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Why Vegas is Better For Live Theater Than Broadway
By Sonny White | December 20, 2010
The first place a Broadway show is booked if it leaves New York is Las Vegas. So many shows have been making their way there that promoters are calling Vegas “Broadway West”. With every type of entertainment imaginable in Vegas, it makes sense that traditional musicals and plays are being promoted in Sin City. The thing is that these traditional shows are not doing as well in Vegas as they did back east.
The big shows like “Hairspray” are not running as long as they were expected to run, and promoters are keeping a close eye on how these types of shows do over the next little while. It’s becoming apparent that the Vegas crowd is looking for more than acting and singing when they see a show. With all the glitz and bells everywhere around them in Vegas, the tourists require more to be entertained in this pumped-up city.
The shows that continue to do well are the high-end productions that include big budget stunts and stages, or techno-style presentations that are more performance than acting and singing. Shows like the “Blue Man Group” and the Cirque du Soleil shows provide a show that better fits the high energy of the city and its tourists. Entertainment in Vegas has always been about showing the newest hot acts, not running a 30-year-old play about dancing.
Steps are being taken by local artisans to bring more sustainable culture to Sin City with the building of a performing arts centre downtown. The $450 million dollar project is scheduled to open in 2011. The center will host non-profits like theater and ballet, as well the occasional traveling Broadway show. Once it’s built, tourists who wish to see the traditional shows will have a specific place they can see them, and the rest of the venues can continue to push the envelope for spectator shows and continue to be the entertainment capital of the world.
Topics: Las Vegas |