Bette Midler
Bette Midler Moves To Las Vegas

 

The 61-year-old Midler has agreed to a two-year contract to perform 100 shows a year. That's five nights a week for 20 weeks beginning February 20, 2007. Singer Bette Midler will take Dion's place at the Caesars Palace venue with a production called The Showgirl Must Go On… from Feb. 20 to March 9.

Midler says the show will feature plenty of feathers and sequins, a mix of ballads and upbeat dance numbers and of course, she will be joined by her famed backup trio, the Harlettes, who sing, they dance, and read minds.

What motivated you to do Las Vegas?
I love my show. I've been doing this show on and off for 35 years and every year they get a little bit bigger and harder to haul around. You go from one truck to two trucks, from two trucks to five trucks and five to 10 and once you get to 14 trucks you really feel bad. I really wanted to just sit in one place and see what I could come up with if I only sat in one place and didn't have to pack up every night. So, this is an opportunity to do it.

The Colosseum is an absolutely world-class theater. I thought I would die when I saw it. My God it's uncanny. It's just unbelievable. It's like an opera house. When the opportunity came up and I saw what other people were doing in it I thought, "I think I can do it." I had some confidence that I wasn't going to drown in the experience. But I've been wrong before. Who knows what's going to happen.

What will you be doing in the show?
We're going to sing as many hits as we can scrounge up. Some old songs, some brand - new songs. Do some production numbers with nudes and some surprises. I think it's going to be fun. It's only an hour and a half. I'm used to doing two hours, so I don't think it's going to be too hard.

You ever have bad nights?
I have nights where I'm not satisfied with myself, yes. I do. I say, Oh, I missed that, I missed this. But on the whole, if it's a good show, it kind of keeps you up, you know?

Why do you think that you have such a large gay following?
You know, I think I was the first person to go on national television and sort of talk about them. I was working a gay bathhouse. I was on my way up.  I was so poor. I was working in the theater for $200 a week, and I was so poor. And when this man who owned a bathhouse called me up and said, I'll give you $300 a night, I said, You'll give me what? I mean, I was so stunned that there was this kind of the money in the world. And when he said, it's a gay bathhouse, is that a problem for you? And I had no idea what he was talking about, so I said, no. No, that's no problem! Where do I go? So I went on Johnny Carson. He asked me what I was doing, and I said, I work in a bathhouse. I sing in a bathhouse. And I think people were stunned, and I think gay people were -- they sat up and said, Oh, my God. Someone is telling our tale.

Should gay people be allowed to marry?
I'm a really big believer in all the civil rights that everyone else has. I believe in gay people sharing the civil rights. I believe that they're entitled to them. I believe they're entitled to the insurances. I believe they're entitled to all those things... I'm of two minds. On the one hand, I'm a married woman. I took civil vows, though. I did not take religious vows.

What charities do you get behind?
I like the AIDS charities. I do AIDS charities. I do AIDS in Africa. I do -- I did Bridges for Community for a long time, which is low income housing -- low-income housing in South America. I do habitat -- I give to Habitat for Humanity. I give to -- I give -- I'll give them just -- you know what I've been doing? I have been working with the schools in New York City.

You’re a co-founder of New York Restoration Project
Yes, it's a labor of love. I like getting my hands dirty, and I'm nutty about cleaning up New York’s parks, because a lot of people have no access to beauty. That's why I like nature so much. Nature will provide you with beauty if you just get into it. I love nature-in spite of what it did to me. nyrp.org