Sunday, April 20, 2008

Bette Midler revisits disabled character in Vegas show


Bette Midler as Delores Delago

Delores Delago, a staple in past Bette Midler shows, reappears in her new long-running Las Vegas show, "The Showgirl Must Go On." The Delago character is a mermaid who uses a power wheelchair, and participates in a chorus line of wheelchair-using mermaids.

Here's a YouTube clip of Delores Delago singing "New York, New York." The One Heck of a Guy blog also has a clip of another Delago "Fishtails over Broadway" bit, in which the mermaids dance with and in wheelchairs and sing "One" from "A Chorus Line." Midler as Delago descends the stairs in a chair lift, as the other mermaids sing a specific Delores Delago tribute song using the music from "Hello Dolly."

Being a complete sucker for Broadway musicals, I think it's a fun performance, but would love to hear what you think. Please send me some comments.

Midler received some great coverage of her new Vegas show in March, with a positive review of the show in The New York Times and a profile in New York magazine.