Famous Las Vegas Strip venue is empty — who gets to fill it?

It’s dinner time, and also decision time, at the Cosmopolitan.

The resort’s superior culinary-entertainment destination Superfrico at the Cosmopolitan is an unqualified success. It’s also positioned next to an inventively designed and inconveniently empty Opium/OPM Theater. This venue is at the center of what seems to be a behind-the-scenes competition between Spiegelworld and Cirque du Soleil.

I swept into Superfrico on New Year’s Eve, also checking out the theater, which has been dark for a year since that Spiegelworld stage show “OPM” closed. Founded by Ross Mollison, Spiegelworld runs Superfrico in partnership with MGM Resorts International.

MGM Resorts owns the theater, which abuts the restaurant.

Spiegelworld reportedly has a dinner-show concept that can perform in that space. But MGM has not announced any plans for the venue, even after a year of inactivity.

Spiegelworld could conceivably drop a show in the area it manages. That’s the dining room that shares a wall, and half of a circular stage, with the theater — regardless of what MGM has planned on the other side. That would be a very Mollison thing to do.

Cirque du Soleil officials have also said they could build a new concept into that space. Similar to Spiegelworld and its Nipton development township, Cirque is constantly in creative development at its Mothership HQ in Montreal. The company also holds a long-standing partnership with MGM Resorts in four resorts.

This week, Cirque representative Ann Paladie said the company has no updates or plans for the venue “but we are always exploring opportunities to expand.”

Conversely, MGM inherited the Superfrico and (at the time, “OPM”) partnership with Spiegelworld when it bought the Cosmopolitan. The read here is MGM officials are not exactly performing cartwheels over Spiegelworld’s ongoing relationships with rivals Caesars Entertainment (“Absinthe” at Caesars Palace and “DiscoShow”/Diner Ross at Linq Hotel), or The Venetian (“Atomic Saloon Show” at Grand Canal Shoppes).

Pre-MGM, Spiegelworld has run two shows in the Cosmopolitan venue. “Vegas Nocturne” performed from December 2013 to June 2014, critically acclaimed but never breaking even. Similarly, “Opium” and later “OPM” closed on NYE 2023 after a six-year orbit.

But even with the dual show closures, the custom-designed showroom is a choice location, given the restaurant’s success. Consider that Suprfrico serves between 30 and 40 orders of Tableside Mozzarella every night. This delectably cheesy experience costs $99 apiece, so Superfrico grosses nearly $4,000 per night on just that dish.

This intel is from Superfrico GM Jason Gordon, brought in from ill-fated Villa Azur at The Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes to operate the venue.

The food at Superfrico is delicious. But what really sets the venue apart is its entertainment focus. As meals are served, side acts perform throughout the dining space. We have jugglers, comic waiters and a mini-operatic production show for the arrival of the seafood tower.

Mollison has reproduced the Superfrico model at Caesars Atlantic City, where the restaurant is paired with “The Hook” production. Expanding further with “DiscoShow” and Diner Ross, Spiegelworld has become a leader in culinary/entertainment pairings.

But Cirque has become the city’s predominant production company, led by “O” at Bellagio, which has sold more tickets than any show in history; along with “Mystere” at Treasure Island, “Mad Apple” at New York-New York, “Michael Jackson One” at Mandalay Bay and “Ka” at MGM Grand (under contract through November 2026, celebrating its 20th anniversary in February).

Don’t doubt Cirque’s acumen to create small-scale entertainment, either. The company was founded by a street performer, its acrobats still the highest standard worldwide. Holding the casino cards, of course, is MGM Resorts. This is a good problem for the resort company to have, unless the room stays dark. And we can’t have that.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.