ENTERTAINMENT: ‘Sideswipe’ closes in dispute

The martial arts troupe “Sideswipe” has closed its afternoon show at the Tropicana, its producer saying the young cast performed more than a month without being paid.

But the showroom’s operator, Jay Bloom, says the show closed at the end of a 30-day termination notice and denies owing the troupe money. “We just couldn’t come to terms financially to continue the show,” Bloom says.

The troupe’s founder, Matt Mullins, says the nine performers were last paid Jan. 3 for performances through Dec. 20. The show was last performed Friday. “We tried to go as long as we could,” says Mullins. “But we’ve been out there quite awhile without getting paid.”

Bloom is the managing partner of Eagle Group Holdings, which operates the Tropicana’s Tiffany Theatre in a lease agreement with the casino owners. Bloom’s firm also plans to open a museum attraction, The Las Vegas Mob Experience, at the Tropicana.

“The reality of the situation is they weren’t drawing more than single digits (in ticket sales),” Bloom says. “Unfortunately the show didn’t come together to become the Vegas show it could be in a timely enough fashion.”