There's some strong evidence that despite boffo reviews for "Spamalot" at Wynn Las Vegas, audience demand is tepid. To wit:Exhibit 1: Wynn set up a booth last Friday at First Friday in the downtown Arts District to give away vouchers for 500 seats to first comers. Giving them away! Yikes.
Exhibit 2: I stopped by the half-price ticket counter in the Coke bottle across from the Monte Carlo on Saturday afternoon after trying (and failing due to the MGM Mirage systemwide sportsbook glitch that the mainstream media entirely ignored) to place my losing De La Hoya-Mayweather wager. Spamalot tickets were available at half price, for $66. This was a big, big weekend in Vegas and this was a Saturday night and the show can't sell out?
I still predict Wynn will keep it open at least a year regardless of the cost so as to not declare it a total failure.
While I was at the Coke bottle, by the by, I took note of who else was offering half-price seats on a very busy Vegas night. Mamma Mia had $50 seats, the self-proclaimed "New Mr. Las Vegas" George Wallace was up there for $40, Le Reve was available for $80 (not quite half-price, actually) and poor old Carrot Top was on sale for $20 a stick.
Is it time to start wondering if the Vegas show industry is in trouble?
3 comments:
it's my opinion that the reason a lot of Strip shows are having trouble is because the broadway shows that are failing are chopped versions of the originals... they usually include the original music, but they take out a lot of dialog in an attempt to get people out of the show and into the casino before it gets too late and they can't get enough gaming revenue out of them. I think they need a new model. Broadway lovers and lovers of the arts in general, myself included, don't appreciate the down-sized renditions of the originals. I'd rather pay to fly to NYC or London to a "real" theatre city if they are going to always do this stuff... it makes it seem like Vegas has a disregard for the arts... I love our city and I think it's a bad practice. I wonder when they will decide I am right? ;)
btw, I loved Avenue Q. too bad it didn't catch on here...
-=- christopher
my Las Vegas blog
Every time another Cirque show opens I wonder how many of these shows can survive at an average ticket price of $100.00 or more a pop. I saw KA a few months after it opened and the tickets were $150 ea (I had a free pair)The tourists I run into when I visit LV want to see one Cirque show. Some have no idea how pricey they are. Vegas enterinment is very pricey. I usually try to find a show at the half price booth and occasionally will pay to see a certain new show etc. I dont thnk the show industry is in trouble as I have seen many packed houses but it seems the Cirque shows sell far more tickets than anyone else. I am getting tired of them but will probably see the Love show as I have heard good things about it.
Rob
Sitting at home watching TV... suddenly I hear a Beatles song... then people jumping around, visions of Las Vegas appear on the Tube... I wonder, how much advertising do you need to promote a Las Vegas show?
Seems overboard to me.
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