Variety: After the surprising failure of shows like "The Producers" and "Hairspray," Vegas today hosts only two real Broadway musicals on the Strip. The good news is that both tuners are doing well.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Winning and losing on stage in Vegas
Variety: After the surprising failure of shows like "The Producers" and "Hairspray," Vegas today hosts only two real Broadway musicals on the Strip. The good news is that both tuners are doing well.
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After hearing much more about the ebb and flow of shows throughout the Broadway houses in New York City, it is interesting to examine the ebb and flow of productions through Vegas houses. We have seen "Jersey Boys" do well not only in the Broadway houses, as well as touring and Vegas houses. What I do wonder is why Cirque does so well in Vegas, but has "so-so" reviews both on tour and on Broadway. What are the resources the Strip provides that Broadway does not, by its nature?
In response to Liz's comment in Vegas you can craft and build a theatre to the specifications of a company like Cirque. In New York you are often renting a theatre space and as much freedom as you are often given there are still space and structural limitations. These Casinos also tend to have a lot of money to invest in long term shows. Often Vegas shows go on for years and years. This is true of many Broadway shows but not all of them. There is also the fact that you can only see certain shows in Vegas and no where else. This makes people take special trips there to see things they cannot see elsewhere. I can see Hairspray in many places.
I agree with Devorah here, Vegas shows are expensive and the middle-class Americans who go to Vegas on vacation are going to pick something they haven't seen before or can't see anywhere else. Especially with shows like Hairspray where the rights are now available, any highschool group in the country can put on a production, but there is only one theatre space in the world you can see "O" or "Ka" and these shows are likely impossible to tour due to their heavy reliance on the venue in which they exist. The spectacle of Cirque fits well on the strip, while a show like The Producers can't hope to hold a candle to it, even with star power.
I'm not really surprised that Viva Elvis is doing poorly. As I mentioned last week in the Michael Jackson article, it seems that Cirque is starting to move away from the aesthetic that has made them so popular. Shows like La Nouba and O aren't at much of a risk of flopping because it's what people seem to want from a Cirque show. Granted, I'm sure the company can handle one or two bad productions now and then, but I don't see how the Michael Jackson, Chris Angel, and Elvis shows could be expected to be all that popular
I feel that Vegas really just wants fluff shows that consist of no real substance and are overfilled with spectacle and give the audience something they won't see anywhere else, which is basically what the entire strip does. I know that Phantom has been there a long time and its doing well, but that show has a lot of reputation with it that people look for, and the music and spectacle of the show play well to Vegas audiences. And I don't mean to say that shows like O and Ka and such don't have any substance or story line at all, but they are very focused on the spectacle of the show, which I think is what makes them popular in Vegas.
this relates to what I see as one of the main challenges of taking a New York production and just planting it somewhere else: the demands and expectations are completely different. The two shows mantioned here both have that element of flash and excitement characteristic of Vegas entertainment, so they are thus suited to a Vegas audience. The question then becomes: if we are to bring whatever is happening in New York to the world, what is the best way to show them what we have, and also make it something especially for them.
I think that audiences in Las Vegas are looking for very different things than New York audiences. Although New York audiences do enjoy the spectacle of Broadway, they are more looking for the great American musical, and shows that the whole family can enjoy. On the other hand, I would think that the Vegas audience is looking for shows that are more for adults, and have more spectacle. It makes sense to me that "Jersey Boys" is doing well in Vegas, since the Vegas audience is more the age range that grew up with the 1960s songs that "Jersey Boys" features.
I saw Viva Elvis this past summer with Meg, and I actually really liked it. Granted, it was my first Cirque show, but a lot of the imagery they used was very compelling. I can't comment too much on the circus aspects of the show as I don't know too much about movement, but the use of space, technology, color, and most importantly story was pretty compelling. The show had some very powerful and effective theatrical moments. I'm sad to see that it's not doing too well.
Despite it's faults I do believe this show has its merits. I hope the changes to the show can help it.
It's no wonder that Viva Elvis is struggling; it was so awry during tech that the producers took the whole design team to see Jubilee (which, while not mentioned in this article, is one of the earlier spectacle shows that has been running even longer than Phantom in New York) to get creative inspiration.
The stakes are so much higher, and the audiences are very different. Hotels tend to produce the shows rather than teams of private investors, and therefore typically buy equipment and infrastructure rather than rent/lease it.
The spectacle marketplace is also becoming diluted; "O" really stood out when it opened 13 years ago, but now there are many productions like it.
I agree with the idea that shows like Hairspray don't do well i Vegas because they are popular else where. Part of the draw of the city is the grandeur and spectacle of it all. People expect nothing less from a Vegas show. They come for the glitz and the glamour. Shows like Hairspray just don't have enough flash. Like people have said they want something they can't see anywhere else. I think they want to be a bit shocked there is nothing unexpected or shocking in the Producers and Hairspray.
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