Las Vegas Nightlife Spots

We applaud Mandalay Bay for making it safe for casinos to offer genuine theater options for their patrons; without them, there would be no Phantom or Spamalot. Their first attempt was a production of the revival of Chicago (we can only imagine the business it would have done post-2003 Oscars!), and this charming and fluffy show is their second. It seems even better-suited for Vegas audiences, since it's all-ages, innocuous, and promotes much clapping and dancing. There is little of substance in the story, a loose narrative created solely for the purposes of bringing the many, many hit songs of the Swedish '70s wonder group ABBA to the stage. Don't get us wrong; it's quite cute, as a young woman on the eve of her wedding, longing for the father she never knew to be a part of her present happiness, brings the three men who are the most likely biological daddy to her Greek island home, forcing her long-independent mother to face up to her past and make choices for the future. Some of the songs fit better than others, but all are sung with the appropriate breezy joy. We want to shake the director when we witness all too many broad gestures and pointless scamperings during the rare moments of dialogue, but the cast is earnest and those darn Swedes wrote songs that we have to admit, 30 years on, are still mighty infectious. Sunday through Thursday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 6 and 10pm.

- Frommer's