyes. No spoilers here.
My favorite acts are the recurring vocals and over-the-top stage fashion displayed by “celebrity chanteuse” Dusty Moonboots, the hula-hooping maintenance man Scottie and the lieutenant’s “Another One Bites the Dust” routine, because I never realized how Queen music is the perfect juggling soundtrack. But you’ll discover your own favorite as it’s clear that “Opium,” even in its earliest days, is one of those Vegas shows you’ll need to see more than once.
“Opium” is presented at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Monday with additional 10 p.m. shows Thursday through Sunday in the Opium Theatre next to Rose.Rabbit.Lie. at the Cosmopolitan ( 866-973-9611) and more information can be found at spiegelworld.com.
