New Orleans CityBusiness: Harrah's New Orleans Casino to unveil its $15M entertainment venue,

For several months, visitors to Harrah's New Orleans Casino have been wondering what's been taking place behind the black curtains in the center of the casino.

Gone are the oak trees that formerly occupied the center space. In their place is Masquerade, a $15 million venue Harrah's officials claim will provide Las Vegas-style entertainment that becomes more risque as the night goes on.

Masquerade is a very exciting entertainment experience and venue, said John Payne, Harrah's regional president and former general manager of the New Orleans casino. It's not a bar. It's not a show. It's a combination of both of those.

Maquerade, scheduled to open July 1, will feature a 42-foot-high video cone surrounded by a catwalk for performers who double as cocktail servers. The concept of bevertainers or performers who also serve drinks, began several years ago at the Rio, a Harrah's Entertainment-operated casino in Las Vegas.

Every 10 to 15 minutes, the entertainers will perform two-to three-minute song and dance routines. A full-fledged 10-minute routine with choreographed lights and video will take place four times a night.

Although the entertainment will get racier later at night with scantily clad male and female performers, the shows won't include nudity.

Under the escalators leading to the second floor is an ultralounge with VIP areas to be rented out for private parties. At ground level is a bar with a top made of ice.

A gaming area features 12 blackjack games, 16 video poker and 50 slot machines, including a specially designed signature Masquerade slot game.

Payne was the driving force behind Masquerade.

I arrived here in late 2000, and when I looked at the casino, the center of the casino was an area called the Jazz Court, Payne said. It was a beautiful area but it was pretty boring and didn't get a lot of business. When you look at New Orleans as a place where people come to let their hair down, the center of the No. 1 tourist attraction in the city needs to be exciting.

The Masquerade area will be open 24 hours a day but the venue officially opens at 7 p.m., Payne said. Performances are tentatively scheduled for 8 p.m., 9 p.m., 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.

As we go through those times, the feel of our casino changes and the crowd that is here at 8 p.m. is a lot different than that crowd that is here at 2 a.m., Payne said. The shows will become sexier and more fun as the night progresses, so the free show you would see at 8 p.m. will be quite different than the one you see at 11 p.m.

The 21 entertainers performing at Masquerade work for Las Vegas- based Dick Foster Productions, which has produced shows at several Las Vegas casinos. They were selected at auditions held in New Orleans, New York, Atlanta, Miami, San Diego, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Three cast members are from the New Orleans area: Beau Evangelister, a singer and former Harrah's New Orleans beverage server; Jessica Roy, a dancer from Kenner; and Leslie Saubat, a dancer from Chalmette

Between shows, the video cone will display a rotating series of vignettes which along with the entertainment become progressively more risque as the night goes on. So far, Harrah's has a catalogue of 14 1 1/2-minute videos, produced at a cost of about $500,000.

I lived in New Orleans in the early '70s, said John Levy of Los Angeles-based John Levy Lighting Productions, which produced the videos. We really wanted to capture the city not only the way a tourist might see it, but also capture elements that might be better appreciated by New Orleans residents as well.

JLLP shot and produced several of the videos in New Orleans, Harrah's officials said. As the catalog grows, they said, some production work could shift to local companies.

Despite a rocky start marred by two bankruptcies, Harrah's New Orleans has become the biggest tourist attraction in the state, drawing 6.6 million visitors last year and booking $300.3 million in revenue, according to Louisiana State Police. Of that, $62.3 million was paid to the state in taxes.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc. merged last month with Las Vegas- based Caesar's Entertainment, which made Harrah's the world's largest casino operator with nearly 60 properties and more than $9 billion in revenue.

Masquerade isn't an attempt to move the Bourbon Street scene indoors, Nita said.

It's really an opportunity to cater to a slightly younger demographic that hasn't felt a compelling reason to come to the casino, said Dan Nita, general manager of Harrah's New Orleans.