Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
‘Cursed’ Paris Theater gets healer’s touch
WE’VE been saying for years Paris Theater is “cursed.” The theater’s unproven, yet seemingly inescapable, bad energy seems to have kneecapped several shows since opening in 1999.
This is where “Hunchback of Notre Dame” the theater’s original production, had its bell rung after seven months, “Inferno” flamed out in six months and “Marilyn” was toe-tagged after five weeks.
The cast of “Bat Out Of Hell — The Musical” are weary of hearing about the theater’s dark forces. Co-producer Michael Cohl has been muttering for months about the theater’s losing streak. He suggested inviting a shaman into Paris Theater to chase away the evil spirits.
This is how Jen Heartfire made her Vegas stage debut the afternoon of Oct. 28.
She and several members of the “Bat” cast and crew participated in a healing ceremony, at the spot where Travis Cloer (as Falco), and Anne Martinez (as his wife, Sloane) perform “Paradise By the Dashboard Light.”
“They called me in to do the blessing and clearing of the energy, because they had not had a good show there in a while,” Heartfire, who has been a professional healer since 2016, said days after the event. “The energy of the place that sometimes people would have anxiety, get into arguments, or a lot of people were venting.”
This has been the case with every show at Paris, and, probably, every show ever in Vegas.
Heartfire talked to several members of the cast and crew to “just gauge what was going on energetically within each person.”
“This was the first time I’ve been called into something like this, and it was interesting,” Heartfire said. “I have worked with couples before. I’ve worked with some of their mothers and fathers, extended family members. It’s similar in that all the energies are adjoining.”
As she arrived, Heartfire surveyed the theater, taking to the stage and spreading several items across a ceremonial rug. The pieces were selected for their “joyful” energy.
Among the items picked were sunflowers and roses for sunshine and love; three candles, with a candle of Jesus in the middle; pine cones to symbolize the Earth; a turkey feather to represent healing medicine; holy water from a Catholic church; honey for sweetness; fruits as
as an offering of gratitude to the spirits for welcoming the visitors; and pyrite, “To bring in abundance of money, because they want to bring in more people to see the show.”
Pyrite is crucial in this instance.
Despite some wicked-great performances, inventive staging and a crack live band, “BOOH” is still attempting to generate heat at the box office.
Cloer was of particular shamanic interest, having
performed in “Jersey Boys,” which closed its Las Vegas run September 2016, and also “Marilyn The New Musical,” which shut down after 23 performances in 2018. He and Heartfire conferred one-onone, at length, during her visit.
“I’ve never been a part of anything like this,” Cloer said just after the ceremony. “It was a great feeling to experience the shifting energies. It was wonderful, freeing, liberating feeling floating around right now.”
Heartfire had told the group, “Energy is everything.” And after, Cloer, Martinez and cast member Laura Wright, all Las Vegans, gathered in a group hug. There was energy in that moment. Now it needs to waft from that theater to prospective ticket-buyers. That’s the real energy “Bat Out of Hell” is trying to find.
What Works in Vegas
Carlos Santana at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Duh, you say? We don’t mind belaboring the obvious, especially as the rock legend is celebrating his 10th anniversary at House of Blues this weekend. He’s logged more time in that venue than anyone.
Tease this …
A rock legend will join the Raiders’ halftime show when the Colts visit Allegiant Stadium
on Nov.13.
And this …
Yours truly will perform a “walk-on” in “Bat Out of Hell” on Wednesday night. A first-person account. I waited for the shaman to finish, natch.
Magic money
Ticket-holders to the “Black Magic Live” male revue at The Lamar Theater in the Arts District can buy a “Queen’s Dance.” This is a lap dance, onstage, from the entire cast.
Costs $100 bucks (for the participant). But no extra charge to those watching from the audience. Limit six per show, and they hit that limit, every night.
Floating this idea
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” as a residency production on the Strip. A familiar title with still-fervent cult following. A version of the production just ran three sellouts at The Portal at Area15. Readers/followers have been chiming in with that concept. We like it.
‘O,’ you say?
The documentary “Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net,” a chronicle of the return of “O” to the stage after the pandemic shutdown is screening at DOC NYC on Nov. 13. DOC NYC is the largest documentary film festival in the country, running from Nov. 9-17. No word on any screening in Vegas.
Cool Hang Alert
Delilah’s Dead is the title. Not a forecast of a favorite nightspot at the Wynn. Rather, the accomplished Grateful Dead tribute band at the Sand Dollar Lounge on Polaris and Spring Mountain. Show time is 10 p.m. No cover. Try the pizza.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “Podkats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/ podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @Johnnykats1 on Instagram.