Absinthe (show)

Absinthe
Company	Spiegelworld
Genre	Contemporary circus
Show type	Resident show
Date of premiere	2006
Location	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Creative team
Writer and director	Wayne Harrison[1]
Producer	Ross Mollison[2]
Choreographer	Lucas Newland
Official website

Absinthe is a live show presented in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show is hosted by The Gazillionaire,^[3] originally played by actor and former Cirque du Soleil clown Voki Kalfayan^[4] and his assistant, Penny Pibbets,^[5] portrayed by actress Anais Thomassian.^[4] In a 2011 interview in The Huffington Post writer Paul Carr stated that Anais Thomassian and Voki Kalfayan were both Armenian, "And, yes, they're a couple."^[6] The cast changed in December 2014, and the new Gazillionaire is supported by an assistant named Joy Jenkins, supposedly the cousin of Penny Pibbets.^[7] The characters are known for giving interviews without breaking role.

A contemporary circus, the show is described by Stage and Cinema as "an uneasy cross between terrific variety acts and a stag party."^[8]

Absinthe was first presented in 2006 in a tent at New York City's South Street Seaport.^[9] It has been playing on the forecourt of Caesars Palace^[10] since April 1, 2011. It was scheduled to close at Caesars Palace on October 21, 2016 and relocate to the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.^[11] Disputes between the show's producers have made the move indefinite while legal issues are resolved in the Nevada courts.^[12]

Background

Originally, Absinthe was supposed to open in Las Vegas at the Fontainebleau Resort. The Fountainebleau never opened, however, and Caesars Palace allowed the producers to set up a temporary tent at the Roman Plaza instead.^[13][14] Within 90 days of performances, after inspections by Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, the organizers were told to shut down production. Due to the success of the shows within those 90 days, Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace, purchased a Spiegeltent^[15] that met fire code standards from Germany and had it installed on site to replace the original tent.^[14]

The show was directed by Wayne Harrison^[1] and choreographed by Lucas Newland. Today, the show is produced by Ross Mollison^[16] and owned by Spiegelworld.^[15]

At the end of the show's 1,000th performance at Caesars Palace, the Absinthe cast celebrated by dressing up as zombies.^[17] In April, 2014, Absinthe celebrated its 1,500th show.^[16]

Theme and features

Absinthe follows in the tradition of variety shows and vaudeville. It features burlesque performers, sideshow performers, and various international artists. It is also a parody of Cirque du Soleil and mocks aspects of the entertainment business.^[15] Artists have included Melody Sweets,^[18] Maxim Popazov, Atlantis, Ssens Duo, Ede Atlas Muz, Oxana Solamachuk, Duo Vector, The Esteemed Gentlemen of the High Wire^[4] and Angel Porrino, who was featured on the reality TV show Holly's World.^[19] Porrino was a feature act for almost three years, before the end of her involvement in March, 2014. In Absinthe, she tap danced topless in a giant balloon.^[20]

There are three recurring roles in Absinthe: the Gazillionaire, Penny Pibbets, and the Green Fairy. The Gazillionaire is a "sleazy snake-oil salesman...with bad teeth, bad suit, bad pointy glittery shoes." A comedian, he is the host of the show. He makes jokes at the expense of the audience and introduces the performers. The character Penny Pibbets, the assistant to the Gazillionaire and performed by Anais Thomassian,^[15] performs a routine with a sock puppet that journalist Robin Leach described as "more than XXX-rated - not one word can be written here, it's that obscene!" Sweets is the personification of the green fairy. She wears a green costume and sings as she performs a burlesque style strip tease.^[14] An additional character, Maxim, who is the Gazillionaire's butler, performs a chair balancing at the opening of the show.^[16] Joy Jenkins, Penny Pibbets' replacement since December 2014, is a nerdy sex maniac, prone to in-depth explanations of innuendo, or long descriptions of sexual urges, both her own and those imagined of audience members.

Performances are 90 minutes long^[13] and take place in a 600 capacity^[8] Spiegeltent, with performances taking place on a stage that is only nine feet in diameter. Audience members sit in a circle around the stage, on folding chairs. Guests can drink alcohol during the show, and freely order beverages from areas in the back of the tent during the show. After the show ends, the exit opens to the beer garden at Caesar's Palace.^[15]

Reception

Writing in a review of Absinthe, Paul Carr of The Huffington Post, proclaimed "If I could only see one show my entire life," he said, "I'd want it to be that."^[6] In 2011, it was named "Best New Show" by Vegas Seven Magazine.^[21] Stage and Cinema described the show as "inevitably and thoroughly cringe-inducing," due to the vulgarity of the lead characters. Overall, the website noted a target demographic of 20- to 30-year-olds who have been "well-served alcoholically," in attendance.^[8] Northwest Indiana Times writer Philip Potempa describes character Penny Pibbets as being "too much of a vulgar approach to shocking the audience," as a character, he does, however, acknowledge the "all-so-amazing" performers, including Melody Sweets. He compares Sweets to the character of the Green Fairy played by Kylie Minogue in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!^[13] Absinthe has been described as part of the burlesque revival in Las Vegas by USA Today.^[22]

Gerard Butler,^[23] Daniel Radcliffe,^[23] Lacey Chabert,^[24] Kaley Cuoco,^[24] Channing Tatum,^[25] James Franco,^[26] Giada De Laurentiis,^[26] Neil Patrick Harris and Olivia Newton-John are some of the celebrities who have attended performances of Absinthe.^[14]

References

External links

• Official website
• The Gazillionaire on Twitter
• Penny Pibbets on Twitter
• Penny Pibbets official blog