Cocktail Cabaret Review – Stylish Upbeat Throwback to Vintage Vegas Shows

Cocktail Cabaret Brings you 70 minutes of vintage Las Vegas entertainment in a classy setting

"The Cocktail Cabaret" at Cleopatra's Barge in Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino. The cast (l-r) Daniel Emmet, Niki Scalera, Maren Wade and Eric Jordan Young. CREDIT: Glenn Pinkerton/Las Vegas News Bureau
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(l-r) Maren Wade, Daniel Emmet, Niki Scalera, and Eric Jordan Young provide just the right entertainment for the Cocktail hour at Cocktail Cabaret. Photo by Dianne Davis

Cocktail Cabaret in the intimate setting of Cleopatra’s Barge in Caesar’s Palace takes you away from the hustle bustle of daytime Las Vegas and entertains with an upbeat high power musical experience. Four polished performers together and in various combinations take you through many standards and some new lyrical selections in this vintage Vegas Broadway-Cabaret-style live musical review.

Niki Scalera Photo by Dianne Davis

 

Niki Scalera brings her stylish renditions to the party as the fast paced 70 minutes fly by and she leaves you wanting more. Her version of “Diamonds are Forever” is a showstopper. Niki is one of those women who belongs on stage. Not surprising then to learn that she is a veteran whose Broadway credits include appearing in “Tarzan” and playing Penny Pingleton in “Hairspray,” Las Vegas audiences may recall seeing her in “We Will Rock You” at the Paris and as one of the featured vocalists with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

 

Maren Wade CREDIT: Glenn Pinkerton/Las Vegas News Bureau

 

 

 

Maren Wade costumed in a tight sexy red dress sings out that “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” This Las Vegas singer, TV host and columnist has been featured singing on “America’s Got Talent,” and The National Radio City Tour with the Rockettes. She has had roles in “50 Shades! The Parody” “Vegas Nocturne” at The Cosmopolitan, “Fantasy” at the Luxor, “Vegas! The Show” at Planet Hollywood, “Dancing Queen” at New York, New York, and she sang back up for Wayne Newton.  

 

 

 

 

Eric Jordan Young leads the audience in and out of musical numbers with comedy CREDIT: Glenn Pinkerton/Las Vegas News Bureau

The multi-talented Eric Jordan Young adds comedic punctuations and stylish song interpretations as he keeps things flowing at a fast pace and acts as the MC. Jordan’s Broadway credits include  RagtimeSeussical The Musical and The Look of Love. His fans in Las Vegas loved him in Vegas The Show and Rock of Ages. His Sammy Davis Jr. tributes are unsurpassed and luckily the audience gets a taste of them in this production.

Daniel Emmet has a depth to his performance far beyond his years Photo by Dianne Davis

 

 

Daniel Emmet may look like a fresh faced college kid, but his velvet voice will win you over as he belts out “ I Can’t Life Without You” in English and later switches to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in Italian. Hey, everything sounds sexy in Italian, doesn’t it. This multilingual classical/pop cross-over vocalist has commanded stages from The Staples Center in Los Angeles to the Palais Todesco in Vienna,

Kieth Thompson (l) and Philip Fortenberry (r) creator and producers stop for a photo on opening night CREDIT: Glenn Pinkerton/Las Vegas News

This is the first show on the Las Vegas Strip created and produced by PK Entertainment, a Las Vegas-based entertainment company founded by powerhouse musical team Keith Thompson (“Jersey Boys,” “Idaho! The Comedy-Musical” and “The Composers Showcase” at The Smith Center) and Philip Fortenberry, a critically acclaimed pianist with multiple Broadway credits and headliner who was the Liberace hand/body double in HBO’s biopic, “Behind the Candelabra.” The two entertainment pros lend their personal talents and Vegas savy to the production with Fortenberry at the piano and Thompson as musical director.

Photo by Dianne Davis

The 140 seat venue presents some challenges, but the four fill the room with their talent as they move through the tight spaces in the barge. You’ll hear “Can’t Help Loving That Man of Mine.” I can’t help loving the four Broadway caliber singers – no – enlarge that to entertainers – backed by four musicians in a classy show reminiscent of the bygone Vintage Vegas days. The ladies appear in one beautiful dress after another and even the guys have several wardrobe changes.

“The Cocktail Cabaret” at Cleopatra’s Barge in Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino. The cast (l-r) Daniel Emmet, Niki Scalera, Maren Wade and Eric Jordan Young. CREDIT: Glenn Pinkerton/Las Vegas News Bureau

The five P.M. starting time allows you to sit back and relax over a cocktail – or two – as you enjoy quality entertainment, then continue on to indulge in all that Vegas has to offer in the way of dining, shopping, or playing your favorite slots or table games. But before you hit the tables, you’ll already be a winner for having enjoyed Cocktail Cabaret. The show plays Wednesday through Saturday evenings.

Niki Scalera and Maren Wade CREDIT: Glenn Pinkerton/Las Vegas News Bureau
Niki Scalera and Daniel Emmet CREDIT: Glenn Pinkerton/Las Vegas News Bureau
Eric Jordan Young shows his moves Photo by Dianne Davis

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