Catch-and-pitch time from the Field of Notes:¥¥¥ÒDisneyÕs The Lion KingÓ celebrated its one-year anniversary Saturday. Clearly, it was the time to ponder the late Michael Jackson.
ÒThe Lion KingÓ has survived in an economic jungle without resorting to eating its own paw for survival, but the Mandalay Bay Theater production surfaced unexpectedly in the immediate wake of the announcement that Cirque du Soleil plans to develop a Jackson show in Las Vegas. Cirque says it will stage the show in an MGM Mirage venue, which is not a surprise. Six of CirqueÕs seven Vegas productions are staged at MGM Mirage hotels. The one that isnÕt, ÒMystere,Ó is at Treasure Island, which was an MGM Mirage hotel until Phil Ruffin purchased it last year.
The Pin-The-Production-On-The-Strip game started swiftly, and Mandalay Bay Theater figured prominently in the discussion. ÒThe Lion KingÓ seems to have the same sort of shelf life experienced by ÒChicagoÓ and ÒMamma Mia!Ó previously in the same theater. The argument is that it might make more sense for MGM Mirage to halt a Disney production to make room for Jackson than it would to snuff out an existing Cirque show.
But David Schrader, executive vice president of Disney Theatrical Group, says it is way too early to expect the Lion to desert the herd of MGM Mirage hotels.
ÒItÕs all speculation,Ó Schrader said by phone Monday. ÒWe have an open-ended deal (with MGM Mirage) and weÕre charging ahead. For (Cirque) to snag a significant property, an awful lot of things would have to come together.Ó
When ÒLion KingÓ opened a year ago, skeptics doubted it would be able to sustain an audience through its entire 2 -hour performance, intermission included. ThatÕs inordinately long for a Vegas audience, especially one laden with children. Notoriously, show-goers usually get antsy after 90 minutes or so. But Schrader said there is no talk of cutting the show back, that the audiences stay with the production as is.
ÒThatÕs not something weÕre considering,Ó he said. ÒThereÕs no talk of it.Ó
ÒLion KingÓ is offering a 2-for-1 ticket package through JuneÊ20 for Nevada residents with a valid ID. Tickets must be purchased before June 1. Once seen as an indication a show is struggling, localsÕ ticket specials have become commonplace for most upper-end Strip shows. The hope is that expanding the audience to include a higher ratio of Las Vegas residents will lead to greater tourism appeal, as those who live here suggest shows to those who donÕt.
ÒWe clearly now are seeing periods of really strong leisure tourism, and periods where it isnÕt so strong,Ó Schrader said. Late May and early June are periods when attendance flags. It picks up in the summer.
ÒWe have had some incredibly strong foot traffic, but we need to know how much they are spending,Ó Schrader said. ÒWe need to be in that group of four or five things people feel they need to do in Las Vegas. Summer should be really solid, but we need to account for the periods prior to the invasion.Ó He means, of theater-goers. Not of Michael Jackson.¥¥¥Beginning this week, Maria Menounos of ÒAccess HollywoodÓ begins a regular segment called, ÒMenounosÕ Madcap Adventures.Ó One report, which airs tonight, is of her appearance as the Dolly Parton character in the ÒLegends In ConcertÓ show at HarrahÕs. The role is typically played by Sandy Anderson.
The ÒLegendsÓ show has added Michael Jackson role-player Damian Brantley, formerly of ÒAmerican SuperstarsÓ at Stratosphere, and if youÕre into a great Michael Jackson impersonator, Brantley is one.¥¥¥The Liberace Museum celebrated LiberaceÕs 91st birthday Sunday with a small ceremony in the museumÕs cabaret, rolled-back admission prices of $3.50 (ticket price when the museum opened in 1979) guided tours throughout the day and performances capping the weeklong celebration featuring Christopher Joel Carter IV and special guests Phyllis Bell, John Kaye, Domenick Allen, Leigh Zimmerman and Cayleigh Capaldi in the Cabaret Showroom.
Liberace Foundation President Jack Rappaport and Museum Director Tanya Combs were joined in a cake-cutting ceremony inside the cabaret by Dennis Bono and Lorraine Hunt-Bono and Allen, who was a featured performer in LiberaceÕs stage show for four years.
Also on hand was Gladys Luckie, LiberaceÕs personal chef throughout his career and one of the few remaining living members of his inner circle. She turns 100 on Jan. 19.
It was a nice time, great Sunday afternoon sojourn, and even the vaunted Slider Truck made an appearance, but the event served largely as a reminder that the museum needs to relocate where there is more natural foot traffic. The memory of Liberace is fading, a reality reflected by the modest turnout for SundayÕs event. The now-stale reports of a movie starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson are not enough to sustain interest in the attraction or the foundation. This is, hopefully, the final Liberace birthday celebrated on Tropicana and Spencer. He needs a new room.¥¥¥A season-high crowd of 9,455 — an announced sellout — turned out to see the 51s play, rather poorly, against the Iowa Cubs on Friday night. It was a hat-giveaway promotion, but the overriding reason so many fans turned out is because there are a lot of Cubs fans in Las Vegas, and this was the only series of the year in Las Vegas for the franchiseÕs Triple-A team.¥¥¥Las Vegas artist Jerry Misko has finished his mural on the Emergency Arts building on Fremont and Sixth streets. I ran into Misko atop a crane platform last week painting on that wall. He goes to any lengths.kats@lasvegassun.com /
990-7720
Copyright 2010  Las Vegas Sun
