Thunder From Down Under crunches (numbers) in return to stage
Let’s say Thunderland Showroom is a sports venue. The 10-man troupe Thunder From Down Under is the home team. The 50-person audience is the visiting squad.
Take Thunder and the over.
Eager to return to the stage, the male revue is promising to wear out its crowd beginning with three shows Saturday.
“The guys are ready to bring the intimacy,” producer Adam Steck says. “They are ready for some really powerful, energetic intimacy.”
The no-touchy, socially distant strip-Strip show went dark in late-November when statewide restrictions for public gatherings were reduced to 50. But after crunching numbers and conferring with hotel partner MGM Resorts International, the show is giving it a go once more at Excalibur.
Though capped at 50 per performance, Thunder is actually playing to a larger nightly audience count. Shows are 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. during the week, dark Tuesday.
“It’s all about economics, what it takes to have a chance to break even, and when we take it all together, this was the right move,” says Steck, whose SPI Entertainment company is the operator of all shows at Thunderland. “We’re putting on entertainment in the safest environment possible.”
As for the “Australian Bee Gees Show,” the rock tribute act is on deck and waiting for restrictions to be relaxed. There remains a single opening for a third show at the theater, an ideal spot for the return of Human Nature. But the return of that act is in the more distant future, when Steck hopes Thunderland is home to three productions, all themed for Down Under.
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.
