Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
NFL adds ‘O’ for Las Vegas draft fun
THE NFL is taking over Fountains of Bellagio for its upcoming draft festival. The league is also bringing on the aquatic show that plays inside the resort.
The cast of “O” is set to perform at Lake Bellagio before the start of the NFL Draft Red Carpet event on April 28. The carpet walk starts at 1:45 p.m. The “O” performance times are to be announced.
Cirque du Soleil is also represented by Blue Man Group at 7 p.m. April 29 at the Draft Theater at Caesars Forum. That staging platform is being set up behind the High Roller at Linq Promenade. The performance time for “Mad Apple,” the new show moving into New YorkNew York on May 12, is 7 p.m. April 29 at the Draft Theater.
We also understand Mr. Las Vegas himself, Wayne Newton, is playing a role in the NFL draft event. Newton is in the neighborhood, at the Flamingo, not so far from Caesars Forum or the Bellagio.
‘Absinthe’ turns 11
It was all in a night’s work for “Absinthe,” which marked its 11th anniversary last week at Caesars Palace.
The Gazillionaire sucked on a woman’s bare foot. Sean and John Scott took to the tables to tap to great effect. David O’Mer
soaked himself (and splashed the first two rows) in his “Bathtub Boy” act. Heather Holliday
sashayed with, then swallowed, a half-dozen swords. Ivan Chekov-Jones of “Le Petite Mearde,” the fictional Cirque show headlining in Reno, produced a smashed rose from his Speedos to close the “Cesarean Ballet” number.
And “The Impresario,” Ross Mollison, donned a green jacket he had not worn since New Year’s Eve 2013. That was the night “Vegas Nocturne” premiered at The Cosmopolitan. The garment was not a goodluck charm, as “Nocturne” shut down the following June.
Mollison and partner Caesars Entertainment announced in October they are expanding Spiegelworld’s reach, on the Strip and across the country. Mollison said Wednesday that “DiscoShow” is moving to an Aug. 23, 2023, opening at The Linq Hotel’s Glitterloft, taking over the old Imperial Palace sportsbook space. Originally titled, “We Are Here,” the dance production is the company’s fourth Strip production.
That opening date has moved from the originally announced New Year’s Eve 2022. The added months allow for construction time, as Spiegelworld is also planning two other productions outside of Vegas. This is all part of the company’s $75 million partnership with Caesars Entertainment.
The first new project is set for Caesars Atlantic City, in a new venue that will incorporate the facade of Warner Theater on the Boardwalk, which opened in 1929. That show is due to open in the first quarter of 2023.
Then, Spiegelworld’s concept at Caesars Palace New Orleans is to premiere by spring 2024.
“We have so much going on, in our little company,” Mollison said during the anniversary post-party. “When you look at where we were 11 years ago, we didn’t think we’d last past six months in Las Vegas.”
I want it that way
The Backstreet Boys stopped short of announcing their return to Las Vegas for their delayed Christmas residency after finishing off their “DNA” tour. The series took off with a four-pack of shows at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, running this weekend and last. We expect them back, gauging from Friday’s spirited, spot-on performance and the crowd’s full-throated response.
About a month ago, Nick Carter said the decision would depend on how he and bandmates Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell feel after performing in 58 cities from June 4-Sept. 14.
“The Christmas album is done, and the show and the album were supposed to go hand in hand,” Carter said as he debuted his live-minted first NFT art piece during the Afterparty NFT Art and Music Festival at Resorts World Las Vegas. “It would be nice to do that show. (Laughs) We’ll see how tired we’re going to be by then. But hey, anything is possible. It would be a great experience. We’re entertainers, and we are ready to entertain.”
That was achieved at Friday’s show. The guys mocked middle age by strutting and sliding through such crowd favorites as “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” “As Long As You Love Me” and “Larger Than Life.”
A double Dollar
Sand Dollar Lounge is tuning up, as it were, for its May opening at the Plaza. This is the second Sand Dollar club in Vegas, we remind. The original nightspot at Polaris Avenue and Spring Mountain Road has become a Vegas institution since opening in 1976. The new club is just off the casino floor, a 5,000-square-foot build-out and significant commitment from CEO Jonathan Jossel and Plaza co-owners Nathan Grates and Anthony Jamison.
Cool Hang Alert
Ronnie Rose and Elisa Fiorillo co-star in “A Dynamic Tribute” to Nat King Cole and Barbra Streisand at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sun City MacDonald Ranch, 2020 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, in Henderson. Rose and Fiorillo have been knocking out audiences in Vegas for years, Fiorillo as a backing singer for six years with Prince’s New Power Generation band. Tickets are $25, call 702-755-3799 to purchase.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal. com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal. com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.