Final ‘Folies’ a hot ticket

Nostalgia and the laws of scarcity combine to make the Tropicana’s "Folies Bergere" a hot ticket as the venerable showgirl revue prepares to face the final curtain Saturday.

Only 100 of about 850 seats went on sale for the final show. The rest will be an invited audience, including about 400 alumni who have been in the cast at some point in its 49 years. They will be invited beforehand to pose for an alumni photo on the stage’s signature "golden staircase."

As you read this, four more "regular" shows remain, at 7:30 and 10 p.m. today and Friday; the early one today is not topless if you want to share a piece of Las Vegas history with your children.

But people haven’t waited until the last minute. Monday’s show was "by far the most full I’ve ever seen that showroom," says Tropicana spokeswoman Brittany Markarian.

Hotel officials estimate the revue will have logged more than 29,000 performances since Christmas of 1959. By contrast, the Web site for the British mystery play "The Mousetrap" cites 23,000 performances in 56 years. An Internet off-Broadway database lists 17,162 performances in the 42-year run of the off-Broadway musical "The Fantasticks" (it reopened in 2006 after a four-year break).

The Tropicana made no secret of closing the house-owned production to look for an outside producer who will pay rent. But in lieu of a signed contract, casino officials still have not announced what show will follow "Folies."

Management did make an "agreement in principle" Wednesday to allow comedian Bobby Slayton to take over the smaller club recently vacated by The Comedy Stop.

Slayton says he will do one show each night in the room that will carry his name, but the late berth will go to themed comedy tours of like-minded stand-ups. He says his partner is no longer Joaquin Trujillo, as reported here last week.

That seems to leave afternoon magician Dirk Arthur as the Tropicana’s lone show for at least a month. Arthur recently re-upped for a six-month contract extension. …

"Scarlett — Princess of Magic" pulled the plug at the V Theater on Saturday to the apparent surprise of her small cast. The bigger astonishment may be that the matinee performer lasted as long as she did in this economy.

The novice magician opened a family-friendly showcase in August. Scarlett and manager John Lewis stuck it out through the school months, but threw in the towel just as spring break season offered new hope for vacation traffic.

David Saxe, who operates the theater in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, says he isn’t rushing to book a replacement. Gregory Popovich’s Comedy Pet Theater may add a few shows during spring break. …

Working mom Marie Osmond apparently wants to take advantage of the local school vacation, so Flamingo afternoon magician Nathan Burton will add extra shows at 7:30 p.m. while Donny and Marie are off the week of April 7. …

A recent review of the Harmon Theater’s "Magic’s A Drag" with campy queen Cashetta noted a disconnect between a modest comedy act that was fine in its own right but hardly up to the expectations of a 7 p.m. time slot and a $54 ticket.

The time won’t change, but on Monday the price drops to a more suitable $19.95 (before taxes and add-ons), with two drinks included. …

While we’re talking drag, former "Evening at La Cage" performer Derrick Barry got a lot of TV mileage when he strutted his Britney Spears on NBC’s top-rated "America’s Got Talent." Gipsy nightclub headliner Shannel (Bryan Watkins) couldn’t expect the same level of exposure with "RuPaul’s Drag Race" on Logo, which, at least here in town, is only part of deluxe cable packages.

But the likes of Entertainment Weekly have singled out the series as a guilty pleasure to seek out on the Internet, and now it’s being rerun on basic cable’s VH1. That means more eyes on Shannel, even if it’s no secret who wins and who makes the final four but then leaves voluntarily. …

Finally, it seems so long ago that showrooms were getting so double- and triple-booked, I wondered if the day might come when a local producer would test a morning "doughnut show" in the fine tradition of Branson, Mo., and its geriatric tour-bus business.

That never happened in good times, so you’d hardly expect it during a recession. But here comes psychic John Edward with a wake-up call at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Tickets ranging from $100 to $225 are hardly the usual afternoon bargain. The Flamingo showroom already has three resident acts, so Saturday morning is probably the only time available.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.