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“Rouge” is currently in previews at the Strat Theater.
Monday, April 25, 2022 | 2 a.m.
The prolific collaboration between the Strat Hotel & Casino, SPI Entertainment and various creative partners that has filled the Strat Theater with enticing live shows over the last 10 months just keeps on rolling.
April’s addition is “Rouge,” a new twist on the traditional topless revue, which began preview performances a little more than a week ago, taking the stage at 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with an extra 8 p.m. show on Tuesday.
Created by Hanoch Rosènn, the producer and director who brought family-friendly variety spectaculars “WOW” to the Rio in 2017 and “Extravaganza” to Bally’s in 2020, “Rouge” fills the late-night void at the 650-seat theater on the second level of the north Strip resort. On many days, the room hosts mentalism show “Banachek’s Mind Games Live” at 4 p.m., the magical “Xavier Mortimer: The Dream Maker” at 6 p.m., and the hip dance-centric production “iLuminate” at 8 p.m.
The Strat Theater is also home to Sammy Hagar’s headlining residency, returning in July. When “iLuminate” first opened, it was intended for the 10 p.m. slot and a potential party-ready audience, but as its creators did some fine-tuning, it evolved into a better fit at the earlier showtime.
But Rosènn already had been developing “Rouge” when the Strat and the showroom’s operating partner SPI came calling.
“I had this show in mind for a long time, probably a few years, and I knew I wanted to do it because I saw what there was around town and around the world,” he said. “It’s very modern. The music is up to date and it’s not like the showgirls and topless revues from the past, that was not my inspiration.”
Since his other shows take place at Caesars Entertainment properties, he pitched his partners there on the new idea. But Caesars already has the successful and long-running “X Burlesque” and “X Country” at two of its Strip casinos. “And those shows are amazing,” Rosènn said. “I started the conversation with Adam Steck [at SPI], who I have known for a while, and he brought me to the theater which the casino has just renovated and it’s very modern and very cozy. It’s perfect for me.”
“Rouge” differs from other Las Vegas female and male revues because its cast contains 18 females and males that all perform topless. Along with dance, there are acrobats, aerialists, contortionists, comedians, balancing acts and more, and each scene is built around detailed costumes, music, props and scenery enabled by cutting-edge video design, lighting and sound.
“This is about the freedom of the body, and feeling good about yourself,” Rosènn said. “And I felt the connection between the performers doesn’t have to be woman to man, it can man to man or woman to woman or whatever, and we want to show that connection onstage in an artistic way.”
Joining the “Rouge” creative team are choreographer Nathan Clarke, who has worked with Rihanna, Robbie Williams and Annie Lennox; lighting designer Charles Morrison, who worked on the HBO Max series “Finding Magic Mike”; and costume designer Ella Kolesnik, video designer Shai Bonder, musical director Gur Murad and set designer Michael Kramenko. Sheer Davidai from “WOW” and “Extravaganza” is artistic director and Kobi Ben Atar, music planner, and Yaniv Hadad, artistic advisor, round out the crew.
“I’ve been doing my homework. I’ve seen almost every show in Vegas, including the female revues and most of the male revues,” Rosènn said. “I’d also seen ‘Zumanity,’ a great inspiration for all of us. What it started 17 years ago was really something. There’s really nothing out there now that combines men and women together with this scale, the spectacle of a big show. That’s what this is, a big show in a small theater.”
