By Chuck Darrow
Once upon a time (as in prior to Pennsylvania legalizing casinos) the summer always brought with it seasonal production shows. During the last week of June and first week of July, it wasn’t unusual to see the opening of at least a half-dozen revues whose schedules featured six or eight performances a week for eight or nine weeks.
Thanks to the Keystone State’s siphoning of the millions of bus riders who used to regularly visit Atlantic City, such presentations were no longer as crucial to gaming halls’ marketing efforts as they once were. But while their numbers and frequency have diminished, the temporary resident production show (as opposed to “The Hook” at Caesars Atlantic City, which is a permanent, year-round attraction) hasn’t totally faded from the local casino-entertainment scene. Currently, there are four such programs on the boards, three of which are produced by AyCee-based impresario Allen Valentine. Below is a look at them:
Super Trans Am (Ocean Casino Resort; 4 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 1; ticketmaster.com):
The only attraction not conceived and staged by Valentine features Super Trans Am, a five-piece rock band that focuses on classic-rock anthems of the 1970s.
Essentially, the quintet is a cover band on steroids; they don’t do anything that bands in bars all across America don’t do on any given Saturday night, but they have the budget to juice the material with an interesting and engaging video presentation (e.g. clips from Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein” are displayed during the band’s rendition of “Frankenstein” by the Edgar Winter Group).
That, combined with the individual and collective talents of the five band members make for a solid 75 or so minutes of guitar-based nostalgia as the repertoire also includes such ’70s sonic totems as Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ “American Girl,” “The Boys Are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy, The Eagles’ “Take It Easy,” Peter Frampton’s “Show Me the Way” and a medley that mashes up Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” with Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In the Wall” (the connection being the latter’s jaundiced view of education).
‘Pop Divas’ (Ocean; various show times through Aug. 29; ticketmaster.com):
The only one of Valentine’s productions that is brand new, “Pop Divas” pays tribute to a number of popular music’s female megastars.
As per his successful musical-salute blueprint, this isn’t a “Legends in Concert”-style affair featuring clones of famous artists, but a celebration of various artists and their most revered tunes via original arrangements and choreography performed by a small army of performers (including seven vocalists, 10 dancers and the eight crackerjack musicians who comprise what, for a lack of an actual moniker, we’ll call the Allen Valentine Orchestra, as the unit propels many of the producer’s local efforts).
“Pop Divas” is typically rich-looking and eye-catching, thanks to Kristine Valentine’s smart costume designs and an impressive video presentation boasting some really cool AI-generated graphics (Valentine appears to be taking the lead in terms of incorporating the cutting-edge technology into live entertainment).
“Pop Divas” slightly differs from such Valentine efforts as “Disco Inferno” (see below) and “Motown Forever” in that it occasionally takes its foot off the pedal to allow for slower tunes, most notably Dionne Carole’s stunning rendition of the beloved Whitney Houston ballad, “I Will Always Love You.”
The only real problem with “Pop Divas” is what it doesn’t include (because of time restraints): Songs by, among others, Pat Benatar, Deborah Harry, Cyndi Lauper, Carly Simon and Carole King. Well, there’s always the possibility of “Pop Divas II,” I guess.
‘Disco Inferno’ (Bally’s Atlantic City; 8 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 8; ticketweb.com):
This is the third iteration of the atomic-powered revusical (it debuted in 2018 as “Disco Live” at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City and subsequently had a run under the “Disco Inferno” banner at Resorts Casino-Hotel).
The crowd at a recent performance was literally dancing in the aisles to a jukebox-full of beat-heavy 1970s hits, among them the Trammps’ track from which the show gets its name (and, to these ears, the genre’s greatest song of all); “Jive Talkin’” and “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees; “Bad Girls” and “Last Dance” by Donna Summer and, of course, “YMCA” and “Macho Man” by The Village People.”
‘The Burlesque Show’ (Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa; 9 p.m.Thursdays through Sept. 26; ticketmaster.com):
Our Town’s naughtiest, bawdiest show is back for its 11th year at the Big B’s Music Box with the same blend of female flesh and raunchy (but mostly hilarious) humor that has made it a local show biz institution.
This year’s edition seems to be a little more—for lack of a better word—demure than some of its predecessors, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still an adults-only hoot.
The featured female performers bring the art and craft of old-school stripping to life in ways that are sensual, but never vulgar, and the Albanian Balla Brothers, a duo that does a fascinating balancing act, are real crowd-pleasers.
But as always, the best reason to see “The Burlesque Show” is comic/emcee Chris Morris, whose arsenal of good, old-fashioned (and wonderfully politically incorrect) dirty jokes keeps the audience in stitches throughout the presentation.
One final thought: It is obvious Valentine has absolutely mastered the casino-production-show format—and Atlantic City’s gaming industry has been the richer for it (literally and figuratively). But to this observer, at least, the time has come for him to take his gifts as a creator and producer to the next level (whatever that may be). Here’s hoping he gets the chance in 2025.
Oops
Last week’s column erroneously misidentified the executive pastry chef at Borgata. The position is currently held by David Krzewinski.
And while we’re correcting recent mistakes and oversights, the photo of Jackson Browne and Bruce Springsteen performing at the old Grandstand Under the Stars at Bally’s Grand that accompanied our recent story about the venue was taken by shooter extraordinaire Tom Briglia.
