Monsters must wait for Lady Gaga gig
Kthis, Monsters: There will be no Lady Gaga on Thursday in downtown Las Vegas. The show, part of her “Bud Light Dive Bar Tour,” has been postponed because the pop star is rehearsing for her upcoming “Joanne” world tour, which opens Aug. 1 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and performs Aug. 11 in Las Vegas.
In a statement released Tuesday, Gaga said she is “working to reschedule a date as soon as possible.”
The brakes were put on her appearance early Monday, as the anticipated location — The Place on 7th, just north of the downtown Las Vegas hotel-casino El Cortez — was named as Lady Gaga’s chosen venue.
Cirque outta Broadway
Cirque du Soleil’s acquisition of Blue Man Group, announced last Thursday, makes it clear that the company is de-emphasizing the Broadway-style productions developed under its theatrical division.
The musical “Paramour” was the first such production, opening in March 2016. The show combined traditional musical theater elements with signature Cirque acrobatics, but it never became the trend-setting show Cirque management envisioned and closed last April.
Former Base Entertainment exec Scott Zeiger, president and managing director of the Cirque du Soleil Theatrical division, parted ways with the company earlier this year when his three-year contract expired. Hired by Cirque founder Guy Laliberté to develop traditional Broadway shows, Zeiger noted that the emphasis shifted to touring shows after Laliberté sold his interest in the company.
“‘Paramour’ was making good money, and it was a very rewarding experience, but it wasn’t the sort of groundbreaking achievement Cirque would have hoped for, and there are a lot of reasons for that,” Zeiger said. “There is the unpredictability of critics, of ticket buyers who are different than the people Cirque counts on to sell tickets when it tours in places like Houston, New Orleans, San Diego, Atlanta.”
Cirque’s current president and chief executive officer, Daniel Lamarre, said last week there was still hope the show will return to the stage. “We are in full negotiations to bring ‘Paramour’ to Europe, and we expect to know about its future in September,” he said. “We also hope to bring the show back to New York City, eventually, but right now our focus needs to be on Blue Man Group and our new partnership.”
Grand move
As anticipated, Ice Cube’s Big3 basketball championship has moved to MGM Grand Garden Arena from T-mobile Arena on Aug. 26 to make room for Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor Mcgregor on that date. Cube was made a fair offer to shift across the Strip, and the Big3 Twitter page announced “everybody’s a winner in Vegas!”
The title game is set for 1 p.m., and the fight will be at night, so you can make both events if so inclined. By the end of this week or early next, MGM Resorts is announcing an updated ticket protocol for the Big3 event at the Grand Garden Arena. Those who bought seats for T-mobile will be placed in a similar location at the Grand Garden.
Also, MGM Resorts sports books will post odds on the Big3 title game. This is worth a wager, if only to frame the ticket.
Water woes
The restaurant Planet Dailies needs extensive repairs after Saturday’s flooding of the casino floor at Planet Hollywood. The 24-hour eatery was badly damaged but is expected to reopen in October.
A bit further down the Strip, yesterday’s opening party for the newest outpost of Rock & Reilly’s (part of the “Irish rock pub” chain) also was delayed because of flooding. A spokeswoman for Rock & Reilly’s said flooding at Chili’s at the Hawaiian Marketplace above the new restaurant and bar caused considerable damage to the ceiling that needs to be repaired. It was the second opening celebration to be postponed (the first was to be held June 1), but organizers said they plan to reschedule the event for a third time, which will no doubt be the charm.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ johnnykats on Twitter, @Johnnykats1 on Instagram.