What’s hot in Vegas? A Spice Girls revival on the Strip
Just after the premiere of “Spice Wannabe — The Spice Girls Tribute” a couple weeks ago at Excalibur, I posted a clip of the performance on Instagram.
A friend gave a cursory glance, and in a panic posted, “I almost cried — I thought this was the tour & I had missed it!”
No, this is not the actual Spice Girls. But the energy generated in “Wannabe” is real.
The new show at Thunderland Showroom is convincing, eliciting ’90s nostalgia and an ebullient, multigenerational spirit. It’s fun, as its packed premiere proved, with a wide range of fans, primarily mostly women, but many gentlemen who also grew up as Spice Girls devotees.
Similar to the performers, the show moves fast. “Spice Wannabe” clocks in about 60 minutes. This is a rare show that performs its finale and you say, “That’s it?”
“Spice Wannabe,” a premiere in pics … @ExcaliburVegas @SPIEnt #Vegas @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/7NYuoATyat
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) July 6, 2023
The Spice force hits all the marks and sends the crowd home humming … whatever Spice Girls tune they pull from this hit parade. I don’t own any Spice Girls music, but dang it’s infectious.
For those who are initiated, the show unleashes “Spice Up Your Life,” “2 Become 1,” and (of course) “Wannabe” in its breakneck pace. No vocal tracks, either, in this one.
As if by fate, the show maintains its buoyancy through the vision of a professional mermaid. Casey McConachie had the brainstorm to develop the show and pitch the concept to SPI Entertainment founder Adam Steck.
McConachie has developed the character Mermaid CaySea as owner of FantaSea Productions, which supplies interactive mermaid experiences at Tahiti Village Resort. She is swimmingly successful at the master-planned resort, about a mile and half south of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign.
“Spice Wannabe,” a premiere in pics … @ExcaliburVegas @SPIEnt #Vegas @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/7NYuoATyat
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) July 6, 2023
McConachie also performs as real-life subjects, portraying Britney Spears in her own tribute show, “A Piece of Britney.” The show’s creator appreciates the appeal of the superstars of that era. She grew up in it.
“I was into them when I was a child, 11 years old, singing and dancing,” McConachie says. “In our group, I was always Baby Spice, and now I am Baby Spice again.”
McConachie began to develop the show just before COVID. She found a willing partner on LinkedIn, hardly known as a clearing house for tribute shows. But in this instance, McConachie was Lucky Spice in reaching her target.
“I never check LinkedIn, except to clear out my notifications,” Steck says. “But I saw this message and I thought, ‘Wow, let’s explore this.’ Then we met, and I loved her energy, her passion, her work ethic. When I saw footage of the show, I was sold.”
That work ethic and passion for the project is reflected in McConachie’s cast. She’s recruited a cast of characters who were similarly fit to play their respective roles. Malia Blunt is Scary, Deena Cary is Posh, Yvonne Cavaco is Sporty and Sarah Jessica Rhodes is Ginger.
All are seasoned Vegas stage performers.
Blunt has been featured in Usher’s Strip residency production and “The Craft Musical.” Cary has performed in more than a dozen shows on the Strip as a dancer and singer, in “Legends in Concert” and the topless revue “Sexxy.” Cavaco is a well-known Las Vegas entertainer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and loop artist. Rhodes has swung played the Green Fairy in “Absinthe,” toured with “Monster Jam,” backed “Raiding the Rock Vault” and founded the Vegas lounge and club band SJ & The Ruckus.
The Spice Boys Dancers play a surprisingly prominent role choreographed by Jonathan Claudio, who along with McConachie has also developed numbers for the full cast.
The show had hopscotched the valley before landing at the ExCal. “Wannabe” played South Point Showroom in July 2022, then played Veil Pavilion at Silverton on Feb. 4, a sold-out show where the entire crowd was in ’90s garb. They followed with another packed house at Sunset Station’s Club Madrid on May 13.
Before opening at Thunderland, the cast spent four nights in Laughlin (which should be the title of something). The show rocked Celebrity Theater at Don Laughlin’s Riverside Hotel.
“We had another great turnout,” McConachie said. “Don Laughlin’s granddaughter Lindsey (Laughlin Romberg) was there, with a group. They all wore Spice Girls T-shirts and turned Losers Lounge into whole ’90s party afterward. It was great.”
At the moment, there are no swings for any of the principals in “Wannabe.” There will need to be, if the show is extended at ExCal. That would likely to be in the fall, with the cast members various outside commitments (such as, mermaid-ing).
But it is clear, from the audience’s robust response, this Spice invasion might be a hit.
“I just think about how they paved the way for girls’ groups, and I was in middle school singing and dancing, recording me and my friends with a camcorder,” McConachie said. “Now I’m a producer. I never would have imagined it would happen this way.”
Cool Hang Alert
Groovers abound Thursday at Maxan Jazz on 4130 South Decatur Blvd. for Swing Dance Night. Longtime Vegas lounge fave Laura Shaffer fronts a band featuring Nial Djuliarso on piano, John Belzaguy on bass and Mike Mechem on drums. Dance lessons are from 6 p.m.-7 p.m., complimentary (meaning free, but also as praise, if you are good), with music following until 1o p.m. Reservations encouraged, go to maxanjazz.com for intel.
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.
