For awhile I left this review alone to feature two grades - one from me and one from the audience. No longer. Because of certain things that have happened since this review was originally posted, mostly involving e-mails that I have received that creatively lambast my critique with insightful commentary that rhymes with duck blue, now it's all about my opinion.

My opinion is that these folks - a family act featuring music and comedy - are a glorified version of something you'd see at the Holiday Inn lounge off Route 5 in Topeka. And unfortunately that's more of insult to Topeka than it is for the Scintas. It is practically a fossilized remnant of a "classic" Vegas lounge act, just in a nicer showroom with better production values.

To be fair - although it pains me to do so - The Scintas, brothers Joey and Frank, sister Chrissi and "adopted" brother Pete are fine performers. They sing, they dance, they do impressions, and they tell jokes and for the most part the people who paid what I consider to be a ridiculous $60 per ticket seemed to really enjoy it. Much hooting, hollering, laughter, and applause followed the family.

I on the other hand sat there dumbstruck, wondering how these people managed to get a gig at such a high profile place like the showroom at The Rio. I mean, they are absolutely no better than the people that are toiling in the regular hotel lounges either in Vegas or in that Holiday Inn in Topeka. And in many ways, they are a lot worse.

They opened with "We Are Family," the Sister Sledge disco classic turned into almost a parody of the satires of such acts that have appeared on Saturday Night Live for two decades - from Bill Murray's lounge lizard to the Sweeney Sisters to the Culps. Later, Chrissi managed to turn the word "Crazy," the titular lament from Patsy Cline, into a fifteen syllable word. Cuh-ray-ay-zee-yuh. Okay, not fifteen, but five and that's three too many in my opinion.

And then there was the "comedy." I lost count of the groups they slurred. Polish jokes? Got 'em. Making fun of blind people? Oh yes. Several homophobic references scattered the show including that completely original bit about Siegfried and Roy being gay. Really? I had no idea! What a surprise and what an interesting bit of comedy. Please. It was crude, insulting, and more importantly not funny and it drove me for the exit 30 minutes before the show was over.

Now, you can accuse me of being too sensitive - that I should just lighten up and take it all as the frothy entertainment it was apparently meant to be. Sorry, but no. There are a lot of entertaining ways I can think of to blow $60 in Vegas without having to listen to this kind of garbage. 

Now, like I said, I usually try to give a broader view of things, because as with all critical review, it really is just a matter of opinion. There were actually a few critics who liked the newer "Star Wars" movies, and despite the fact that all the other critics laughed at them and don't invite them to their picnics anymore, it really points out the fact that everyone can look at the same thing but see a totally different picture.

So back to the audience. They really liked it. The Scintas packed the house and for the most part they entertained the people filling the seats and I guess that's really all you can ask for.

Unfortunately it's not all I can ask for.