Better Midler in The Showgirl Must Go On
November 26, 2008 by Vegas Baby
Filed under Betty Midler, Caesar's Palace, Featured, Ongoing Shows
She’s a tiny woman with a big voice and an even bigger stage presence.
Bette Midler has no problem at all commanding the audience in the 4,296-seat Colosseum at Caesars Palace. In The Showgirl Must Go On, she works the 7,000 square feet of performance space with all her usual charisma — so much so that even she admits there are times when “the showgirl must sit down.”
Midler’s prolific career spans more than 40 years, with numerous appearances on stage and in film, including the Broadway musical “Gypsy” in the early 1990s and the movies “The Rose” (1979) and “Beaches” (1988). Her albums “Bette of Rose” (1995) and “Bathhouse Betty” (1998) both went gold, while “Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook” was nominated for a Grammy.
“The Showgirl Must Go On” is different from other Vegas shows. As the Divine Miss M will tell you, her show doesn’t use any French-Canadian circus performers like Cirque du Soleil. Instead there are backup singers, the Staggering Harlots (Jordan Ballard, Kyra DaCosta and Kamilah Marshall) and 20 showgirls, the Caesars Salad girls.
The stage is decorated simply, with a mountain skyline and a drop screen projecting various images set upstage behind Midler’s 13-piece band. Hanging strands resembling beaded curtains mechanically move and shift into various shapes and configurations throughout the show, creating very simple but elegant scenery such as a forest of trees.
Designers Carol Dodds and Michael Levine conjure up some lovely visuals, aided by a massive video screen. 
For example, Midler sings the touching “Hello In There” amidst multi-layered scrim projections of vintage New York engulfed by fog. The gold coin curtains also become a character in the show, forming objects such as trees, clouds, and rain for several numbers. Costume designer Constance Hoffman has crafted some eye-popping outfits, including reversible clothing that gives the illusion that Midler’s back-up singers — here dubbed the Caesar Salad — clad in black have instantly exploded into bright floral colors.
As Soph, the oldest living showgirl in the world with a pink feather headdress “half the size of Tennessee,” she rattles off a series of scandalous jokes, dirty enough to make even a drunken sailor blush.
But beneath all the showgirl glitz and glamour, the strongest moments in the show come when it is just Midler alone on the stage. Her rendition of “When a Man Loves a Woman” is so powerful it drives the entire audience to its feet. It’s when singing her hits like “The Rose,” “From a Distance” and “Wind Beneath My Wings” that this diva is truly divine.
Show Dates:
Nov. 25 – 26, 28 – 30, 2008
Dec. 2 – 3, 5 – 7, 9 – 10, 30 – 31, 2008
Jan. 2 – 4, 6 – 7, 9 – 11, 13 – 14, 16 – 18, 20 – 21, 23 – 25, 27 – 28, 2009
marathonrunner on Wed, 26th Nov 2008 2:24 am
I saw the show two nights in a row and enjoyed it tremendously both nights.
The Devine still is. The show was Fun, Enjoyable and Heartwarming. Long time fans will not be disappointed.
I lucked out in getting great seats (thanks to AE presales), only two rows behind Clive Davis. I hear Celine was also in the house Friday night, but missed seeing her. The expensive seats are well worth the great view
Susan on Wed, 26th Nov 2008 2:24 am
How many shows have I seen in Vegas? OK, so I’ve lost track. However, one thing I can say for sure, hands down this is currently the BEST show in Vegas! Now, I am not a Bette Midler fan, so in no way am I being biased.
I can tell you that I laughed so hard, as this show is freaking hilarious! I was in awe, as this show is stunning, amazing and beautiful on all levels. There was never a dull moment here as everyone was fully amazed during the entire high energy performance. I don’t want to spoil the show by giving details.
Take my advice….skip the Cirque shows, skip Elton John and see The Diva, The Divine Ms. M. Even if you aren’t a fan go see it. Why? As I’ve already mentioned, Bette is the BEST that Vegas has to offer! Go ahead and splurge too….the $300 seats are well worth the ticket price. You won’t be disappointed!
Nocturnal on Wed, 26th Nov 2008 2:24 am
When I saw Bette Midler being interviewed on someone’s TV show earlier this year, she mentioned she will probably retire after her Las Vegas two year run. Retire? Well, she is 62. I’ve been to Bette Midler concerts for the past 30 years and thought okay, i’ve gotta go to this one even if she does make a comeback at age 70…
I wasn’t disappointed. The venue was huge…how did she run back and forth across the stage? There wasn’t a bad seat in the house, although bringing a pair of binoculars is recommended if you can’t afford the $300 tickets and are seated in the upper levels. The Divine Miss M’s energy wasn’t toned down much, although she did include aging jokes several times in her schtick. But, she still could get around in that mermaid costume and tell those nasty, fun jokes. And her voice is still as big as ever. She still belts ‘em out! If you can afford to go, it’s one not to miss. We used our tax incentive checks…flew Virgin Air (GREAT) and stayed at The Platinum Hotel (see review).
Jamison on Wed, 26th Nov 2008 2:25 am
What fun! Tonight was her first show before opening! She is truly Divine! Seeing the show — even with a few flaws — made her seem, if possible, more flawless!
Her show is high energy — a laugh riot — she’s really seriously funny — and then pure Bette — great music, hilarious jokes, completely current – and a reflection on her past — and what fun she has. It’s a great ride. First there are gorgeous showgirls – she calls them her Caesar Salad Girls (“22 babes with 44 perfect tits” and not a French Canadian circus performer in the bunch — big laughs here…) and the Staggering Harlots (her 3 lovely backup singers) — who arrive in Vegas, thanks to a tornado in the desert…and… “boy is my ass tired…” (she comes onstage riding a burro…)
It’s going to be a superhot show — and she says it best — with “me, Cher & Elton — what a lineup for the gays!” Big applause here… She’s raw — yes, more than a few f-bombs (the folks sitting next to us left after the second song, but it was definitely their loss…) — “I’m a f***ing Goddess…dammit…
She sang non-stop (6 really quick costume changes) for 100 minutes solid…no lip synching here…(take a lesson, Britney and Ashley…).
The best moments were the bubbles — she came out after her first costume change and we think, she fell off her shoes — after a hilarious save — she gave the shoes to someone offstage, reentered and did the song all over barefooted — she was terrific.
Her big hits — still are…she gets them all in. You won’t be disappointed for a second…
Bette, welcome to Vegas! We’re so happy you’re here!
Robin on Wed, 26th Nov 2008 2:25 am
Yippee Yahoo…..
Okay…. so we are flying to Vegas in our nicely upgraded first class seats… we meet two men who are also flying to Vegas in their nicely upgraded first class seats… we start chatting…. they ask what we are planning to do while in Vegas… we say… “sorta open might take in a few shows”…. they say… “Well we had two friends who were suppose to come to see Bette Midler with us but they had to cancel”… “would you ladies like the tickets”…..Wow… we say “of course we would how much do you want for the tickets”…. they say “nothing”……. Turns out these tickets had a face value of $300.00 count em $300.00 each!!! We offered to buy them dinner, take them for drinks, do strip, suck, tease… I mean we are in Vegas after all and what happens in VEGAS stays in VEGAS…. Ohhhh did I mention these two guys were GAY. They gave us a great gift without expecting anything nor would they take anything in return. Ahhhhhhhhh I love life!!!
Now on to the show. Bette is simply a wonderful entertainer and great comedian. She had us in stitches. Her voice projects and her talent and how gracious she is with her fans is totally unbelievable. Our seats were 13 rows back center stage. Can’t get any better than that.
Inflatable Bed · on Mon, 8th Nov 2010 5:41 am
gold coins are very nice and they won’t tarnish over time too ”