Elvis comes and goes and stays

Elvis ol’ buddy, I’m confused.

You will always be a big part of our town. Where else are you gonna get married by a preacher in a bell-bottom jumpsuit?

Still, people around here don’t seem too clear about what to do with you.

They closed down the big Cirque du Soleil show that was all about you, saying your fans weren’t young and hip enough to fill the big theater at Aria.

“I think it was just a bad match of the brand and the demographic,” Cirque’s CEO, Daniel Lamarre, says of “Viva Elvis.”

“I’m not criticizing the Elvis brand; I think it’s a brand that could maybe work in other environments than the one we’re talking about. But here the crowd is too young, and they want something modern.”

But next year, “Million Dollar Quartet” is due at Harrah’s Las Vegas. There, they say, a younger crowd will respond to the rockabilly vibe of the Broadway hit based on the 1956 summit of you, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.

Seems there’s a different definition for “young” at Harrah’s than at Aria.

Of course, this means displacing “Legends in Concert,” which for 29 years has been the steadiest place on the Strip to see a rock-solid impersonation of you. Every joker who has ever strapped on a jumpsuit will tell you “Legends” is a primo gig for the best of the best.

Scott Zeiger, whose Base Entertainment is steering “Quartet” into Harrah’s Feb. 4, says the Elvis-for-Elvis move is “a complete coincidence,” based on timing and Harrah’s being the right size at 600 seats.

“Quartet” producer Gigi Pritzker always was “quite keen on coming to Las Vegas when the time was right,” Zeiger says. After a Broadway run and touring that included The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, “now’s the right time to set up shop.”

Jason Gastwirth, who oversees entertainment for Caesars Entertainment, was impressed not just by the music, but the “compelling storyline,” which offers a behind-the-scenes peek at your “personality beyond the stage.”

Zeiger compares “Quartet” to “Jersey Boys.”

“These guys are playing the songs as 20-year-olds. It’s not a nostalgia show and it’s not a lip-sync show.”

It’s not a jumpsuit show either. But the “Legends” folks vow to stick around too. So we get a double dose of the King, and both shows will actually have you played by somebody, not people just jumpin’ around to your songs.

Makes sense. You’re everywhere else, ol’ buddy.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.