Robert Goulet often sings "On a clear day you can see forever and ever more." But even on a clear night, it's impossible to see all of the new Sirens of TI show at the Treasure Island hotel. The outdoor show is split by a plank where the audience tries to see the ships on each side. Even the "VIP" section, reserved for hotel guests, limits the audience from seeing much of the show. Besides the visual discomfort, Sirens of TI may be new, but it's devoid of any kind of originality.
The former pirate show, a family-friendly battle between sexy men that ran for the last 10 years has been replaced with an 18-minute spectacle that thrives on every nasty, un-funny double entendre under the moon. It's free to anyone walking by and there's nothing too overtly salacious (most of the jokes would go over kids' heads anyway), but the show's spirit is too wrapped up in trying to sell itself (and the hotel) on how young and sexy it is.
A sound system blares with the pre-recorded voices of the talented performers, but the music is a strange blend of rock influences, sounding like a cross between Lita Ford, Pat Benetar, and Salt N' Peppa. Thirteen sirens--all great-looking in gorgeous, alluring costumes--prowl around the ship and dance quite well. The choreography--what can be seen-- is quite exciting.
Sirens sing and dance on their ship, The Song, and the men sail over on their ship, the Bull, and try to rescue one of their own. But the audience is never quite sure what the captured pirate is being rescued from.
Creator-director-choreographer Kenny Ortega (of "Dirty Dancing" fame) has created a bizarre setting where the women are evil yet good, sexy yet innocent, and tough yet vulnerable. If that doesn't make any sense to you, you're not alone. Anyone who pays attention will leave the production perplexed as to whether the Sirens are wonderful or horrible. This is not complex character development, but rather contrived crumbs, each moment set up to either deliver a joke or thrust a hip with attitude.
Eleven muscular guys are even less discernable. (One is supposed to be some kind of bird creature and looks more like a Cirque du Soleil reject.) After the sirens blast holes in the ship and it starts to sink, they dive into the water and swim under the plank (an impressive feat during the very chilly Vegas winters), joining the women on the Song. The multi-million dollar special effects are quite good. The pirates and sirens wind up dancing together while the acrobats climb the ship masts and do some impressive flips on the flimsy platforms. (It's no surprise that high wind or other weather issues will cancel a show at any given time.)
It should be noted that the cast (39 dancers, singers and aerialists rotated) displays agility, talent and vocal power. They lip sync to their own lush voices because microphones would be too dangerous with all of the water.
The challenges of choreographing dancers and acrobats on two different ships were met with some proficiency. Even with the visual faux pas, the overriding problem with the production remains its lack of substance. Song lyrics that tell the audience to "come on in" because it's all inside are less about sexy pirates' battles and more about casino promotion. Emilio Estefan's score is loud and seems to service the hotel more than any semblance of a storyline.
Sirens of TI performs nightly at 6 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m. in Sirens' Cove at the front entrance of Treasure Island Hotel and Casino at 3300 S. Las Vegas Blvd. VIP viewing for Treasure Island guests is available and for $5, guests over 21 can enter a raised bar area (drink included). For more information call (702) 894-7111 or go to http://www.treasureisland.com/pages/ent_sirens.asp