"The Producers" To Close In Vegas

Apparently "Springtime For Hitler" just doesn't hit those buttons they way it used to. What is needed is a Vegas concept show independent of Broadway. Making Max Bialystock a Rat Pack wannabe and giving Leo Bloom an Ernst & Young pedigree might be a half-measure that would flop as well.

What would be inspired, yet tastelessly offensive, in Vegas? Maybe "Lust For Life," starring Steve Wynn as Michelangelo? Or "The Sound Of Music" featuring Jenna Jameson as Maria and Pamela Anderson as the Mother Superior? "Driving Miss Daisy", starring Kanye West and Paris Hilton?

I don't know....

Anyway, Richard Abowitz writes:

..."The Producers" will have lasted exactly one year to the day in Vegas when closing in celebration of its one-year anniversary on Feb. 9, 2008. I say celebrate because, as always in Vegas, shows don't fail.

Rather the press release announcing the show's Vegas death refers to its "successful Vegas run." We all define success differently, I guess. But in my world, the rule of thumb is that with the exception of Celine Dion, nothing successful closes in Vegas.

The obvious point is that Vegas as Broadway West has proven to be a very expensive and elusive dream for a lot of resorts. The only obvious success of a Broadway-style show in Vegas has been "Mamma Mia" at Mandalay Bay, which has lasted for a few years. But even "Mamma Mia" is targeted to close next year. "Avenue Q" at Wynn and "Hairspray" at Luxor did not even last a year on the Strip.

It is unclear to me how well either "Spamalot" at Wynn or "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular" at the Venetian are doing right now. But of the Broadway shows to set up shop here, they are also the two most compatible with Vegas. "Phantom" offers a theater experience like no other: where the stage, sets, props and special effects get more applause than even the talented cast. It is shorter and sharper than the Broadway version, and much more a Vegas show. "Spamalot" sports the Monty Python brand, of course, as well as a comic sensibility that is perfect for the absurdity of a night in Vegas.

Anyway, it isn't like the Broadway West dream is entirely dead. The next Broadway show to set up a theater in Vegas will be "Jersey Boys" at the Venetian's expansion. It begins previews April 4.