You see ads for Las Vegas shows inside the airport, along the highway, in magazines in hotel rooms, on TV commercials in hotel rooms and, sometimes, on huge scrims that cover up several floors of the hotels themselves.

But watching a video tie-in to the Plaza's "Shag With a Twist" on the canopy of the Fremont Street Experience? That's a first, especially such a big product placement for such a small show.

Last week marked the debut of the new Viva Vision film, which took place in tandem with a Plaza fundraiser for the Neon Museum. It was the first time Shag (Josh Agle) got to see the animated film that Fremont Street Experience animators made from his production drawings and storyboards.

The film uses music from the '60s retro show, as well as a few live-action shots of the characters in their foam-sculpted costumes. But compared to a genuine TV commercial, most of the video is a soft-sell. Animated versions of the characters are introduced in a prequel and seen motoring down Interstate 15 headed for a party in Las Vegas.

Producer John Good says he is "not even sure people make the connection (to the show) yet," though ticket sales saw a "slight bump" after the video debuted. The project was a joint venture with Fremont Street officials, and talks began even before "Shag" moved downtown from Krave nightclub. The canopy films run as many as five years; this one probably will remain in rotation even if the show closes at the Plaza or moves to another property.

"It's art like all of our shows," says Jeff Victor, president of the Fremont Street Experience. The canopy also is testing a more straightforward commercial for LG Electronics, which built the giant screen. "It can be fairly blatant as long as the entertainment value is high," Victor adds.

The underdog "Shag" has held on long enough that it's due to mark its 100th performance at the Plaza on Sunday. Good says narration has been added to explain the silent dance piece and other things have been "trimmed and tightened to make the action more obvious." ...

Is this glass half empty or half full? "The Producers" will close on Broadway April 22, making Las Vegas' version the only resident, nontouring company. Time will tell if that redirects traffic to Paris Las Vegas, or if diminished attendance in the Big Apple was an omen that should have caused more alarm around here.

The Broadway edition will have chalked up 2,500 performances by the time it closes. But attendance has declined over time and was recently reported at 59 percent. Casting Tony Danza in the lead role of Max this year apparently didn't provide the anticipated boost.

Both "Mamma Mia!" and "The Phantom of the Opera" continue their Broadway runs, and "Hairspray" soldiers on there well after the Las Vegas edition closed. The Vegas "Phantom" is said to hold its own with head counts for Broadway -- sometimes outgrossing it, thanks to higher ticket prices -- though audiences are spread out among 10 weekly shows compared to eight in New York. ...

The next comedian to go "long-form" in the tourist corridor is veteran stand-up Bobby Slayton, usually billed as "The Pitbull of Comedy."

Slayton will be the first ticketed show at Hooters Casino, taking over the "13" Martini Bar starting April 20. The bar will be remodeled and soundproofed for exclusive use as a 300-seat theater and box office; no word yet on whether other shows will follow.

Slayton occasionally brought his take-no-prisoners act to clubs on the Strip over the years. He also has accumulated a lot of movie and TV credits, including a small part as a club comic in "Dreamgirls." He played Joey Bishop in the 1998 TV movie "The Rat Pack." ...

Dita Von Teese, who is as well-known for being Marilyn Manson's Missus as she is for her retro-burlesque strip tease, will headline the MGM's Crazy Horse Paris for a week, April 15-20. Though sure to be a publicity boost for the former "La Femme" show, it seems a shame she will tease there barely long enough to merit special advertising. ...

And then there were three -- full-time hypnotism shows. "Mesmerized," featuring hypnotist Marc Savard, arrived last weekend at the V Theater in Desert Passage mall. The show joins Anthony Cools at Paris Las Vegas and "Hypnosis Gone Wild," formerly of Krave nightclub, scheduled to open Saturday at the Empire Ballroom. Scott Lewis also has a Mondays-only show at the Riviera.

How does a new entry stand out? "Mesmerized" producer David Saxe added more production value than the usual front-of-curtain act who seats his hypnotized charges in folding chairs. There are dancers and pre-show variety acts, not to mention a giant pocket watch.

And the folding chairs? They've been replaced by leopard-skin sofas.

Saxe also says he is starting a renovation of the V Theater within the next two weeks. The project is not entirely coincidental to the opening of magician Steve Wyrick's new theater at Desert Passage. "It needed to be done anyway," Saxe says, "but yeah, we're going to keep up with the Joneses. The best thing about (Wyrick's) show is the theater."

The V stage will be enlarged, with a new set by a veteran TV set designer. ...

Following up on last week's report that Roseanne Barr would do a limited engagement at the Cabaret Theatre at New York-New York: The confirmed dates for "All You Can Eat Comedy" are March 15-April 30, with tickets priced at $49.95.

Rita Rudner vacated the venue last year amid expectations that the room would be transformed into a nightclub. Apparently the transformation is taking longer than expected.

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.