Review: Divas Las Vegas at Imperial Palace

The curtain call:
(L-R, front) - Cher, Britney Spears, 2 male dancers, Tina Turner, Bette Midler
(L-R, stage riser) - Diana Ross, male dancer, Madonna/Celine Dion diva in his street clothes, Frank as Joan Rivers, Janet Jackson, male dancer, Liza Minnelli

It's been awhile since I've seen a new, truly "Vegas" show; one where the entertainers are unique to Vegas, and anywhere else might be met by the shake of a head or a dismissive thought.  Giving Hayley the option to see something very "Vegas-y" during our November trip led her to select Divas Las Vegas at the Imperial Palace.

We picked up our tickets for the 10:00 p.m. show at the Imperial Palace box office at around 8:30 p.m.  I ordered the tickets on Goldstar.com for $42 each the night before we left, which is about half the advertised price of $98 for their VIP seating.  I saw a discounted ticket offer in "Las Vegas 24/7" magazine, and I also had a 2-for-1 ticket offer in the Planet Hollywood coupons I received at check-in, so there are plenty of options for discounted tickets available if you take the time to look for them.  Our VIP tickets were assigned to table 13, seats 3 and 4, which were right next to the stage according to the seating chart we saw at the box office.  This could be interesting.  

Divas Las Vegas has a giant, scary Tina Turner performer who comes out to greet the audience while they're waiting in line before the show.  I started to worry a little bit about what we were going to see because he/she was very BIG, but I shouldn’t have worried at all – giant Tina Turner was the scariest part of the experience…aside from the scary-looking Whitney Houston/Diana Ross, but that’s a whole ‘nother story, given how both currently look in real life.

Once you're seated in the showroom, waitresses come around to take drink orders, but they have a hard time getting everyone's order filled and delivered before the show begins.  I think having them walking around during the performances is a bit distracting.  Drink prices are posted on the table, but be warned:  a small, $5 glass of soda is a high price to pay for a non-alcoholic drink at any show.  Also, if the seats at the front tables aren't filled a few minutes before showtime, you might find yourself bumped up to VIP seating, because Frank likes to see people next to the stage at every performance.

Divas was a really good show, full of lots of songs, innuendo and catty banter.  Frank Marino as Joan Rivers might not as spot-on as he once was (or so I've heard), but he sure has some fabulous outfits!  After his opening “monologue”, Frank makes about 15 total costume changes in between each performer's songs.  His constant comments about his makeup, sex life and the male backup dancers is humorous, but I don't know if I'd enjoy it over and over again.  I can't imagine coming up with new jokes about the same old stuff for too long.

One of Frank's/Joan's many outfits

Even though the signs at the box office say no one under age 14 allowed, I saw a couple of smaller kids (like 6-7 years old) being seated, and it was NOT a PG show!  That was a bit of a surprise, especially after Hayley and I were turned away from Carrot Top’s show the day before for her being under 18.  There is a lot of sexual innuendo and colorful language by Frank/Joan throughout the show, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with children under 15 myself.  It would absolutely make a great show for a group of ladies to attend together, and I saw several straight couples - young and old - who were thoroughly enjoying themselves, as well.

I was happy to hear that photos are actually ENCOURAGED during the show, and I did my best to take lots of them.  I didn’t use my flash, though, because I didn’t want to blind anyone on the stage or in the audience.  It is the only show on the Strip - besides Terry Fator - where you are told that taking photos is absolutely fine and encouraged.

A little Rhythm Nation, anyone?

Aside from Frank, who only appears as Joan Rivers, each performer appears as two divas during the course of the show.  I can’t remember every single one of them, but in my opinion the best were Madonna, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears and Cher.  Diana Ross was the scariest looking diva close-up - he/she shook hands with Hayley and I, and his/her face and eyelashes were...frightening, to say the least.  The Britney Spears/Lady Gaga performer, Derek, was scary only because he looked very much like the REAL Britney!  I remember him appearing on “America’s Got Talent” a couple of years ago, and when they cut him from the show, he said it was okay because he was going to Vegas to perform.  Well, here he is!  Hayley said it’s wrong for a Britney Spears drag queen to look better in a bikini than she does.  I have to agree with her on that point.

Britney Spears.  Wow!

Seriously, it's just wrong to look that good.

I don't know where he's hiding it...

Scary Diana doesn't look too bad far away...

I really admire Frank Marino’s dedication to his work.  He’s been appearing as Joan Rivers for 26 years now, and he is very involved in the Make a Wish Foundation, which is an awesome charity to begin with and a great way to give back to the community.  Proceeds from the sale of his programs, t-shirts and Joan Rivers fans go to Make a Wish.  Every diva should do that!


I give this show a 7 out of 10 rating because I don't really care for the table seating and the waitress distractions, but it's a good, solid show.  It's not as flashy as a production show like Cirque du Soleil's "LOVE", or quite as entertaining as Terry Fator's extremely talented self makes his one-man show, but it's a great way to spend an evening at a decent price.


Tickets are available at Goldstar.com and the Imperial Palace box office, but can also be found on other websites.  Again, VIP seating is not necessary if you don't want to be "up close and personal", or if you'd like to take a chance and see if you get bumped up to better seats.