‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’ heads to The Venetian

Why does Las Vegas never disappoint? Because June brings us the dancing drag of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” and then, a week later, “America’s Favorite Dumb Blonde,” who would be one Terry Bradshaw.

“Priscilla” is a “jukebox musical” grafting classic disco and pop songs into a Broadway adaptation of the 1994 Australian cult flick, “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”

It will play for a limited run in the former “Phantom” theater for 11 weeks starting June 18; ticket sales started Wednesday.

The road-trip saga of three drag entertainers (their bus gives the show its title) has been talked about for The Venetian for more than a year. Producer Base Entertainment mentioned it as a potential replacement for “Phantom” when the closing of that one was announced in early 2012.

“Priscilla” played Broadway for 526 performances in 2011 and 2012, landing in the murky area between flop and unqualified hit.

That may explained why this production was assembled by Troika Entertainment, traditionally a middle-step producer who falls in between the first national tour of a Broadway hit and the point where it is licensed to regional or community productions.

In other words, Troika would typically get a title such as “Cats” or “Chicago” that isn’t new, but still has life in it. The company has brought shows here for years (if you remember the “old days” of the Aladdin and Cashman Field Theater), and is historically known for downsizing production values.

However, Chicago Tribune critic Chris Jones caught the Vegas-bound “Priscilla” last month and thought it “compares very well to the Broadway original,” where “the rush of spectacle and stimulation actually was altogether too much.”

Base is the local presenter here, and recently played “Priscilla” for nine months in Brazil.

The idea of a limited run is somewhat new and promising for the Strip, so Broadway lovers should take notice. Usually, a Broadway show that lands in a casino is cast and financed just for Las Vegas.

That means “sink or swim,” as there is no third option for investors of hitting the road again. But if “Priscilla” works as an extended tour stop, it could be a model for more shows landing in that vast middle area between one week at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and a high-risk permanent residency. …

Base Entertainment may soon be in charge of one less venue on the Strip, the 7,000-seat concert hall at Planet Hollywood Resort. Caesars Entertainment is said to be taking back the theater leased to Base when the lease expires; that could be as early as this month, though the handoff wouldn’t be complete until summer.

The room, now known as PH Live, has been vastly underused, with peak events such as Miss Universe followed by valleys of dark nights and sublets, such as oldies revues advertised by show cards stapled to utility poles (the show cards are actually kind of retro cool, but you get the idea).

Caesars Entertainment Corp. did not comment on plans for the theater, but a spokeswoman said in a statement the company “continue(s) to value our partnership with Base.”

A Britney Spears residency backed by Caesars seems imminent for the theater, in line with the company’s recent drift to producing shows such as Elton John at Caesars Palace hands-on instead of playing the passive landlord. The Planet Hollywood Resort lease stems back to the Robert Earl era of the hotel, before Caesars took over in 2010. …

You have only until Saturday to catch “America’s Got Talent Live” at Palazzo. The show first played there last fall, then reopened rather suddenly in late February. It was never clear how long it was supposed to stick around. Still, it’s fairly safe to say ticket buyers lost interest between seasons of the TV version.

As a side note, Saturday will be the only day for a showdown, of sorts, between two 13-year-old belters: Anna Graceman in “Talent” and Jackie Evancho, an even-more famous “Got Talent” contestant, singing one night at the Smith Center. …

So anyway, Terry Bradshaw. He is the latest on a list of unlikely Las Vegas headliners, which has grown of late with Mike Tyson, Chazz Palminteri and Larry King.

The Bald Bomber will be at The Mirage June 28 and 29 with a show subtitled “A Life in Four Quarters.”

He will share his life story a la Tyson and Palminteri, but with a difference: Bradshaw also sings. The Electric Daisy Carnival crowd will simply have to stick around town a few more days.

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