Plaza’s ‘Mob Story’ to stay dark until spring “A
Mob Story” plans to be back onstage at Plaza Showroom in April.
It has a lot of work to do before then.
The inventive mix of organized crime and musical theater went dark in December and is certainly facing serious financial challenges. The man at the center of the story says as much.
“Yes, there is outstanding debt,” show producer and reformed Colombo crime family capo Michael Franzese says.“iwashandedabudget of $1.1 million and ended up spending over $2 million on the show, all money that came from and through my efforts. I was very disappointed with those I trusted to deliver the show on budget.”
Consequently, those who have done business with the production say they are owed a lot of back pay. Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel said this week that he would not stage the show until he is confident everyone who is owed money ispaid.
Franzese says the show’s struggles have accelerated over the past few weeks and are the result of a production team working together for the first time in Las Vegas. He is seeking financial partners for its next run. But if the show returns, fully funded, to the Plaza Showroom in April, it will have beaten some long odds.
“The show was an independent production in its entirety. I worked hard to make sure cast and crew were paid and paid since day one,” Franzese says. “Having said that, it was only the last few weeks that some crew and cast were owed money. Much of which has been resolved. I can say that cast and most all the crew love the show, understand what I did to keep the show going and want very much to return.”
The original Las Vegas musical was co-produced, written and directed by Vegas entertainment vet Jeff Kutash, who has not returned texts asking for comment. Financial struggles aside, “A Mob Story” has proven a powerful and entertaining show and has been well-received by critics. It has a great set designed by Emmy Award-winner Andy Walmsley, a terrific dance team and effective narration by Franzese.
Jossel, especially, is eager to see how the show deals with Franzese’s frequent absences to fulfill his many speaking engagements across the country. The show has gone dark whenever Franzese has hit the road.
“Jonathan and the Plaza brass want the show to return, and we have a mutual understanding as to how we will work together to reopen the show,” Franzese says. “It will be even a better production, operating more efficiently, I can assure you.”
He continued, “It’s a tough town. People have a lot of shows to choose from. We gave our audiences a great show, uniquely entertaining in many ways. We will be back. It is not wise to bet against us.”
Britney’s status
Published reports, some sourced accounts and widespread social media speculation (which can always be trusted) indicate Britney Spears’ ticket sales for “Domination” at Park Theater were substandard in the weeks leading to her decision to call off all 32 dates this year. But there is no reason from here to doubt Spears’ stated reason for her decision on Jan. 4 to table the highly hyped show: Herfather, Jamie Spears, spent nearly a month at Sunrise Hospital after emergency surgery on a ruptured colon.
Onwednesday,herlasvegasmanager Larry Rudolph said officials with MGM Resorts, which operates Park Theater, said they were “very happy” with advance sales. The show was to have opened Feb. 12-13. Rudolph reiterated that Spears’ decision was simply a family matter and the possible return of the show has yet to be addressed. “It’s just the set of facts,” Rudolph said in a text message. “When her father’s in a better place, we will probably say something then.”
Untitled Saxe projects
Longtime Las Vegas producer David Saxe is developing two entertainment venues on the Strip this year. One is for a showroom-style venue that will host an immersive-interactive experience that Saxe says is “a little like ‘Sleep No More’ but sexier.” That’s a reference to the popular New York theater show based on “Macbeth” and other film-noir elements. Saxe’s other concept is a larger nightclub that can run thousands of folks through the venue in a single night.
In about six months, Saxe will be auditioning versatile entertainers who can dance, sing and act to populate these venues. As we say, more — much more — will be revealed.
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. As of 9 p.m. Wednesday:
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