They say you shouldn’t mess with perfection. I say they’re wrong! I say, variety is the spice of life. Mess with perfection all you want! And Fantasy has certainly done just that over its 23 years on the Las Vegas Strip, adding new numbers, new cast members, new half-time acts to provide comedy relief … all in the service of creating a show that demands repeat attendance. I don’t care when the last time you saw the show was; it will be completely different upon your return.
The core of what makes Fantasy such a winning production is still front and center, from the trio of statuesque dancers who romp on a bed to Janet Jackson’s “Nasty Girl,” a silk rope routine that’s as seductive as it is thrilling, and the entire cast flooding the stage with red hues for a rousing rendition of The Police’s “Roxanne” by host Lorena Peril (apparently Sting was at a recent performance and gave it a strong endorsement).
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But there were definite updates at a recent performance:
* Peril singing Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” complete with a country dance number performed all around her;
* The entire cast strutting around the stage in white dress shirts and hats, doffing them slowly to a cover of Randy Newman’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On” (spoiler alert; nudity is involved!);
* Three of the dancers displaying impressive pipes for a rendition of Christina Aguilera’s “But I Am a Good Girl”;
* A cha-cha number by Fantasy’s dance captain Yesi Burgess, who shakes things you didn’t know could be shaken.
Midway through the show, you’ll either catch Murray Sawchuck performing comedy magic (watch your shoes!) or Shayma Tash cracking up the audience with impromptu bits like searching an audience member’s bag and listing the items like she was on the Home Shopping Network.
One bit we hope never leaves the show involves a competition among the audience to see who can dance best to “Proud Mary.” The winner gets to come up onstage and … well, we’ll keep that a secret. All we’ll say is that it’s one of the funniest things you’ll see on the Strip.
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