CasiNotes: 'Le Ombre' opens at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City

UNLESS YOU are the Cirque du Soleil organization and have tens of millions of dollars to invest in mind-boggling technology and staging, it is a daunting task to come up with a casino production show that doesn't look, sound and feel like the same-old, same-old.

But "Le Ombre," at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City, indicates the folks behind the presentation have somehow managed, on an obviously modest budget, to conjure something new and different out of a bunch of familiar parts.

"Le Ombre," which debuted last weekend and encores tonight through Sunday, is a thoroughly engaging visual and performance stew built on platforms of modern dance and shadow art, the latter being the program's calling card.

Positioned behind a large screen, the show's athletic dance ensemble is often shown in silhouette going through its paces, most of which combine floor gymnastics with ballet and contemporary choreography. This gimmick could quickly wear thin, but it works because the dancers' location determines the size of their shadows. This keeps things visually interesting at all times, as does the troupe's ability to form words by twisting their bodies into various shapes.

Sometimes, graphic projection is involved, as in the segment where the "shadowy" performers form a tree that grows branches. It is a wonderful blend of silhouette work and video artistry.

Of course, plenty of action takes place in front of the screen, most of it with a distinctly "Cirque" accent. The featured performers are the kind who are central to the Cirque formula. Among them are a young woman whose winning turn finds her manipulating multiple large hoops, and another female cast member whose feats of balancing, body strength and coordination proved to be a particular audience favorite at last Friday's opening performance.

Two vocalists, male and female, are also on hand. Both handle their duties well, ably covering a range of genres.

Speaking of the musical score, it too is surprisingly adventurous, most notably in the bit with a Parisienne motif. The piece unfolds to the song "I Love Paris." The tune starts off in a jazz piano-trio vein, then unexpectedly (jarringly?) veers off into punk-rock mode. It may not fall easily on everyone's ears, but it is yet another indication of the high degree of inventiveness that informs "Le Ombre."

While there is no true narrative, "Seasons of Love," as the production is called, is ostensibly a look at romance. The individual performance pieces are connected by aphorisms and ruminations, projected on the screen, on the subject from diverse observers including Voltaire, Woody Allen and basketball coaching great John Wooden. This eccentric roster of contributors is a perfect match for the show's generally offbeat approach.

"Le Ombre" is also special (beyond its crazy-quilt format) because it has a rich look and feel that belies its obviously small budget. (Atlantic City casinos are historically averse to spending a lot on such entertainment.) That is a trick too many casino-show impresarios fail to pull. It would be interesting to see what the show's creative team could do with "Cirque du Soleil"-like resources.

Two final thoughts:

At 55 minutes, "Le Ombre" is the shortest main-stage AyCee production in memory. It seems even quicker because of its hyper pacing. No segment runs more than a few minutes.

And this is one show where sitting in the "cheap seats" (e.g. The Concert Venue's balcony) is recommended. This is the best way to take in the full scope of this most clever and entertaining offering.

Harrah's Resort Atlantic City, 777 Harrah's Blvd., 8 tonight through Sunday, $20 and $15, 800-736-1420, ticketmaster.com.

So far, the 360 nightclub at Parx in Bensalem has showcased local cover bands. But on March 19 at 7:30 p.m., a new wrinkle in the lounge's strategy will be unveiled when Felix Cavaliere's Rascals perform.

Cavaliere's Rascals are, of course, the modern-day iteration of what was first called the Young Rascals and then just the Rascals as the unit cranked out a string of 1960s chart-busters including "Good Lovin'," "How Can I Be Sure" and "A Beautiful Morning."

Best of all, the show is free and, because of 360's location, you can gamble in some parts of the casino and still hear the music.

The idea of bringing "name" acts to an open-air casino-floor venue is not new. For years, the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut has operated in that manner. Among that lounge's upcoming attractions are David Cassidy, bluesman Robert Cray and '70s soft-rock avatars Orleans.

"We're looking at the rest of the year. We have a couple high-profile acts on the docket," said a Parx spokeswoman who declined to name any names.

Move over, Borgata Babes, the Parkettes have arrived.

The Parkettes are the collective name applied to female Parx cocktail servers. And like the Borgata Babes before them, some are featured in a 2011 pinup calendar now on sale for $20 at the casino.

And just in case you might think the Bucks County gaming hall is sexist, be advised you can also purchase a calendar showcasing some of Parx's hunkier male servers.

Chuck Darrow has been covering Atlantic City and casinos for over 20 years. Read his blog www.philly.com/Casinotes. E-mail him at darrowc@phillynews.com. And listen to his Atlantic City reports Saturdays at 1:45 a.m. with Steve Trevelise on WIP (610-AM) and 3:05 p.m. on Atlantic City's WOND (1400-AM) with Marc Berman.