Familiar to denizens of Las Vegas nightlife, Amy Saunders’ “Miss Behave” character has been a fan favorite for years, both on-Strip and off. The British-born producer, performer, and comedian was once also an acclaimed sword swallower. (In fact, she has broken a Guinness world record three times.) The globe-trotting entertainer finally put down the swords (and the table legs, and other things she’d been swallowing in such venues as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and joined a variety show that became Absinthe’s first manifestation in New York, finally decamping for Las Vegas in 2017.
Her Miss Behave’s Mavericks—now appearing in the Plaza Showroom at the Plaza Hotel and Casino—might well be the best use of her talents to date. Describing herself as a “truffle hound for talent,” Saunders has corralled a stupendous roster of performers (think: jugglers, dancers, vocalists, ventriloquists, contortionists, burlesque artists, ballet-dancing clowns, impersonators), with a lineup that changes so often that you’ll never see the same show twice.
The show’s novelty is not only in its performers, but its structure. “There's Fremont East, and there's The Arts District, which is very hipstertastic. And then I think there's classic Downtown Las Vegas, which is the Golden Nugget, the Plaza, the El Cortez, etc.,” Saunders says. “We can actually work with an affordable model where we are playing to your visit to Vegas. We are literally here to serve you. If it's not working for you, we'll change it. Why? Because we are here to entertain you.”
“What should be front and center is ‘What does the audience need?’ And I think that has been very much neglected for a long time. So, for me, what I want is a high-end experience for a low-end price,” she says.
This is where the Plaza Showroom really shines because in this old-school multitiered theater—with its proscenium stage, draped velvet curtains, crystal chandeliers, leather banquettes, potted plants (live foliage!), and cheerful dust motes that fill the beams of every follow-spot—lies the spirit of “old Vegas,” and those glamorous ghosts of yesteryear that tourists have been chasing for decades.
“For me, this room has got potential for the correct curation,” Saunders says. “I want Mavericks to be an institution here; an affordable institution that sits down for years, so that there is something entertaining and ever-changing and affordable here. And then I also want to put magic that is not just Mavericks in this room. This could be perfect for Kiki & Herb, for Murray Hill, for whomever. And it’s what I also absolutely love about working with Plaza and Jonathan [Jossel, Plaza’s CEO] is they all serve the old dame. And that's what we're doing. We serve the old dame. We are here at her disposal. And with everything that Jonathan and the Plaza have been doing for years now, it's about serving the experience of the customer and not just within your property, with the understanding, that bigger picture.
As regards that high-end experience for a low-end price that Saunders described, the Plaza is precisely where you can take a few of your friends out for the night, and—for what you might spend on a pair of tickets to a show on the Strip—you can take two couples to Mavericks, buy a few rounds of drinks, and a couple slices each from Pop Up Pizza. That said, if you’re truly intent on dropping some of your hard-earned ducats, Oscar’s Steakhouse is right upstairs with its stunning view down Fremont Street, great steaks, highly potent potables, and one of the best cheeseburgers in town.
Miss Behave’s Mavericks appears at the Plaza Showroom Wednesdays through Sundays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 7 and 9:30 p.m.