For impact, let’s mark a few milestones
Back in May, this column poked fun at shows bragging about X number of performances or how many years they’ve stayed in business.
The numbers “mean more to producers and performers than they do to readers,” I wrote. Nothing happened over the summer to change my mind, but today I will play along anyway.
Except this time, let’s take four milestones, declare two of them dubious honors (no news releases for the second two), and explain why they could mean something to you, too.
■ Chippendales 35th anniversary. Expect a wave of national press in coming weeks for the buff guys in bow ties, a fixture at the Rio since early 2002. The big Vegas play came three years later, when then-Rio president Marilyn Winn shepherded a new, $7 million custom theater for the Chips.
Go buff guys. The Chippendales brand legitimized the male revue. And along with “Thunder from Down Under” (which had a nine-year head start on the Strip), it commodified a new Las Vegas demographic: the “girls’ night out” or bachelorette party. Quite a thing when tribal casinos were popping up around the country, making Las Vegas a little less special as a gaming destination.
■ “Marriage Can Be Murder,” 15 years and 5,000 shows. Eric and Jayne Post moved their interactive dinner comedy downtown in 2008, after seven years at the Egg &I restaurant. They prove a modest, DIY effort can jump from community theater to a visitors market if, as with the Chippendales, you’re catering to an underserved niche. At the D, they do well with group sales, corporate team building and company parties, while most shows depend on individual ticket sales.
■ Six years of “America’s Got Talent” playing Las Vegas in some fashion. Next weekend, it’s two shows at Planet Hollywood for the winners of the NBC talent show, a glass you can see as half-empty or half-full.
Once it seemed these TV talent shows would forge a new brand of Las Vegas variety. More than 8 million people watched “AGT” last week. But twice, a variety revue of winners tried extended runs on the Strip and found attention spans fade too quickly. Last year, the winners toured modest-sized theaters. This year, no dates have been announced beyond the two shows here. Did too many talent shows choke off the market?
■ “Limelight,” six shows at the Plaza. That’s right, six. Hey, it’s the Plaza, where show audiences seem to head into the Bermuda Triangle. And deadlines didn’t let me wait to make sure this burlesque revue with some cool ideas actually made it through Saturday.
But executive producer Art Mendoza says he had “a real conversation” with Plaza officials, who may now understand they’ve been a bit cavalier with entertainment policy. The idea of a limited run (through Nov. 1) and Mendoza’s cautious business startup approach of “letting it grow and nurture” could be a lead to follow.
Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.
