Las Vegas offers more attractions for 18 and older crowd

LAS VEGAS - It's a new day in Las Vegas, and we're not just referring to the Celine Dion extravaganza at Caesars Palace.

The buzzword in Sin City is adult, with a capital A. Not only are the resort casinos raising the stakes with unique and elaborate entertainment like Dion's show, which combines her singing with the artistry of Cirque du Soleil, but they want to remind you that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. In other words, come and have the kind of fun you'd only tell your best friend about - if you'd even tell him.

Some of this adult edge is evident when you walk down the Strip, the highway along which the casinos blast their neon come-ons. There will be more reminders soon when New York New York brings a third Cirque du Soleil show to the city this summer. This one, for the older than 18 crowd, is being called a "provocative exhibition of human sensuality."

And that family oriented pirate fight in front of Treasure Island will be gone. Instead, there will be "Sirens of TI." (TI is the new nickname - Treasure Island remains its official name.) In the new show, sexy girls will fight pirates in what the resort calls a "sensual modern interpretation" of the old "Battle of Buccaneer Bay."

Changes are apparent inside the clubs and casinos, too. The restroom of Paris Hotel's Risque, one of the many "ultra" lounges with suggestive one-word names proliferating around the city, is divided by a translucent wall. Designer Heather Kovacs says you can see through the glass if you press up against it.

We didn't try it - but we can attest that you can see shadows of what's going on the other side. Look up at the blood-red vaulted ceiling and you'll notice that the wall only goes partially up, which allows sound to travel easily. Private ain't so private, but it does feel a little bit naughty.

"We wanted it to be sexy; we wanted to be a bit risky," Kovacs says.

Vegas, on the other hand, might prefer playing the safe house odds, but it's being forced to take increasing risks when it comes to entertainment and luring people to the city. Indian resort casinos are springing up all over the country, which means that gambling is not the attraction it once was in Vegas.

Once upon a time, Vegas was the only place you could see certain entertainers, but now Indian casinos - which span the country from Pechanga in Southern California to Foxwoods in Connecticut - are bringing in such headliners as Jay Leno, Bill Cosby and Tony Bennett.

That explains why Caesars gambled on the Dion show. This despite the fact that Park Place Entertainment, which owns Caesars and built the 4,100-seat Colosseum at a cost of some $90 million, doesn't even get a cut of the gate. (The singer is expected to draw sellout crowds for 200 dates for each of the next three years.) Instead, PPE is counting on the increased business at its gaming tables, restaurants and hotel.

Dion's show has been a major attraction for adults since it began on March 25. It includes its own sensual set piece - the bluesy "(Everything You Do) Seduces Me" - in which Dion sits back in an oversize chair as shirtless male dancers writhe around her.

On opening night there were 23 set pieces in the show created by Cirque du Soleil veteran Franco Dragone. And since then new numbers have been inserted and the order of others has been changed.

Meanwhile, the new R-rated Cirque show that is opening at New York New York this summer - it'll be called "Zumanity" - will not be topless, but both the troupe and the casino are promising more skin.

There are already two other Cirque shows running in Vegas - "O" at the Bellagio and "Mystere" at Treasure Island. But for those who already found eroticism in the French-Canadian circus, in which athletic men and women in tight outfits turn themselves into human pretzels, "Zumanity" likely will confirm it.

When you mention the press-release descriptions of "Sirens of TI," publicist Jennifer Michaels giggles a little. But she is quick to point out that the show would "absolutely be appropriate" if someone did want to bring their family.

"It's going to be women - they may be in bathing suits at times," she said, "but they're going to do stunts and acrobatics. And there will be terrific music that creates a real energy. Keep in mind that it's on the Las Vegas Strip, and it's going to be a free attraction. So there are lines that you can in no way cross."

The change in the show only reflects the change that has been going on at TI, which now sees itself as a Caribbean-themed resort, Michaels said. TI had a 25,000-square-foot arcade for kids when it opened in 1993; now it has a 1,200-square-foot area. Many of the pirate icons are gone, too.

Instead, the casino opened a splashy new restaurant called Kahunaville, with island food and exotic drinks. (Themed restaurants and fine dining with the name of some famous chef attached is another trend in Vegas meant to attract visitors.)

Why the change?

"Back in 1993, Las Vegas was perceived to be re-designing itself to be appealing to families, and I think that it failed," Michaels said. "Parents who brought their kids were disappointed because, at the heart of it, Las Vegas was still about an adult destination. So MGM Grand closed its theme park, and you have definitely seen a return in recent years to people focusing on Las Vegas as an adult destination with night life and nightclubs and gambling."