Director proud of ‘Le Reve’s’ evolution

Franco Dragone agrees no show in modern Las Vegas history has been tinkered with more than "Le Reve."

And not all the tinkering was done by Dragone. He opened it in 2005, but moved on for a time after Wynn Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn bought out his share the next year.

By late 2007, it seemed very much as though Wynn himself -- a man with a whole company to run -- had become the show's hands-on director, overseeing new contributions from the likes of "Dancing with the Stars" choreographer Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

"For a little while I went out of the boat," Dragone says, recalling he told Wynn, "You know that in a boat there is the owner and there is the captain. If you want to steer and drive the boat yourself, maybe you're not going to reach your destination."

But Dragone says he went back to Wynn a year and a half ago, offering to spend more time on the water spectacle: "The only salary I will ask for is my pride."

And Tuesday, the day after the "delivery day" of the latest presentation to the chairman, Dragone said he feels "I have been paid."

"I am proud again," says the Belgian director.

Part of the show's poor reception in 2005 was rectified by an extensive overhaul of the theater and its lighting system, and the addition of new props, such as giant flowers by "The Lion King" puppet designer Michael Curry.

More frustrating to Dragone was the horrified reaction to the darker tones, which he felt were fair reflections of the world after the 2001 terrorist attacks and the Christmas tsunami of 2004.

Now Dragone says he understands the accepted limits of Las Vegas entertainment. He compares the show's evolution as "changing the stream of the river, from one ocean" -- the darker one -- "to the other ... a brighter show. Now we have the stream really going in the right direction."

So too Dragone's relationship with Wynn, who first trusted him to deliver "Mystere" to Treasure Island as a Cirque du Soleil director. "Sometimes he doesn't hear the music I do for him," Dragone says. But on Monday, Wynn "sat beside me and talked about the show like he used to do," and he felt they were communicating again. ...

The Tropicana still hasn't said what will go into its main showroom after "Folies Bergere." The lack of news suggests something went amiss in the two months it took to wind down the revue.

Even so, the challenged casino will have more shows than ever. Comedian Bobby Slayton takes over the former Comedy Stop club May 5. (The Comedy Stop took out a Review-Journal ad promising to reopen "in a new casino shortly.")

Management also has remodeled another space, which once hosted a Las Vegas history museum, dubbing it The Cellar. It will host two titles. The interactive dinner show "The Soprano's Last Supper" moves over from the Greek Isles on April 24. "Hypnosis Unleashed" follows on April 25, one night after hypnotists Michael Johns and Terry Stokes wrap up at the Harmon Theater/Krave nightclub. ...

"Sin City Comedy" was set to have its official debut at the Harmon Theater Wednesday, after a few previews and some tweaking. John Padon, the veteran girlie-show comedian turned producer, wants to combine stand-up with burlesque to give it "more of a show than a comedy-club feel."

But Padon said the early previews "weren't burlesque enough," so he enlisted help from director Emmett Murphy and choreographer Mistinguett, whom he knows from working in shows such as "Bareback," to stage routines for a quintet of female dancers.

The Legendary Wid, a veteran prop comic, is the first week's headliner. Locals are always two-for-one and those with military ID are always free. ...

Penn & Teller take it to the streets again on Sunday, spearheading the annual AFAN AIDS Walk to benefit Aid for AIDS of Southern Nevada. The comic magicians match the total raised by donations and offer show tickets for pledges. The opening ceremony is 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the World Market Center downtown.

The Bootlegger Bistro is running a "Midnight Music" series aimed at working musicians on the Strip and featuring the backing bands for different headliners and shows. This weekend brings Barry Manilow players performing as Brandon Fields & Friends. ...

Hard Rock security guards will have to train their noses like police dogs when the weed-centric Snoop Dogg performs at the season debut of the Rehab pool parties on Sunday. Cameras from TruTV will document for the second season of "Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel."

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