Performers and models arrived on October 23, at the Aruba Hotel and Spa to audition for the Halloween Costume Fashion Show - hosted by CEO Blaque of Blaque Technologies.
The Aruba Hotel & Spa started as the Thunderbird Hotel & Casino.At first glimpse, the Hotel appears to be very quiet.Photos of the Thunderbird Hotel & Casino adorn the black and red walls.The antique statues that adorn the hotel give the Aruba an amazing charm, warm, inviting.The vibes of performers past energize this jazzy joint, as if to call out and assure you this is where you want to be.
At first the atmosphere seemed calm and quiet; however as the night progressed so did the crowd. Elvis impersonator Pete Willcox begins to set up his equipment for his performance. I had a chance to speak to Pete before he got started.He had this to say about the rebirth of the Aruba Hotel, "I've been here since 1967 and I had no idea that the Aruba was even here".
Pete gloated and raved about the look and feel of the Lounge room, "With the proper promoters' in place, I can really see this place going far and becoming a success with bringing the Aruba back to its original root's".
Pete delivered a brilliant impersonation of Sammy Davis Jr. and his famous "Candy Man".His mirror image performance of Frank Sinatra's "Must Be A Lady Tonight" was a smash!
The room is dim and the only thing you can see or hear is Elvis rocking out on stage, all while Shaun - a Sylvester Stallone impersonator, chats on the phone about the Elvis performance wearing a big smile on his face.
Pete's Elvis impersonation ended with "It's Not Unusual To Be Loved By You." He received a deserving standing ovation. I can hardly wait for another performance.
As Pete's session wraps up, Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland appear through the dimly lit room.Actually, it was Susan Goulet as Liza and Denise Rose as Judy Garland.
Susan has performed at New York, New York, Bally's, Bally's Grand, Bally's Park Place, and Palace in London. Susan's last Las Vegas performance was in 2007 at the Tropicana.That performance brought in a crowd of 1,000 plus.
Susan takes a seat across from me.She is wearing a red dress coat sprinkled in glitter.Beneath that, she wore a black dress with specks of glitter.Her nails were short and red.She had a red scarf draped around her neck. Looking very eager to show us what she had, she burst out in a verse, "There's no business like show business", and proceeded with her preparations.
Susan seemed pleased by the look of the Aruba.She said that she would love to bring her crew to perform on a regular basis. "I love the feel of the Aruba, it's beautiful."
Denise Rose approached, fashioning a perfectly fitted black dress that glittered brightly in the dimly lit room.Adding to her sparkle, a dainty diamond bracelet wrapped snugly about her wrist.She spoke with elegance and grace. "The people miss the classic Vegas.I'm a big Motown fan.It's as if I missed walking in and seeing the lounges and hearing the "old music".The performers were authentic.They looked great!" Denise also expressed her opinion about rock and hip-hop; how it has evolved negatively.
People in the audience scurry to fill the front row seats as Judy and Liza present on stage.
The duo begins with "Hello Dolly", sharing the microphone. As the song draws to an end, Liza gears up for her solo Cabaret.The energy she brought was phenomenal, an animated twist to her personality. She captured everyone's attention.Although this was only an audition she sang and danced as if she were dancing in front of a crowd of two thousand people.
The Judy Garland performance brings the room to a mellow pace with the soulful "Over The Rainbow" song.The crowd loved the energy and radiance.This woman puts the light in the word glow.One could sense her warmth with every note she bolted out.
She points to me as she sings a verse from the song "Dreams Do Come True".I smile and feel the warmth and wetness of happy tears.As I turn my gaze from the stage I notice that the audience has seemingly succumbed to the same spell of the Judy Garland impersonation.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the auditions. I can hardly wait to join the Aruba for their grand re-opening on November 18 - a Harlem Nights theme.
According to Sage, Blaque Technologies regional manager, "We are going to touch every aspect of this hotel."
Story by Keshia Wells
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