Boulder Theater clings to history

In his upcoming show at the Tropicana, Wayne Newton will reminisce about his 50 years in Las Vegas. He offered a sneak-preview reflection last week.

Of all the old-Vegas places the Midnight Idol has played, the showroom loss "that upset me the most" was the Sands -- "because I was onstage at the time."

But seriously folks, Newton noted the red-draped Tiffany Theatre, recently vacated by "Folies Bergere," is "one of the very few nightclubs left in Las Vegas." Few places have "the kind of history that the Tropicana has."

That brought me back to a recent chat with Thomas Lauderdale of the wonderful retro band Pink Martini, which was amazing last weekend at the decidedly nonretro Henderson Pavilion.

Pink Martini was on the Strip for a private party when Bellagio opened, but otherwise awaits its commercial Las Vegas debut. "I wish we were playing in an old casino. That would be lovely," Lauderdale said. "Maybe next time."

Vintage-showroom choices would be limited, I thought. The main room at the Riviera is the only one dating to the early '60s. Donny and Marie's Flamingo room was built around the time they bowed on TV in 1976.

The current Tropicana showroom arrived in late 1973. For a time, the hotel advertised "two main showrooms under one roof!" before converting the original "Folies" venue to a restaurant.

We love our '70s, and we'll take our disco-licious tables and booths where we can find them. But for real history, you have to go to Boulder City, and thank Desi Arnaz Jr. and Amy Arnaz for saving the 1933 Boulder Theater, the oldest still-functioning entertainment venue in the valley.

The poor Huntridge Theater seems done for, but the couple spared the Boulder. "We rescued it at the last minute" in 1997, Amy says, spending about $500,000 to restore it.

They didn't use state preservation funds, for practical reasons such as being able to use more energy-efficient window glass, she says. You miss a concession stand, but deeper inside you can feel the history in the original ceiling and chandeliers.

The theater mostly serves to house the Boulder City Ballet Company, and even "when it looks closed from the outside," children might be rehearsing for performances inside, Amy assures.

Other events are sporadic. They include the annual Dam Short Film Festival and an upcoming Nov. 20 and 21 tribute to Mel Torme by son Steve. A booking has to be "something that really means something to us," Amy explains. "We're semiretired and we don't want to be here all the time."

Be glad the theater is still here, and visit when you can. And if someday it hosts an expanded schedule of events, may I suggest Pink Martini?

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