Producer Steck to run Strat showroom
ADAM STECK stuck a second tent post on the Strip. The CEO of SPI Entertainment and a veteran producer in Las Vegas, Steck has entered a partnership with The Strat to take over that hotel’s showroom. It should be formally announced Thursday.
Steck produces the current lineup at the Excalibur on the south end of the Strip, with the adult revue “Thunder From Down Under” and “Australian Bee Gees Show” at Thunderland Showroom. He will have full run of the 600-seat showroom, with new titles and headliners planned this year. The Strat is thrilled to have Steck and his company aboard.
“SPI Entertainment is synonymous with entertainment on the Las Vegas Strip. They have produced some of the city’s most thrilling and celebrated shows that have enthralled audiences from around the globe,” Golden Entertainment Senior Vice President of Marketing and Entertainment Brad Goldberg said in a statement. “We’re ecstatic to be partnering with them to introduce an exciting lineup of productions and residencies at The Strat.”
Since Goldberg’s company bought the hotel in 2017, The Strat has changed its name (from the Stratosphere) and combed through the entire property with extensive upgrades. Nearly all facets of the hotel, from its restaurants to its casino floor to its lounge, have been overhauled.
“The Strat has completed a dramatic transformation and through this partnership, I look forward to bringing entertainment that matches the property’s incredible new surroundings,” Steck said in a statement. “From never-before-seen shows to rock ’n’ roll, we look forward to bringing a fun, high-energy mix of shows that will have audiences on their feet.” SPI’S shows and a rock residency series hosted by Sammy Hagar, announced before the pandemic and still on hold, will drive entertainment at The Strat. Hagar toured the hotel just last week. His original concept was to take over the “Celestia” tent.
That circus show is a pandemic casualty at The Strat, having finally bugged out this month with no announced plans in Las Vegas.
Myriad options are available for production themes in the Steck-strat partnership. Comedy, magic and adult revues are all in play. The room has some size (about 7,800 square feet) and has hosted such full-scale productions as the “American Superstars” tribute show, Frankie Moreno’s headlining run and the burlesque-influenced “Pin Up” starring Claire Sinclair.
Along with his Excal productions, Steck produces Human Nature and Boyz II Men. His previous, limited-run shows include “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth” at the MGM Grand’s David Copperfield Theater and (for its “Round 2” sequel) Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club. Steck produced Cesar Milan: Unleashed,” also at the Copperfield Theater.
Left open, for the moment, is the specific plan for the “MJ Live” Michael Jackson Tribute, co-produced by entrepreneur Darin Feinstein and longtime Vegas entertainment figure Dick Feeney. Strat officials say there is no plan for “MJ Live” to leave the hotel immediately. Feeney says the likely scenario is for the show to remain at the hotel until the end of the year. Goldberg also said he’s working with the producers to keep the production at the hotel for the foreseeable future.
In this shuffle, well-known entertainment execs Eric D’richards and Bob Capucci have joined the SPI Entertainment company. D’richards comes in as theater manager. Capucci is technical director. SPI Entertainment Senior Vice President Alex Schechter remains part of the team, too, as a strategic and showroom operations partner.
Steck has been in Southern Nevada since 1998, hitting the mark with the original “Thunder” show at the since-demolished Frontier in July 2001. The show moved to the Excal the following year. “Thunder” remains the longest-running male revue in the city.
Kassi Beach House to debut Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is set to open its highly anticipated Kassi Beach House in time for Memorial Day weekend.
The Italian-seaside designed restaurant and nightlife spot begins taking reservations at 11 a.m. Saturday. Restaurateur Nick Mathers and the Wish You Were Here Group are partnering with Virgin Hotels and the Curio Collection by Hilton hospitality companies.
Kassi offers Italian cuisine and a wine, beer and cocktail menu. The decor brings to mind relaxed trattorias, and Kassi will implement brunch, dinner and dessert menus conceived by executive chef Josh Stockton.
The signature seating enclave is the Rattan Room, and patio seating and VIP daybeds are also offered. For information, click to the site at kassibeach.com.