Sirens of TI

The Sirens of TI was a free nightly show provided by the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The show entailed a group of sensual and tempting sirens engaging with a band of renegade pirates led by the infamous Blackbeard.

Sirens of TI
Location:3300 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Casino:Treasure Island Hotel and Casino
Cost:Free
First showOctober 26, 2003 (2003-10-26)
Last showOctober 19, 2013 (2013-10-19)

Story

The show opens with Siren leader "Sin" Cinnamon narrating a warning about their power over the sea. Soon afterwards, the adventuring pirate Eros boards the Siren ship The Song, after which he is discovered and overwhelmed by its crew. Eros is bound to the mast and demands his release, threatening the Sirens with the wrath of Captain Mack.

Mack and the pirate crew from The Bull sail into Sirens' Cove to rescue Eros. The Sirens exchange greetings with the "salty crew" of The Bull and Eros asks his crewmates to leave, as he is happy with his new arrangement. The pirates first fire a warning shot across the bow of The Song, and then fire on the warehouse behind the Sirens' ship, which holds their closet. In retaliation, the Sirens use their power over the ocean to summon a storm to engulf The Bull and sink it to the bottom of the sea.

As The Bull sinks, Captain Mack orders his crew to abandon ship and vows vengeance. The Sirens force Eros to walk the plank, but he and the rest of the pirates soon climb aboard The Song, where a second battle ensues. As the pirates finally realize they're no match for the Sirens, they decide to surrender and the deck of The Song turns into a 21st-century party.

Battle of Buccaneer Bay

From 1993 to 2003, Treasure Island featured a battle between pirates aboard the Hispaniola (which later became the Sirens' ship, The Song) and British sailors aboard HMS Britannia (later the pirate ship The Bull), ending in the sinking of HMS Britannia. The Battle of Buccaneer Bay (in some sources, The Pirate Battle of Buccaneer Bay at Treasure Island)[1] ran for 16,334 shows.[2]

History

Aerial view from The Venetian, July 2011. The Song (Sirens' ship) is on the left and The Bull (pirate ship) is on the right, separated by a plank pier/walkway

In October 2003, The Sirens of TI replaced The Battle of Buccaneer Bay, which was geared towards a younger audience[3] and had been playing since Treasure Island opened on October 27, 1993.[4] Director and choreographer Kenny Ortega created The Sirens of TI show,[5] inspired by Homer's Odyssey.[6] Songwriter Emilio Estefan prepared the score[7] and Travis Payne handled show choreography.[5]

The show commemorated its fifth anniversary on October 21, 2008 when the street leading into the hotel/casino property was renamed from "Buccaneer Boulevard" to "Sirens Cove Boulevard."[6][8] At that time, the show was presented four times daily, at 7, 8:30, 10 and 11:30 p.m. Beginning November 3, 2008, the show was presented at 5:30, 7, 8:30 and 10 p.m. daily.[9]

Siren Cove is drained but the boats remain in June 2014

On October 20, 2013, the show was halted for what was intended to be a temporary closure until December 26, for the construction of retail space nearby. However, in late November 2013, Treasure Island announced that the closure was permanent, and that some of the space would be used for new shops,[10][11][12] surprising several cast members. The new shopping mall reduced the size of Sirens Cove by approximately one-third, and while the ships still exist, the Bull no longer moves (The Song never moved). The cove now features several water fountains, and no show replaced the Sirens of TI.[13]

Statistics

The show featured a cast of sixteen sirens and fourteen pirates.[14] When it started, the cast consisted of thirteen sirens and eleven pirates.[2] It was estimated to cost $5 million per year.[15]

More than eighty individual pieces of pyrotechnics were shot per show. Flame effects consumed 7 US gallons (26 l) of liquid propane per show. The sound system had more than 40,000 watts of power. The lagoon contained approximately 1,500,000 US gallons (5,700,000 l) of reverse-osmosis filtered and reclaimed water, which was 10 feet (3.0 m) deep at many points, extending to depths of 25 and 45 feet (7.6 and 13.7 m) at two pits.[7][6] By 2011, over the course of 7,440 shows, 630,000 pieces of pyrotechnics had been detonated, 52,000 US gallons (200,000 l) of propane had been fired, and The Bull had traveled 480 miles (770 km) (The Song never moved).[16]

Sirens flank their leader, "Sin" (Jan 2009)

The original runtime for the show was 28 minutes. Dialogue and choreography tweaks shortened it to 18 minutes[17] by 2005 to better match the patience of the standing crowd.[18] The attendance for the premiere showing at 6 p.m. on October 26, 2003 was estimated at 5,000, double the standing capacity of 2,500; during the premiere, the crowd spilled from the sidewalk onto Las Vegas Boulevard, forcing the closure of several lanes.[2] It had been viewed by more than 10 million over 4,749 performances by 2008,[17] and nearly 17 million over 7,440 performances by 2011.[16]

Reception

Soon after its premiere, Martin Stein wrote "Sirens is foundering and taking on water" in his review for the Las Vegas Weekly, adding "the choreography is boring [and] all the action is far too small for a show in which the audience will often be across six lanes of traffic."[19] Readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal voted it the worst local attraction in 2004 and 2005.[20] The Los Angeles Times advised readers to avoid the show, calling it "dumb and a major pain to watch."[21] Despite the negative feedback, the Las Vegas Weekly later collectively named "Sirens" and its pirate show predecessor "Buccaneer Cove" the eighth-greatest attraction in Las Vegas history in 2017.[22] It was also named a "must-see" by Michelin.[1]

Notable performers

See also

References

  1. Michelin Must Sees: Las Vegas. Michelin Travel & Lifestyle. 2011. p. 102. ISBN 9782067182769. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  2. Fink, Jerry (27 October 2013). "Adult-themed 'Sirens of TI' takes a stand on the Strip". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  3. "Sirens of TI: 5 years of pirates and pyrotechnics," 24/7 Magazine (Las Vegas), October 2008, p. 34.
  4. Clarke, Norm (22 November 2013). "Treasure Island closes Strip-side 'Sirens of TI' show". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  5. "Sexy Sirens of TI Celebrate Five Years of Swashbuckling, Sin and Seduction in Las Vegas" (Press release). Las Vegas, Nevada: Marketwire. 23 October 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  6. Leach, Robin (24 October 2008). "Sirens blare for pirate show's fifth anniversary". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  7. Jennifer Prosser, "Siren Songs: The Sexy Female Pirates Celebrate Five Years of Working Their Wiles at Treasure Island," 'Where Las Vegas Magazine,' October 2008, pp. 88-89.
  8. "Treasure Island Unveils New Street Sign," Las Vegas Tribune, October 29, 2008, page D-1.
  9. "LasVegas2Go" magazine, October 26, 2008, p. 18.
  10. Rindels, Michelle (25 November 2013). "Treasure Island pirate show canceled; shops in works". Las Vegas Sun. Associated Press. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  11. "'Sirens' sunk: Vegas Strip show permanently canceled". Fox5 Las Vegas. KVVU. AP. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  12. Clarke, Norm (November 24, 2013). "'Sirens' cast stunned, upset by show's closure". Las Vegas Review Journal. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  13. Roeben, Scott (16 September 2014). "Siren's Cove is Back at TI, Sans Sirens, But With Some New Industrial Park Flair". Vital Vegas [blog]. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  14. Padgett, Sonya (22 September 2013). "Dancers answer 'Siren' song". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  15. Stutz, Howard (17 November 2015). "Treasure Island to house attractions based on the Avengers, Transformers". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  16. Padgett, Sonya (16 April 2011). "'Sirens of TI' cast enjoys camaraderie". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  17. Feldberg, Sarah (24 October 2008). "Five years of watery war for Sirens of TI". Nocturnal Admissions [blog]. Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  18. Abowitz, Richard (13 November 2005). "Geeks flee, but Vegas may get the last laugh". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  19. Stein, Martin (30 October 2003). "The Sirens of TI (1 star)—6, 8, 10 P.M., nightly". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  20. Grimes, Stephanie (5 September 2014). "The 5 worst attractions in Las Vegas history". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  21. Friess, Steve (20 March 2005). "Some of it should stay in Vegas". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  22. "The 20 greatest attractions in Las Vegas history". Las Vegas Weekly. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  23. Leach, Robin (13 March 2009). "Strip scribbles: Paris Hilton switches hotels last-minute for My New BFF". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  24. Wright, Becky. "Tiffany Coyne the real deal". Hers. Utah: Standard-Examiner. Archived from the original on 2012-01-14. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  25. RawVegasDotTV (2008-11-21), Annalynne McCord Hosts The Sirens 5 Year Anniversary Party at TI - Raw Red Carpet, retrieved 2017-10-31
  26. Leach, Robin (27 October 2008). "90210′s McCord zips to Vegas, takes a shot with Sirens of TI". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
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