Shows may play game of musical chairs

It could be time for the "showroom shuffle," a game of musical chairs that might see "Stomp Out Loud" replace the lamentable "Fuego Raw Talent" at the Sahara.

Both shows are set to close Jan. 4, though the number of remaining "Fuego" performances between now and then seems to be in flux.

Producer Scott Zeiger announced in November that "Stomp" would close at Planet Hollywood to make way for the topless revue "Peepshow," explaining the percussive off-Broadway hit averaged about 500 people in a 1,500-seat theater. "It really belongs in a smaller, more intimate space," he said.

The Sahara theater would seem to fill the bill. It was originally 860 seats, before the "Fuego" producer expanded the stage and removed a few of the front rows. And the lobby already has a raw, industrial look, decorated in sheet metal by first tenant Steve Wyrick in 2000.

Earlier this week, Zeiger said the Sahara was among several options under discussion, which presumably would include the Rio and Imperial Palace. But a source close to the situation said a Sahara deal was imminent. ...

The holidays are no holiday for several shows adding third or fourth performances while families are on the Strip. David Copperfield again takes top workaholic honors by scheduling four shows on Christmas Day and the two that follow.

Magicians Wyrick and Dirk Arthur also added extra shows. But producer David Saxe said his "V -- The Ultimate Variety Show" is holding at three per day between Friday and Jan. 3. "We did four last year. That's how you know the economy is bad," he joked. ...

The Scintas, adding holiday punch to their Las Vegas Hilton revue through Saturday, say they will probably give up their berth in the Shimmer Cabaret in March. The sibling variety act hopes to be busy by then with a TV project helmed by Jim O'Doherty, who was a producer on the sitcoms "3rd Rock from the Sun" and "Grounded for Life."

"The Scintas: Surviving the Strip" is a proposed mixture of the sitcom and reality formats. The sibling act's matriarch, "Mama Scinta" (aka Mary Scinta), is the breakout star of the 10-minute demo video they're shopping around, said proud son Frank Scinta. The group probably will devote most of next year's live work to the supper clubs it used to play in the East. ...

Mötley Crüe may be twice foiled in its attempts to bring down the house. "We were gonna try and rig it so we could blow it up," Vince Neil explained before the Crüe closed down the old Aladdin's concert hall with a show in November 1997. "Now what they're trying to do is refurbish it."

Refurbish it they did. The concert hall is the only surviving part of the original casino, now surrounded by Planet Hollywood and retail shops. But the Crüe now gets the honor of closing down The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Feb. 6 and 7.

The venue, which hosted everyone from the Rolling Stones to the Foo Fighters since 1995, will be replaced in April by a new 4,000-capacity concert hall going up on the east side of the property. That's closer to the capacity of the Colosseum at Caesars Palace than its chief rival, the 2,500-capacity Pearl at the Palms. However, the layout for "seated" concerts is comparable: close to 900 permanent seats in the upper balcony, with 1,769 removable seats on the lower level.

But the Crüe will have to leave its dynamite on the tour bus this time, too. The old Joint will be carefully converted into new casino space. ...

Finally, the surprise sale of Treasure Island this week breaks up the six-title solidarity between Cirque du Soleil and corporate partner MGM Mirage. Phil Ruffin, who is buying the hotel for $775 million, will inherit "Mystere," the company's first original title on the Strip. However, Ruffin is not Cirque's first new casino partner: "Zaia" opened earlier this year at The Venetian Macao.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.