"PANDA!" opens at the Palazzo as first Chinese production with a Las Vegas Strip residency

When I first got wind of "PANDA!" -- the first Chinese production to have a full-time residency on the Las Vegas Strip -- I had my doubts. Would it appeal to a broader, more diverse audience? Or would it inadvertently overplay its Chinese roots?

Chinese companies are already trying to ramp up their artistic production in the movie industry, hoping to one day become the exporter instead of the voracious consumers of American summer blockbusters with subtitles. They're investing in giant studios and aiming to create the Hollywood of the East. But whether it works will be another question. You don't see Bollywood movies in America unless you're looking; can China do differently?

But I left the theater feeling quite hopeful about the prospects of "PANDA!" It's competing against Cirque du Soleil in a way, but the two acrobat-heavy shows are so different I hardly thought to compare them while watching. "PANDA!" is wholesome, light, family-friendly, while Cirque is dream-like, abstract, something for the more mature consumer.

My friends who attended criticized the plot as simplistic and full of holes, but as I argued, when is a Vegas show really ever about the plot? It's about the visuals and stunning effects -- which is why I think the Spiderman that lost boatloads of money on Broadway is going to be sitting pretty when it moves here.

The gist of "PANDA!" is that a cuddly, rotund panda bear in a top hat is about to marry an exquisite peacock princess when their wedding is suddenly interrupted by some sort of demonic character. The princess is ushered off to purgatory while the panda must face his fears and embark on an epic quest to save her.

What ensues looks like a hapless Triple A baseball mascot passing through a Nintendo game, lumbering through different levels and getting assistance from mythical characters who guide him to the girl. I would scrutinize the lack of character and plot development here, but (SPOILER ALERT) as we all know, the panda gets the girl in the end and lets stop beating around the bush with these literary questions.

The most important elements are the flawless acrobats and the integration of video into the show.