V -- The Ultimate Variety Show

Variety acts take the spotlight

By Caroline Fontein

When it comes to deciding on a show to see in Las Vegas it can be hard to find one that caters to everyone’s tastes, but not if you’re watching V The Ultimate Variety show. This revue features a selection of highly-talented specialty acts from around the world that include everything from stunning gymnastic feats to hilarious comedy.

On the night the show was attended, the cast included a master juggler, two crazy gauchos, a rhythmic gymnast, aerialists and two outrageous performers who have their own unique brand of entertainment.

Wally Eastwood, a world renowned juggler, is both the host and first performer of the night. He starts the show with a mesmerizing juggling routine. Eastwood’s enthusiasm, paired with his mind boggling talent has everyone cheering.

“If you really want to enjoy the show and experience variety, start drinking,” says Eastwood. It’s the first of many jokes that he tells during the evening. His likeable personality and playful demeanor translate into a good time for those in attendance.

Next, The Crazy Gauchos, Eduardo Lomé and Hugo Latorre from Argentina, take the stage and follow Eastwood’s lead of infusing comedy into their routine. They are dressed in traditional garb and perform a fast-paced drum routine. They stomp their feet in perfect time to the upbeat rhythm resounding from their drums. After the applause dies down, the two men tell jokes and even get the audience to do the wave as they compete over which one of them is the crowd favorite.

Tamara Yeroffyeva, a Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast, is the next performer. She has competed in professional gymnastics championships around the world, and she placed sixth at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Her graceful movements enchant the audience as she demonstrates a series of beautiful poses while spinning a hula hoop on her legs or arms. Yeroffyeva’s routine becomes even more impressive as an increasing number of hula hoops are added while she continues to move and dance around the stage.

The mood transforms back into explosive comedy when Eastwood reappears while juggling hats. He effortlessly throws the hats in the air and manages to balance them on his head before they are passed to his other hand, all in perfect rhythm. After wowing the audience again he introduces “the strangest act in the show,” Russ Merlin.

Merlin performs a comedy act with four volunteers from the audience. Each volunteer is given an outrageous mask to wear and assigned a different gesture to make when Merlin taps them on the shoulder. It’s not long before the entire audience is laughing at the hilarious scene he creates on stage.

Chris Santistevan and John Hams are the next performers to amaze the audience with their aerialist routine. They start on stage and in seconds they’re flying above the crowd, gracefully flipping and spinning in mid-air.

Eastwood reappears to perform the most impressive of all his routines. This time instead of juggling, he has balls that he throws on a large keyboard. Each bounce results in a different note. It is incredible to see him rapidly throw the balls at the keyboard and then hear parts of familiar songs like “Funkytown,” “Brick House and “Fur Elise.”

Joe Trammel is the final act for the night. He does a physical comedy routine where he morphs into various well-known entertainment icons through the use of hilarious props, costumes and music. One second he is Superman and the next he is a member of the Jackson Five. A television rolled on stage acts as a prop cart from which Trammel pulls his wacky contraptions. Laughter arises from the audience at Trammel’s ever-changing appearance.

If you are looking for a night of big laughs paired with an assortment of awe-inspiring entertainment, V -The Ultimate Variety Show has it all.