Trust the Eldorado casino in Reno to come up with something different for its annual Christmas show. The folks there consistently bring big shows and solid talent to Reno year around. This holiday season it's Holiday Ice Spectacular, which opened last week on a portable ice rink on the parking lot at Fourth and Sierra streets just outside the casino.
The outdoor practice rink at the Eldorado is 36 -by-64 feet and took 48 hours to build using 4,000 gallons of water. Show performers will practice daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. so you might want to get a sneak preview there.
The Eldorado Showroom stage will be transformed into an ice skating rink with a state-of-the-art system that creates real, sparkling ice.
The Holiday Ice Spectacular is a colorful spectacle of world-class figure skaters. Dozens of performers will lift, turn, axel and twirl to a modern mix of holiday favorites.
Festive costumes, high energy routines of precision and a contemporary version of "The Nutcracker" will offer audiences holiday cheer. Tickets are $28.95 for adults, $19.95 for children and $23.95 for seniors. Dinner and show packages are available from $38.95. Call (800) 648-5966 or 786-5700 or see Eldoradoreno.com.
Take the kids to see the show; it might inspire them to take up the sport, and Kristi Yamaguchi did pretty well skating to championships and fortune.
TALENT ON DISPLAY
The Tubes featuring Fee Waybill plays at Harrah's Lake Tahoe Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the South Shore Room. Tickets are $25 at (800) 786-8208 or at SouthShoreRoom.com. Saturday it's "Abbacadabra, The Ultimate ABBA Concert" at Harrah's. This one is also $25.
Terry Fator opens things up at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Winner of "America's Got Talent," Fator's is a one-man show of family entertainment. Tickets range from $108.90; that includes a meet-and-greet to $38.50. Call 800-648-3568.
At Harveys at the Lake, the Improv hold forth nightly, with tickets $25 on Tuesday-Friday and $30 on Saturday night. Also there's a free show by Black Kettle of Tahoe. Call 588-2411.
At Harrah's Reno the long-running Greg London show continues as he impersonates just about every show biz personality. Call 786-3232.
At the Nugget in Sparks the Australian Pink Floyd show plays Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. This is a tribute band that does all of Floyd's stuff, including electronic projection. They offer the Floyd "The Wall" in concert form. Tickets are $32 at (800) 648-1177 or at janugget.com.
GUNN PHOTO SHOW
Former Nevada Appeal photographer Rick Gunn appeared before a packed house at the Brewery Performance Hall Tuesday night with a stunning collection of his pictures from his round-the-world bike marathon. "Soulcycler" Rick offered a thoughtful commentary on the many countries he visited as his images flashed on the screen. He did three shows that day, two at schools for students. He'll be presenting his show around the area for the next few months. Check his Web site, soulcycler@yahoo.com.
BOOK NOTES
Greg Iles' "The Footprints of God" (546 pages, Pocket Star Books, $9.99) is a thriller with religion and moral questions tossed in. It concerns the United States intelligence services building a super computer that will allow total knowledge of all that is going on. You're never sure who is the good guy and who's the bad, but finding out is a lot of fun. If you want to know just how far the CIA and NSA have gone along this path, check the library's copy of "The Shadow Factory" by James Bamford. He wrote "Body of Lies," recently playing in the Galaxy at Fandango.
FROM THE VAULTS
The film "Claire's Knee" is one of the classics by Eric Rohmer as part of his "Six Moral Tales" series. This is French cinema at its restrained best with fresh (to Americans) talent set in France by Lake Annecy. An architect, Jerome (Jean-Claude Brialy) is to marry in a few days but meets his old friend Aurora (Aurora Cornu), a novelist. She challenges him to seduce her 14-year-old friend Laura (Beatrice Roman). He climbs mountains with the girl who falls for him, but he instead becomes fascinated with her half sister, Claire. He has one desire " to put his hand on her knee, nothing else. May not sound like a fascinating tale, but Rohmer makes a quiet tribute to love in its many forms. Not rated by probably would be PG-13, made in 1971 and runs one hour and 41 minutes.
- Contact Sam Bauman at editor@nevadaappeal.com.