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You Bette! Bette Midler Proves She’s Still the Ultimate Showgirl by Shep Morgan If Bette Midler had any doubts about hitting the jackpot in her triumphant return to Las Vegas in “The Showgirl Must Go On,” they were laid to rest the moment she appeared onstage at The Colosseum. The audience went wild when she emerged from a pile of Louis Vuitton luggage to belt out the savagely funny title song. The Divine Miss M—Academy Award®-nominated movie star, Emmy® Award-winning TV star, GRAMMY® Award-winning singer and showbiz legend—easily conquered the 4,100-plus sellout crowd at the Caesars Palace venue where Céline Dion had been a sensation for five years. “It’s the biggest stage I’ve ever been on, and I realized that you can’t let it intimidate you,” Midler said. “I think my kick was as high as it ever was,” she said with a laugh. “People want to be entertained and that’s what I’ve been doing for a lot of years. We’re going back to the showbusiness style that made Vegas a mecca for performers.” The first time she played Vegas, a couple decades ago, Midler wasn’t a headliner, but she was a hit. “I opened for Johnny Carson at the Sahara, way back in the day,” she remembered. “The stage was small, and people were sitting at banquettes. I just had a ball.” Now, Midler is in The Colosseum with a show that has been loved by both audiences and critics for its fabulous blend of high heels, low laughs and all the songs her fans can’t wait to hear. “We start out very big and bold and brassy. Our show has humor, it’s got tears, and it’s got beautiful young people—those leggy Caesar Salad Girls,” she said of her dancers. 
All photos courtesy of Harrah’s Entertainment
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