Wynn tips hand on Broadway-style show
Casino mogul Steve Wynn is a month away from delivering his next big thing — an ambitious Broadway-style production he wrote and titled “Showstoppers.”
The company of 95, including backstage crew, features what he described as “an all-star group of 28 dancers” and a 30-piece orchestra, said Wynn, who confirmed the project in a telephone interview Tuesday.
“I just came from rehearsal and it’s to die for. This is it!” Wynn said. He has been working on a replacement show for the Encore Theater since the departure of Garth Brooks last November after a three-year stint.
“Our dance company is bigger than any Broadway company. We auditioned 600 dancers in Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas,” he said.
The concept, he said, came out of a belated 50th birthday party for his wife, Andrea, in April, he said.
With 300 guests on hand, the evening featured an orchestra, a company of dancers, singers and choral groups.
“It was like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and these unbelievable dancers,” he said.
“The guests were so blown away and delighted with what they saw and we had much fun that we said we’ve got to take this further,” he added.
He hired Marguerite Derricks, “the No. 1 movie choreographer,” he said. Derricks holds the distinction of being the first and only choreographer to win three consecutive Emmy awards for outstanding choreography. She has won five MTV Movie Awards for best dance sequence.
“Marguerite told me she’s never worked with so many people this good,” he said.
After a month of previews in December, eight shows a week will be performed.
“They are songs from the great Broadway showstoppers. I wrote the show, picked the songs and put together the company and we all collaborated to write the libretto,” he said.
Dave Loeb is the musical director.
Asked how long a run he is envisioning, Wynn said, “This can go on forever because we can change the numbers every 90 days. Those songs, the musical numbers, have been revived over and over again. Songs that had something unique and special.
“We’ve reinvented the numbers,” he said. “We don’t try to recreate a scene from Hello Dolly. We’ve reinvented it in terms of Las Vegas today.”
RISING LIKE A PHOENIX
When the largest music festival ever held on the Strip takes place May 8-9 and 15-16, attracting 300,000-plus fans, it will become a modern-day rise of the Phoenix.
Like the mythical bird that rose from ashes, the Rock in Rio USA festival is being held on a long-neglected patch of desert best known for a historical fire.
It will be 65 years in June when the popular El Rancho hotel-casino, believed to be the first resort on what is now the famed Strip, was destroyed by a fire.
The long-vacant 37-acre site, most recently used as an RV park, will be reborn as a world-class festival.
Rock in Rio will be celebrating its 30th anniversary by adding Las Vegas, its first U.S. city. What exploded in Rio de Janiero has expanded to Lisbon and Madrid in the past decade, bolstered by a lineup of the biggest names in music.
The 100-plus performers for Las Vegas’ debut include Bruno Mars, the featured performer at the last Super Bowl, Taylor Swift, No Doubt, Metallica, Ed Sheeran, and Joss Stone, with more names to come.
Luis Justo, CEO of Rock in Rio, told reporters Monday at a site preview that ticket buyers from 32 countries were involved in a pre-sale last month.
Organizers are predicting crowds of 85,000 per day. The largest Las Vegas music event is Insomnia’s Electric Daisy Carnival, which draws a reported 400,000 over three days at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
MGM Resorts, which bought the north Strip acreage seven years ago for more than $500 million, is partnering with Rock in Rio, Cirque du Soleil and U.S. billionaire investor Ron Burkle, who has been working on Las Vegas deals for years.
The rebirth of the site is just the beginning, said Chris Baldizan, senior vice president of entertainment for MGM Resorts.
“It’s the launching pad,” said Baldizan, who said the options for the venue include nonmusic events. Sports events have been discussed, he confirmed.
Could outdoor mega-events involving the UFC and boxing be making a comeback, ala the Caesars Palace era? Stay tuned. Word has it soccer is in play, as well.
There will be no on-site parking. Shuttles will deliver fans from hotels and the concert area across from Luxor.
Meanwhile, as MGM Resorts sharpens its focus on the north end of the Strip, the gaming powerhouse and entertainment giant AEG have started construction on a 20,000-seat arena near the Monte Carlo that is scheduled to open in the spring of 2016.
THE PUNCH LINE
“Over the weekend another guy jumped the fence at the White House. This time he was tackled by three security guards. They released him and then later in the day he was signed by the Jets.” — David Letterman
Norm Clarke’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at 702-383-0244 or email him at norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.
