EXTREME PERFORMANCE: Adding 'Shock!' value

Wild show not for the weak of heart

From vomiting to fainting to the mild grimace, the "Shock!" show at Bourbon Street is bound to evoke some reaction from everyone who views it.

Created by Scott Lewis and Robert Allen, local hypnotists and magicians who perform at the Riviera every night, "Shock!" adds a whole new element to the typical lounge show.

For the last year, crowds of people of all ages have lined up to view the show that begs the question, "Why would anyone want to do that?"

Lewis said the idea sprouted from the desire to do something different. Placing a hypnotized audience member's head in a tank with live sewer rats seemed to qualify as such. Although neither he nor Allen actually performs in the show, they oversee the production that features Zamora, the Torture King. Lucky for the audience, he only tortures himself.

"Zamora is the star of the show," said Allen, a 30-year Las Vegas resident and veteran Strip performer. "He's very famous. He does things like fire eating, and he lays on a bed of nails with about 700 pounds on him. He also sticks an eight-inch spoke through his arm and underneath his tongue through his chin, and there's no blood. It's phenomenal. He's controlled how he bleeds."

Allen said he ran an ad on the Internet in search of bizarre performers. The show contains 12 acts that defy the imagination and people's comfort levels.

Although people might assume that freakish performers draw similar crowds, Lewis said the majority of the people who attend the show are middle-aged.

"A lot of people's perception of the show is that the people who see it are heavily pierced and tattooed," he said. "But we get a lot of baby boomers and older people."

Allen, who wrote the show, said most people who see it, love it.

"It's got a lot of dark humor, a lot of surprises. We have a very unique Elvis impersonator," he said. "We kind of envision the show as a `Fear Factor' meets `Jackass' type of thing."

Allen is prepared to take criticism from those who might find "Shock!" too edgy for their liking.

"When you do a show of this type of cutting edge you have to expect that. It all depends on your taste," he said. "I wrote `Shock!' and Vegas-ized it. So it's like a sideshow with Vegas transitions. It's like nothing you've seen before."

Many of the larger hotels on the Strip, according to Allen, don't want to embrace "Shock!" because of its graphic and gory nature, but he and Lewis have definitely cornered the market on it. As other smaller hotels are embracing the show, the partners plan to eventually move it to another venue.

"We just really want to do stuff that's unique," Lewis said. "If you look at the success of the Blue Man Group and other acts that are unusual, I think people are ready for this type of show. If not in Vegas, then where?"

Tickets for the shows, at 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, are $24.95. Those interested can visit www.shockshow.com.


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