Adult-only show to fill carnival tent at Caesars

A circus big top will soon appear in front of Caesars Palace, beckoning takers into a surreal, hallucinogenic world. But there's no "Cirque" above the title of "Absinthe," which promises a decadent, adults-only carnival.

"Absinthe" has been produced in New York and Miami Beach by Spiegelworld, a company derived from the Spiegeltent, a vintage European show tent decorated in mirrors, stained-glass and velvet.

Performances begin March 21, with the official opening night party set for April 1. Tickets start at $69 (before taxes and fees) and go on sale today.

At Caesars, the 600-capacity tent with surrounding beer garden and midway games will occupy an area originally known as the Roman Plaza when it opened in 2004. But various attempts to utilize the space between the casino and the Las Vegas Boulevard sidewalk never really caught on.

"It's fantastic real estate," says Ross Mollison, the Spiegelworld producer who will jointly stage the show with Base Entertainment.

The space is "in many ways the No. 1, prime location on the 50-yard line of the Las Vegas Strip, sitting there literally waiting for an extraordinarily cool development like this," agrees co-producer Scott Zeiger of Base Entertainment.

However, the site is a Plan B after an original deal to go into the Fontainebleu halted with that project. Mollison said he was nearly ready to move in and begin outfitting the theater space when the hotel financing stalled.

"As luck has it, when we went in (to Caesars) and laid the presentation down ... it turns out that (hotel president) Gary Selesner is a fan of the work, and had torn the ad from Time Out magazine in New York and said, 'I want to do this one day,' " says Zeiger. "As the stars lined up, we walked in the door of the right place."

The producers acknowledge a challenge in trying to differentiate their cabaret-leaning title from Cirque du Soleil, particularly the company's like-minded "Zumanity."

"We bow at the foot of Cirque du Soleil ... but this is a totally complementary product I think," says. Mollison. The show is more intimate on a 9-foot stage, pulling the audience into the act.

"The Cirque shows are wonderful," Zeiger agrees. "But this is a very different show. This is not slick in the same way. This is much more raw. ... Cirque du Soleil is selling spectacle. We're selling feats of virtuosity in an intimate environment."

That environment will include a bar inside the show space -- as much of a reason as the risque content for why it's restricted to those 21 and over, says Zeiger -- and will include the once-illegal spirit that inspired the title.

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