The Theatre at Resorts World to open in summer 2021
With live entertainment venues remaining dark, Resorts World Las Vegas has created waves with a theater under construction.
The Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas is set to open in the summer of 2021, announced by the resort and its joint partner, AEG Presents. Word of the 5,000-seat venue was reported in this column back in December. Resorts World Las Vegas President Scott Sibella and Concerts West President and CEO John Meglen confirmed the plans Thursday in Billboard magazine.
AEG’s Concerts West will exclusively program the new venue, which will be used for concerts, conventions, residency shows and sporting events.
“We wanted to find the right partner who globally has the operations and programming experience,” Sibella told Billboard. “We hit it off right from the beginning. It was the perfect marriage, because with [Resorts World] being new to Las Vegas, and AEG really knowing this city well when it comes to entertainment both in booking touring acts and residencies.”
The venue is designed by Scéno Plus of Montreal, which headed up the original design of The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and also the venue’s refresh last year. Scéno also created the “Mystere” theater at Treasure Island and the “O” theater at Bellagio, the first two Cirque du Soleil theaters on the Strip.
The horseshoe-shaped theater’s signature effect is a 65-foot chandelier. No seat is more than 150 feet away from the stage, which stands 64 feet deep by 196 feet wide and covers 13,550 square feet.
AEG, of course, has a long history with Celine Dion dating to her original “A New Day … ” residency at The Colosseum. Dion has a home in Las Vegas and had been on a world tour when COVID-19 shut down Las Vegas entertainment. At the time, it was expected Dion would not make any decisions about a Las Vegas residency until after that tour ended in 2021. COVID-19 has forced a review of that tour and her plans on the Strip.
Sibella also has an extensive history with star entertainers on the Strip, dating to his days as president of The Mirage and Luxor. Late last year, Sibella had reportedly been interested in signing such stars as Carrie Underwood and Garth Brooks; Brooks headlined a pair of private events for Sibella in his days at The Mirage.
Meglen, an industry leader, says the residency experience has “gotten stale.”
“I want this to be the place that every artist in town says, ‘Why am I not playing there?’ ” the veteran live entertainment exec says. “Artists need the proper tools, and the same with their crews. It’s not about just sticking the artist in the greatest room. It’s about making sure their entire organization (also) thinks it’s the greatest place they’ve ever been.”
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John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats! podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
