A Vegas variety show gives you a dozen acts for one ticket, and three of them do it in very different ways: V - The Ultimate Variety Show in the V Theater and VEGAS! THE SHOW in the Saxe Theater, both inside the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, and WOW - The Vegas Spectacular in the Rio's round showroom. One rotates its cast every night, one is a water show, and one rebuilds the showgirl era. Here's which fits your group.
V - The Ultimate Variety Show: a different lineup every night
V - The Ultimate Variety Show has played the V Theater since producer David Saxe opened the room in 2004, and the format has never changed: a fast run of specialty acts, swapped around from night to night. Comedians, jugglers, magicians and acrobats come and go; past lineups have included a husband-and-wife roller-skating duo. No single act outstays its welcome. That's the design. It's the safest choice for a group that can't agree on anything.
Where: V Theater, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. Run time: about 75 minutes. Format: rotating specialty acts. Best for: indecisive groups and mixed ages.
WOW - The Vegas Spectacular at the Rio: the water show
WOW - The Vegas Spectacular arrived at the Rio in the fall of 2017, the first North American run of a water-themed show that had already toured the world. Nearly three dozen artists work a stage built around water: towering water walls, divers, and synchronized swimmers performing in a giant bowl. The showroom is circular, so no seat sits far from the action. Expect a splash. Acrobats and aerialists fill the gaps between the water scenes, with comedy to keep the kids in the room laughing.
Where: Rio Showroom, Masquerade Tower at the Rio. Run time: about 90 minutes. Format: water and acrobatic spectacle. Best for: families who want the biggest visuals.
VEGAS! THE SHOW: feathers, showgirls and the Rat Pack era
VEGAS! THE SHOW opened the Saxe Theater in 2010, and it is personal for the man who built it: David Saxe's mother danced in the Folies Bergere and his father played saxophone and led the band for the Rat Pack. The show rebuilds that era, with feather-crowned showgirls, a Sammy Davis Jr. tribute and the big production numbers the Strip mostly retired decades ago. It's nostalgia played straight. The songs are standards.
Where: Saxe Theater, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. Run time: about 75 minutes. Format: classic showgirl revue with singing. Best for: anyone who misses old Las Vegas.
Which variety show to book
Can't agree on a genre: V. Kids who want to be splashed: WOW. Old-school glamour: VEGAS! THE SHOW. V and VEGAS! THE SHOW sit a short walk apart in the same Planet Hollywood mall, while the Rio is a short ride west of the Strip on Flamingo Road. For an adults-only version of the variety format, our Atomic Saloon Show review covers the raunchiest one in town.
