Sunday, May 16, 2004
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MIKE WEATHERFORD: Disco musical seeks new life on Strip

Disco musical seeks new life on Strip

Saturday Night Fever" is a musical that will transport us back to 1977. Or at least 1993.

That was the year the same producer, Troika Entertainment, brought Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Starlight Express" to the Las Vegas Hilton. The parallels are many.

The producers of both musicals felt their shows didn't get a fair shake on Broadway, and might find new life in Las Vegas.

"Starlight Express" had 761 performances on Broadway. Producers felt the lack of a customized venue kept the roller-skating opus from catching on as it did in London. The Hilton customized its theater, with a track circling the audience.

Producers also cut the two-act musical to 90 minutes. Depending on who you believe, it was either an Actors Equity Union rule to allow two shows per night, or the time-honored Vegas ploy to get the suckers back to the casino.

The show was a middling success at the Hilton, lasting four years, one less than its original contract.

Now comes "Saturday Night Fever," with similar hopes that a familiar title, but new-to-Vegas show, will be accepted as a unique effort: shorter than the Broadway version that ran 14 months and 501 performances, but with extra bells and whistles -- including lasers left over from "Starlight Express" -- in a Sahara theater redecorated to look like a disco.

The question: Will theatergoers accept this, after "Mamma Mia!" turned the corner for giving Las Vegas a full, two-act show with intermission, as seen in other cities?

The answer will come with the crowd counts. On paper, at least, there are strong arguments for giving the Sahara's way a chance.

The chief one is pricing. Tickets will be $36.50, $49.50 and $66.50, taxes included. This deflates a major contention against touring shows Troika and other producers bring to the Aladdin: charging as much as $83 and advertising a full Broadway version, but delivering slimmed-down touring sets and non-Equity cast members.

Will a shorter "Fever" work artistically?

Again, there are reasons to give it a chance: It's based on a John Travolta movie, not Chekhov. Fans know the story. A shorthand version might improve a melodrama poorly reviewed on Broadway.

"This show is all about the music," says Ron Garrett of the Sahara. "Fever" is the latest in the Strip's ongoing quest to achieve fluff with structure; a middle ground between magic shows and serious theater.

But let's recall "Starlight Express." Lloyd Webber himself came to tweak the musical, and found even a story based on "The Little Engine That Could" needed room to breathe.

In Las Vegas he figured the main interest would be in the production numbers. "But the reverse seems to be the case," he noted. "What people are interested in is the storytelling."

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays.