Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

‘WOW’ brings unique touches to the classic Vegas production show

WOW Rio

Denise Truscello

Athletic and astounding acrobats are just the beginning at “WOW” at the Rio.

Are you one of those people who longs for the Vegas of old? I see a lot of internet comments searching for the good old days of lounge acts and showgirls, but I never really meet anyone involved in this hunt. Las Vegas certainly misses classic productions like “Jubilee” and “Folies Bergere,” but there doesn’t appear to be enough ticket-buying folks to support that kind of show.

“WOW,” which stands for “World of Wonder” and just opened at the Rio Showroom, isn’t a new version of those shows, but it certainly has an old Vegas feel. Created and directed by Hanoch Rosénn, who made his name in the entertainment world as a mime and has created several large-scale productions, has toured “WOW” extensively through Europe and created a customized version for Las Vegas — one that includes dancing pirates, a plate-spinning chef, a “human fountain,” and “America’s Got Talent” semifinalist and crossbow whiz Sylvia Sylvia shooting an apple off her own head. That’s a whole lot to fit into 90 minutes, and the show feels fast and frenetic.

“WOW” opens by introducing you to its humorous hero Alberto, who juggles and dances and frolics with the cast and audience throughout the night. Alberto guides you into a fantasy world created with extensive 3D projections and a contemporary, familiar soundtrack, a universe replete with acrobats: they dangle from rings and poles and ropes, and they do inspire quite a few exclamations of the show’s title. They offer the most dramatic and tension-filled moments in “WOW,” but there’s plenty of beauty and humor as well. The rapid-fire delivery of a variety of different acts brings to mind an oddball hybrid of “Jubilee” and “Absinthe,” if such a surreal thing could exist in the Vegas entertainment landscape. It doesn’t have showgirls in the classic sense, but it does have a sinking of the Titanic scene, just like “Jubilee” did. There’s always plenty of room for the weird in this town, especially if it’s fun.

“WOW” is performed at 7 and 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday and at 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday at the Rio Showroom. For more information visit caesars.com.

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