The three-floor theater was designed to accommodate a rotation of Broadway-style musicals, each on a short-term basis. The venue was renamed as the Samba Theatre shortly after opening. It opened with a tap-dancing show titled Tap Dogs, by Dein Perry. A musical, based on the 1984 film Footloose, also ran for 13 weeks in the new venue, closing in August 2000. Another showroom was built near the hotel's pool area and opened later in 2000, hosting the show De La Guarda, which included aerial performers and flashing lights. At the Copa, starring David Cassidy and Sheena Easton as nightclub singers, ran in the Copacabana Showroom from 2000 to 2001. Magicians Penn & Teller began performing at the Rio in January 2001, and have continued to entertain there ever since. In the mid-2010s, they broke the record for longest-running Las Vegas headliner at a single venue. The Scintas also started performing at the Rio in 2001, as did ventriloquist Ronn Lucas. The following year, the theater launched Showgirls, which chronicled the history of such performers. The Rio also debuted Tony n' Tina's Wedding, replacing the unsuccessful De La Guarda. Tony n' Tina's Wedding continued its run there for seven years. In 2003, the Rio introduced their "Bevertainers," who worked as cocktail servers and as entertainers. When not serving customers, Bevertainers would dance in 90-second performances on one of five stages located across the casino floor. The Rio had more than 80 Bevertainers. Although the idea initially received skepticism, it would turn out to be successful. Chippendales shared the Scintas Showroom with the Scintas and Lucas for three years, before getting their own venue at the Rio in 2004. The Chippendales theater had seating for 400 people and included an ultralounge, as well as a women's boutique retailer. As of 2021, the group continues to perform at the Rio. In February 2005, Erocktica opened in the Scintas Showroom. It was initially a topless dance show accompanied by a live band which performed cover versions of rock songs. The show was closed six months later for revisions, which changed the choreography and removed the band in favor of recorded tracks. It reopened later in 2005. The Scintas departed the Rio in 2006. Prince subsequently turned the former Club Rio spot into the 3121 showroom, performing there from November 2006 to April 2007. The venue had capacity for 900 people, and was located next