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Voltaire's 'BELLE DE NUIT' - Glamorous Curiosities on Parade

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Voltaire's 'BELLE DE NUIT' - Glamorous Curiosities on Parade

Unique, unusual production is difficult to categorize...or analyze...

UPDATE 5/30/24 - VOLTAIRE has announced the impending closure of BELLE DE NUIT. It is unclear whether the variety acts will continue to be featured as a warm-up to headliner productions, but all signs seem to be pointing towards "no". Last week I had the opportunity to attend two very unusual productions. First was The Gasping Whisper, a wildly engaging horror-themed revue at Nightmare Cafe (I'll cover that soon). Then there is BELLE DE NUIT, a puzzling collection of acts now playing at Venetian's VOLTAIRE.

You may recall the tirade in which I called VOLTAIRE "gouging, redefined" (read it here). I stand by that assessment even after having visited the extreme-luxury superlounge. VOLTAIRE's business model is disgusting in its goal to blatantly rip every goddamned cent from the pockets of its patrons. The fact that Venetian would approve of and support such abuse of its guests helped to land the resort a "Grinch Award" in my 2023 "Best-of, Worst-of, and WTF" list. Execs at the world-famous destination should hang their heads in shame...then reel in this atrocity.

Only the rich and foolish have entered these doors. So far...

That being said, my desire to experience VOLTAIRE remained. Current headliners Kylie Minogue and Christina Aguilera are exciting artists, but their exorbitant ticket prices and outrageous mandatory food/beverage minimums deliberately exclude all but the most affluent and pound-foolish individuals. So it was exciting to discover that the venue's pre-show BELLE DE NUIT was being packaged as a standalone production...with affordable ticket prices! [gallery ids="44801,44802,44803,44804"] Despite a majority of gnarly reviews on TripAdvisor by deeply dissatisfied patrons (click on the above screenshots to read them for yourself), VOLTAIRE has created some undeniable buzz. Those who've attended rave about its lush design and atmosphere. Too bad the same can't be said for its service. This seems to be the consistent gripe from naysayers.

During my entire stay, I was never visited by a cocktail server. This was even though the audience numbered less than forty patrons, with numerous staff members standing in the corners throughout the evening. You're forced to spend hundreds on drinks at VOLTAIRE during the weekends (your credit card is pre-charged), but good luck getting one on a Thursday night.

VOLTAIRE recently announced BELLE DE NUIT as a weeknight event with prices starting at $75 (plus taxes/fees). I knew this would be a great opportunity to finally get inside and experience the venue for myself. After a premiere launch for friends, family, and media (VEGAS 411 was unsurprisingly not invited), this writer purchased a ticket for the second evening. Here's my take.

The English translation for "belle de nuit" is "beauty of the night". How it applies here is anyone's guess. BELLE DE NUIT is not exactly a show, but a collection of glamorous, sensual physical acts. It's a fever-dream sequence from a European art film infused with disco-heyday elements from Studio 54. It has a deejay and is emceed by a dapper gentleman who acts as a guide and anchor.

Relatively brief (coming in at about 70 minutes including intermission), BELLE DE NUIT is a fashion show with a runway. It's an acrobatic show with a stripper pole and an aerial pole. It offers splits, flips, and plenty of skin. There are high heels, kinky boots, beautiful bodies, and haute couture. [video width="2336" height="1080" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/10053700/20240118_213025.mp4"][/video]

BELLE DE NUIT is packed with dancing, prancing, leaping, and vogueing. The cast provides glamorous women, shredded gentlemen, same-sex eroticism, and a heaping helping of androgyny. There are vampires, astronauts, and a cross-dresser. A slamming soundtrack blasts through a beautifully-calibrated sound system and the lighting effects are stunning. But WTF does it mean? [video width="2336" height="1080" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/10053328/20240118_221820.mp4"][/video] One memorable sequence involves a heavily tattooed woman with a shaved head. It begins as she lounges provocatively with a vintage telephone. Armed with attitude and a live-stream camera, she struts the runway, pulling the audience into her fantasy. Whether this display is meant to skewer "selfie culture" is unclear. but it was definitely an attention-grabber. [video width="2336" height="1080" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/10053349/20240118_220232.mp4"][/video] The cast is uniformly excellent and downright stunning. A lot of physical effort has gone into making this show possible. At least one act was out due to injury on the night that I attended. This may have added to the feeling of "incompleteness" that I experienced. Even so, each segment was executed with perfection.

Presenting pre-show entertainment as its own entity can work. But it needs to be wound with cohesive thread, which is lacking here. Multi-act productions like ABSINTHE and ROUGE engage the audience because of the hosts, not despite them. I came away from BELLE DE NUIT feeling more than a little conflicted. For those who love fashion, design, sensual acrobatics, or want to see the inside of VOLTAIRE, I encourage you to check out BELLE DE NUIT. But don't be surprised if you're scratching your head on the way out.

One final note - if the failures of Fuerza Bruta and Blanc de Blanc taught us anything, it's that Las Vegas audiences won't buy tickets to concepts they can't instantly grasp or easily pronounce. If the name isn't changed, then "BELLE DE NUIT' will continue to play to hundreds of empty seats.

BELLE DE NUIT performs at Voltaire Lounge at Venetian Resort Las Vegas. Showtimes are Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9:15 pm. Tickets start at $75.00 (plus taxes/fees) and can be ordered here. The show is intended for adult audiences. All photos/video by VEGAS 411. Banner concept art by VOLTAIRELV via Instagram