Entertainment has changed on the Las Vegas Strip. Showgirls quietly stopped being a thing, and production shows -- once a staple on the iconic 4.2-mile stretch of road -- have been failing at an alarming rate.
These Broadway-style shows used to meet Las Vegas's bigger-than-life ethos, but that's no longer the case as the world's biggest stars now appear regularly all across the Strip.
It seems silly, for example, to see a musical based on the life of Meat Loaf when stars who are currently bigger than he was even in his heyday are playing shows nearby.
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If you can see Adelle, Garth Brooks, Katy Perry, or pretty much any big-name DJ on the Strip, why would you see a production show? That has largely been the case as "Bat Out of Hell: The Musical" closed after barely three months at Caesars Entertainment's (CZR) Paris Las Vegas.
That wasn't an isolated closure or a sign that maybe people weren't really that interested in Meat Loaf. In the last quarter of 2022 Criss Angel’s "Amystika" at Planet Hollywood, "Extravaganza" at Horseshoe, "Legends in Concert" at the Tropicana, and Xavier Mortimer’s magic show at The Strat all closed.
Even "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway hit "Freestyle Love Supreme" flamed out at the Summit Showroom at the Venetian, running for less than three months.
There has, however, been an exception when it comes to production shows. Spiegelworld has had great success with its long-running "Absinthe" at Caesars Palace and its "Atomic Saloon" show at the Venetian. Now, the production company is partnering with Caesars again for more than a show.
Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet
New Show (and More) Coming to Caesars Linq
Spiegelworld is bringing an entirely new show to a section of Caesars Linq, which has not been used since 2014. The production, "DiscoShow," will be located in the former Imperial Palace sportsbook, and it will include major additions to Linq beyond the theater.
"DiscoWorld" is based on the famed Disco Demolition Night, a Major League Baseball promotion in Chicago led by the Chicago radio announcer and anti-disco campaigner Steve Dahl.
"He encouraged spectators to turn up to Comiskey Park to add their disco vinyl records to a pile which Steve would blow up between games. The whole event exploded. After the stunt, thousands of people stormed the field and a riot ensued, fueling a backlash against the disco era," Spiegelworld said in a news release.
Disco, however, has proven more resilient than most people expected and the top music of its heyday remains popular to this date.
Linq Also Getting a New Nightlife Area
Few people likely even remembered that Linq had the space once devoted to its sportsbook when the casino went under the Imperial Palace name. Spiegelworld has broken ground on the Glitterloft, the home for the show that will take the experience beyond just the production.
"Opening summer of 2024 at The Linq Hotel + Experience, 'DiscoShow' will feature a transformative live entertainment space, bars, and a diner.' DiscoShow’s' team of creatives includes acclaimed director and choreographer Steven Hoggett (Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Once -- West End/Broadway), the company said in a news release.
Tickets are not yet on sale for the new production but they are expected to be 'In a few months," according to Spiegelworld.
"The audience will be invited to step inside the action with the characters who were there at the birth of disco; into their lives; on the streets; at the club; encouraged at every moment to lose themselves in the music and on the dance floor,” the company added.
