January 29, 2006

Could Jersey Boys Be Headed to Vegas?

January 29th, 2006

In today’s edition of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mike Weatherford provides an in-depth feature on the number of Broadway musicals making their way to the Strip.

Within the feature, Weatherford highlights the current and possible shows coming to Vegas: Hairspray previews begin February 6 at the Luxor; The Phantom of the Opera previews are scheduled to begin June 4 in a custom-built theater at the Venetian; Monty Python’s Spamalot is scheduled to preview in the first quarter of 2007 in a custom theater at Wynn Las Vegas, and the (real) producers of The Producers are in discussion with Paris Las Vegas about the show succeeding We Will Rock You.

Should the casino execs take a gamble and bring Jersey Boys to Vegas?

    The musical biography of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons opened in November and took off so quickly that co-producer Michael David says it’s both “exhilarating and terrifying.” Although it’s too early in the Broadway run for deal making in Vegas, David adds, “there seems to be a natural marriage between this show and your city.”

What are the chances for Jersey Boys to succeed in Sin City? According to Weatherford:

    Better than for the real Valli, who has cut short two recent engagements for lack of interest. This musical could change that for him, though casino executives might worry that it has too much story and character development for a long-term run.

In this blogger’s opinion, maybe the casino executives need to take a closer look at Jersey Boys and the other productions they’re considering bringing to the “entertainment capital of the world.” It has been said that Vegas audiences don’t have the attention span to sit through a Broadway show lasting two and a half hours. Not all Vegas tourists come to sit at slot machines; the city has some of the most exciting entertainment, restaurants, and shopping in the world! That being said, Vegas audiences deserve more than an abridged version of a terrific Broadway production.

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