counting down

The Divine Miss M is packing up and heading for Las Vegas.

By ANN HENDERSON | January/February 2008

Photo: PR

Bette Midler’s theatrical trunks will be filled with her bawdy humor, outrageous characters, and her “kiss my brass” musicians when she becomes the resident headliner February 20 at Caesars Palace. Midler replaces Celine Dion, whose last performance on December 15 ended her nearly five-year run on the Strip.

“Get ready Vegas, ’cause here I come!” the entertainer says of her new production. “We’re coming with the biggest show we’ve ever done,” Midler says. “We have feathers, rhinestones, sequins, and half-naked ladies—we might even have some really naked ladies.”

Since November, a cast of 20 dancers has been rehearsing in Los Angeles and New York to learn the intricate hip-hop and athletic sequences conceived by Toni Basil, the Emmy Award-winning artist who has been Midler’s choreographer for 20 years.

Midler, who has been described by critics as “over the top,” promises “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” Miss M says she understands what audiences are looking for, including glamour, comedy, color, the latest in fashion, wonderful arrangements, and a great band. “I have a couple of characters that I drag with me everywhere, and they are very funny,” Midler says. “Crowds love [their] terrible jokes.”

The Queen of the Crude Remarks, 93-year-old Soph, the oldest living showgirl, and Delores Delago, a wheelchair-bound mermaid, will be making guest appearances during the show. This may sound tacky, but Midler can get away with edgy material and make audiences love it. Her fans and peers realize Miss M is so much more than just a funny lady. The proof is on her living room mantle.

Since playing Las Vegas in the 1970s as an opening act for Johnny Carson, Midler has been awarded four Grammys, four Golden Globes, three Emmys, and a Tony. For her starring role and performing the title song in the film, The Rose, she won two of the Golden Globes, a Grammy, and an Oscar nomination for best actress.

Of her new gig at Caesars Palace, Midler says her fans will hear the hits, such as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” but reminds them, “It’s not just a concert. It’s a show.”