Bada Bing Dinner Theater in Las Vegas

Bada Bing Dinner Theater in Las Vegas

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America's love affair with The Sopranos, The Godfather, Goodfellas, and a host of equally thrilling mobster tales can be satisfied vicariously by spending an evening at "Ba-Da-Bing", the interactive dinner musical at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The show is a clever marriage between Gustav Mauler's Italian eatery, Sazio's, and the Ba-Da-Bing repertoire company of wise guys and slick chicks. The occasion is a surprise birthday party for Mr. Big, the Godfather of Las Vegas, and as his guests, audience members get to join one of the families. Mike Hughes, general manager, stage manager, and Mr. Big's Bookie, explained that they have been performing for three years. They've been at Sazio's one year and have become so popular that instead of five nights, they are now running seven nights a week.

Certainly, the food plays a major role in the gangster comedy's success. There is a three-course dinner beginning with a crisp, freshly tossed Caesar salad and homemade bread. Black and white helium balloons and stars float above tables reserved for: the Pizza Family, the Antipasto Family, the Pepperoni Family, and so on. The dialogue may be tongue in cheek but the atmosphere is authentic down to the spats, the big rocks, and the pistol packin' mamas. The show's publicist, Bobbie Katz, explains that Ba-Da-Bing is the only interactive musical in Las Vegas. It is more intimate than Tony and Tina's wedding. And thanks to Gustav Mauler's cuisine, the food is far better than most catered dinners.

Even Lisa, our waitress, was Jersey through and through, her voice, resonating with Sopranos inflections. "Okay, tonight we got the Chicken Marsala with garlic mashed potatoes, the Meat Lasagna, the Grilled Ribeye Steak with Whiskey Peppercorn Sauce, and the Salmon with Honey Basil Sauce. There's homemade Tiramisu for dessert so save room. And, everybody gets a glass a champagne to toast Mr. Big, the godfather of Las Vegas. Drinks are extra."

As we ordered our entr