‘An Evening at La Cage’

It's remarkable enough that "An Evening at La Cage" is now the fourth longest-lasting show on the Strip. But more amazing is the lack of turnover, and how long some of the performers have been putting on the makeup and gowns.

Sure, the big illusion is men in drag, just as it was when the show opened at the Riviera in 1985.

But now, anyone who has been around a few years can be just as intrigued by the time-travel effect of the whole thing. In a city where so much geography has changed, here's one journey to the past you can still take.

The trip begins as you make your way through the Riviera, all aglow with mirrors and chandeliers and old-school signs such as "Barber Salon."

You find your way to a zebra-striped booth for the tributes to everyone from Diana to Dolly, divas who are mostly as ageless as the performers lip-syncing to their hits.

Bette Midler and Cher had big comebacks this year at Caesars Palace, but at "La Cage" they've never gone anywhere. Michael Jackson's career isn't tarnished either, because here it remains locked in the "Thriller" era. (Yes, it defies the concept to have Lane Lassiter doing a Jacko tribute in a female impersonator show, but that's the way it is and the way it's always been).

The longevity of host Frank Marino -- who has been there almost all of the 23 years -- and some of his co-stars completes the illusion. Chris Woods manages to stay a few years ahead of the real Miss Ross, although some who saw the actual singer at the Palazzo opening thought they might have been watching a drag/sync act as well.

Plus-sized Jimmy Emerson adds an extra touch of old-Vegas burlesque, camping up a couple of slapstick routines that provide a needed balance to the acts who just mouth to the hits. Most of those segments at least try for as much visual variety as the limited staging allows. Only Brent Allen's Midler seems less necessary than before, thanks to the real Miss M's return down the street.

But you can't assume the years have made every patron of "La Cage" too sophisticated to buy into it all. When a red-spangled Sammy Gonzales as Liza Minnelli mock-belted the big windup in "Theme From New York, New York," some crowd members started applauding along with the recorded outburst on the Minnelli concert track. (Gonzales isn't always in the show, but was a "swing" for a vacationing Steven Wayne's Cher and Celine Dion.)

The crowd also stayed in tune with Marino's comic monologue referencing Roy Horn's 2003 tiger attack. Marino overcame a terrible microphone mix to get to more topical riffs on Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and O.J. Simpson's Las Vegas arrest.

Marino is vital as the only cast member who speaks, and his years playing the bitchy comedian -- still introduced as Joan Rivers, but having moved beyond imitation -- gives him an easy crowd rapport as he models gowns between numbers. If the tributes themselves don't goof much on Spears or Dion, Marino will take it on himself.

And that brings us to Derrick Barry as Britney, the "new" kid on the block who came onboard a mere four years ago. His Britters is the most convincing drag illusion, unveiling a surprising amount of skin, which he got to bare on national television this week on "America's Got Talent." (Because this section was printed before Thursday's results show, consult the Vegas Voice blog at www.reviewjournal.com to find out if Barry's Britney advanced or got cut.)

Barry's presence and recent attention is a good news/bad news scenario. It's great that something seems to come along every few years to give "La Cage" some new interest. But having only one younger act calls extra attention to, um, the issue of what is "old" and "classic" -- a distinction any pop diva or drag queen is only too well aware of.

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