New shows on the Strip: Guy Laliberte production, ‘Cosplay the Show,’ ‘Reverie’ at Indigo Lounge
Billionaire Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, who started out as a stilt-walker and sold 90 percent of his French-Canadian circus troupe for $1.5 billion to a Chinese banking group and private investment firm TPG Capital that holds a major stake in Caesars Entertainment, has plans for a new entertainment venture for Las Vegas before the end of the year.
The production is in addition to the Major Series of Putting that he is producing here this fall with $10 million in prizes for 4,200 players. Guy made the revelation shortly after Cirque President Daniel Lamarre told me that scalping had become a ticket-sales problem for the seven Cirque spectaculars in Las Vegas.
* Another innovative live stage show, “Cosplay the Show,” is headed to the Strip once its crowdfunding campaign on Indie Gogo is completed. “Cosplay” is in development and preproduction and slated to open this year.
It’s said to be a 70-minute roller coaster of vignettes featuring custom-made costumes inspired by fan-favorite fictional characters from television, movies, books, comics and video games. Although there’s a sexy feel to the show, it is geared for a PG-13 audience.
Cosplay is where fandom, fun, whimsy, wonderment, art and style come together to celebrate pop culture from sci-fi and fantasy. What once started as a subculture of hardcore fans is now a phenomenon, and “Cosplay” creator and producer Pete Housley is no stranger to Las Vegas.
Peter was director of operations for Sin City Theater at Planet Hollywood the last four years, a member of the creative development team for City Comedy & Burlesque (now Comedy & Dolls) and marketing and creative consultant for “Crazy Girls” and “Xavier Mortimer’s Magical Dream.”
As a huge fan of science fiction, fantasy and gaming, he developed “Cosplay the Show” to be true to the nature and culture of fans and cosplayers featuring many of his favorite characters reimagined for Las Vegas.
“I look at shows open and close in Las Vegas with the same boring content. What would be different? What would be cool and have an instant fan base? Cosplay,” said Pete. “In its most sophisticated form, it isn’t Halloween.
“Cosplayers are serious artists, seamstresses and performers, and I wanted to see that reflected in the show from costume and set designs to casting. … We have interested investors, but … funding the project through Indie Gogo allows us to be untethered and create a show that is by fans for fans.”
* The new Sunday show “Reverie” has opened at Victor Drai’s Indigo Lounge at Bally’s, and it has become a buzz of Las Vegas show casts. It’s a 2-hour song-and-dance production with gorgeous dancers using the renovated stage and all other possible spots in the venue. Our friend Maren Wade (“50 Shades! The Parody”) was Sunday night’s guest singer.
