Man In The Mirror at the Reno Eldorado
A Review by Kevin Reeves
Staff Writer
Center-stage performers masquerade as freaky, in-your-face rebels (now lunge and gyrate to the iconic lyrics of Michael Jackson’s “Bad”). Melodic vocalists spit verses about discord and malcontent (just watch the music video for “Scream” featuring Michael and Janet Jackson). Life-embracing humans peer across the abyss to invoke grave images of the deceased (so cue the beat to “Thriller” by Michael Jackson). Delicious dichotomies and askew reflections abound in the appropriately titled show “Man In The Mirror,” a Michael Jackson tribute currently playing at the Reno Eldorado through August 3rd 2012. Courtesy Photo Eldorado: Moonwalk
My sister and I didn’t have to live our lives as quintessential Michael Jackson fans to find one another surprisingly caught up in the spirit of Jackson’s thoughtful lyrics, grooving beats, and undeniably first-class dance moves, one Saturday night in the downtown casino showroom. And the King of Pop wasn’t even there to inspire us, although his energy was definitely conjured in spades by the tiptop musicians and dancers flipping, pouncing, moon-walking, and sizzling across the stage. There were no tacky impersonation attempts; just a gushing, fast-paced homage to the many original flavors and styles within Jackson’s extensive musical repertoire.
Michael Jackson’s life may have been rife with controversy fueled by blood-thirsty paparazzi, but that couldn’t keep his astonishing 45-year music career from blasting its way into the collective, international art consciousness. Like a map of Hollywood star homes, the “Man In The Mirror” show unwrapped on stage to highlight many unique points in Jackson’s wide spectrum.
Everyone could taste the salty heat when Miami’s Alvester Martin sang the sinfully seductive “Dirty Diana,” set afire by the shamelessly snake-like dance moves of Aja DePaolo as she writhed atop a table for all to see. Carefully ensuring no one performer was exalted above any of the others, every male singer on the cast--from church gospel-bred Jerahmy Maples, to Huntington Beach’s Alexander Bartosch, to the aforementioned Alvester Martin, to South Central L.A.’s Alfred Jackson— took equal turns shooting us in our chests with lyrical bullets, leaving us delightfully aware that we’d been hit by a “Smooth Criminal.”
And don’t get me started on how the cast’s incredible moves begged us to get out of our chairs and body-snap to Jackson’s iconic “Bad” and “Beat It.” Before long, the same cast looked like a zombie wedding party as they lurched and tweaked their way around the stage in tattered all-white costumes to re-envision the hauntingly funky “Thriller,” and you know this horror genre fan could not have been more enthralled. Courtesy Photo Eldorado: Thriller - Zombie Lurch
The heartache ballads were also represented. Singer Dwanna Orange’s gorgeous performance of “Human Nature” dropped nearly every jaw in the room; when her velvety voice poured out the lines “Why, why, does he do me that way? ... tell ‘em that it’s human nature,” there was hardly a dry eye in the house. Orange even joined choral forces with the entire singing male cast plus Robin Simone (whose singing and songwriting has landed her three Billboard chart dance hits) to float before giant digital videos of planet Earth’s diverse landscapes, as they recreated Jackson’s environmentally aware “Earth Song.”
Throughout the show, dizzying pairs of twirling dancers simultaneously slapped us from different angles with contrasting moves, and I was left wanting to see this show a second time, just to catch what I know I missed; after all, we audience members can only focus on one spectacle at a time, even if our eyes do dart back and forth to try drinking it all in at once. I would have been even more exhausted, had it not been for the expertly-timed poignant and bittersweet video snippets of quotes, played across a giant on-stage screen, to show Janet Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Motown producer Berry Gordy, and others as they shared intimate thoughts on the departed King of Pop. Even Michael himself was displayed onscreen; sharing his conflicted views of the arduous process he underwent to tour the world, time and again. Courtesy Photo Eldorado: Breakdancers Show
It’s all about the singing, the dancing, the costumes, the interview quotes, the lights, the transforming set, the energy, and the penultimate moment when the cast directly told us to stand up and show them what we got while they performed Jackson 5’s “ABC” (which we did, with exuberance), I’m just glad this show runs through August 3rd at the Reno Eldorado, so I can have a chance to pull as many friends as possible to pay our respects to Michael Jackson and get our groove on at this sensational tribute, “Man In The Mirror.”
Editor's Note: Dwanna Orange, one of the singers in the cast, and a vocal standout in 'Human Nature', is a 23 year old singer/writer who grew up in the Los Angeles area singing in church. At the age of 14 she started writing her own songs and singing/competing in local talent shows. She was 14 when she won a $500 singing competition hosted by comedian Steve Harvey. At 16 she won three shows at New York's, Showtime at the Apollo singing competition. At the age of 17 she won BET's, 106 and Park "Wild out Wednesday" singing competition. This is her second year performing with the "Man in the Mirror" tour. Last year she performed in London, England, Barcelona,Spain, Amsterdam,Holland, Niagara Falls, Canada and Monte Carlo, France while on the tour. When she completes her tour in Reno she will go to Beirut, Lebanon, Amman, Jordan and finish the tour in Chicago. Photo courtesy Dwayne Orange
Now Playing: "Man in the Mirror" Reserve tickets for “Man in the Mirror” in the Eldorado Showroom today! Performances Tuesday through Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 7 and 9:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 and 7 p.m. Tickets prices start at just $19.95 with dinner and show packages from only $29.95 and room and show from just $49! For more information on show times and tickets call 1-800-648-5966 or visit www.eldoradoreno.com.
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