Producers aim petition to lobby Sisolak
FITTINGLY, Stabile Productions is asking you to sign next to the X. The company founded by Angela and Matt Stabile, who produce all the revues under the “X” brand, has launched The “Show Must Go On Campaign, an online petition set up to attract Gov. Steve Sisolak’s attention.
“This is to raise awareness and send a message to the governor,” Angela Stabile says. “We need to be accounted for. This is the Entertainment Capital of the World, and we need him to make us a priority.”
The Stabiles hope the site and signatures will encourage the governor to stage a news conference specifying directives for producers and room operators to return to business. They say the campaign will continue until that happens.
The petition is posted at Change.org; search “Stabile Productions.” The original goal was to simply collect 1,500 signatures. The petition passed that mark Sunday morning. Stabile said the effort could rise to 5,000. Then the link will be forwarded to the governor’s office.
The Stabiles are veteran Vegas entertainment figures. The couple produces “X Burlesque” at Flamingo Las Vegas, “X Country” at Harrah’s and “X Rocks,” late of Bally’s, and also Piff the Magic Dragon at Flamingo.
Angela is an original “Crazy Girls” cast member who has gone on to co-own her own long-running production company. Matt’s father, Joe, managed Jerry Lewis from his split from Dean Martin in 1956 through Joe’s death in 2004.
Las Vegas producer Adam Steck of SPI Entertainment signed and shared the petition on Facebook with the message: “Our industry has been decimated. How can they allow restaurants, pool parties, lounges and dinner shows to conduct business (in Las Vegas) but small-tomidsized showrooms can’t?
We have all of the health & safety protocols in place and ready to go!”
Steck’s company produces Human Nature, which in July closed its seven-year residency at Sands Showroom at The Venetian; Boyz II Men at The Mirage; and Hans Klok, Thunder From Down Under and Australian Bee Gees at Thunderland Showroom at Excalibur. Human Nature has no new venue locked up for 2021. Klok is far from a certainty to return to Excal.
Some Las Vegas producers are pressing the issue elsewhere. Last week, Spiegelworld’s Ross Mollison made the clear message that his “Absinthe” production and the show’s Spiegeltent are ready for a good canvassing by state health officials and the governor himself.
As it is, ticketed shows in showrooms, theaters and arenas (or reinforced tents) are not allowed in the state’s COVID-19 reopening. Pro
ducers and resort companies are permitted to sell tickets, and most Ticketmaster listings for Vegas resident shows and headliners resume
Sept. 1.
But those dates are just targets, until the state issues specific directives on how entertainment can return.
“All of our shows are coming back,” Stabile said. “But we can’t say that of every show, and that should worry everybody.”
Boxes o’ fun
Live music has been returned to Indigo at Bally’s and Napoleon’s at Le Boulevard at Paris Las Vegas. Hotel officials describe the scene as “ambient” entertainment. A trip to both lounges Saturday night showed as much. I would compare these spots as hybrid lounges and small food courts.
The venues now offer food, from a lounge menu: a meat, cheese and bread box ($9.99); Nutella, butter and jam box ($7.99); and a snack flight of smoked nuts, snack mix and chips ($9.99).
Indigo has been opened up, its partitions between the lounge and casino taken down. Seating in both venues is spaced, and you wait to be let to a table. The bar is still closed. The artists are soloists/duos.
Dolyniuk’s FB festival
Brody Dolyniuk, a member of the Las Vegas Facebook Live All-stars, is hosting a Zeppelin USA livestream from 4-5:30 p.m. Monday. Find it on Dolyniuk’s Facebook page. The founder of Yellow Brick Road and the Zeppelin tribute acts blows it up on the Facebook platform. His “Dark Side of the Moon” Pink Floyd show is still steaming on his page.
Dolyniuk calls it “Dark Side of the Loft,” for the location. Whichever, it’s worth a visit.
Tandem takedown
Multimedia is a minefield, folks.
Those who checked in to my Facebook Live Podkats! interview with Matt Goss on Friday afternoon had to notice an oddity in the livestream: It was abruptly taken down after about 40 minutes. Gossy and I were cruising along when Facebook knocked us off the platform after an incorrect licensing infringement complaint from Sony Entertainment Music as we used a half-minute of Goss footage.
We have since unleashed Reggie the French Bulldog to deal with this.
Really, we are working on returning the video podcast to the RJ page, but we will have the full audio version posted Monday morning on the Kats! index page and also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iheart Media or wherever you listen to podcasts.
The Review-journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands operates The Venetian.