Where Did Las Vegas Go Wrong.

[Timon3]

Posted: 8/23/25 at 7:51pm

I don’t think there is any shows from Broadway on the strip?

They tried bringing Broadway to Vegas with heavy hitters like: The Producers, Spamalot, Hairspray, The Lion King, Avenue Q and The Phantom etc, but all went the same way and flopped. Even if a tour goes to the Smiths Centre a week is enough normally and doesn’t pull any tourists in. Shows like The Book of Mormon, Moulin Rouge or Wicked that could do well on the strip haven’t bothered.

I haven’t been to Vegas since before the pandemic, this is unlikely to change, as I like entertainment, I hear now Vegas has gone very pricey now with resort fees, buffets expensive and not much free drinks if pumping those machines (I don’t gamble.)

So where did Vegas go wrong? I hear they are investing a lot in sport now?

 

 

 

 

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 8/23/25 at 8:36pm

Turistas just don't want to sit for 2+ hours for a legit show.  The tab versions don't seem to fly either.  Remember that Phantom:The Spectacle did have a decent run, and IMO was right up there with the other Phantom of NYC, London, etc.  Running time was just about the same as the originals (included an intermission) AND it was absotootly very spectacular.  The flippin' chandelier cost millions,  looked like the mothership done up in crystals and fell in a gasp inducing flash...no floating for this bugger.  The transformation of the theatre at the beginning was also wonderful, and the casting impeccable.  If there is any justice in this theatreworld the production is tucked in a warehouse somewhere and will rise again one day.

PS:  Anthony Crivello was my Phantom when the production first opened.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 8/23/25 at 8:37pm

You answered your own question. 

"They tried bringing Broadway to Vegas with heavy hitters like: The Producers, Spamalot, Hairspray, The Lion King, Avenue Q and The Phantom etc, but all went the same way and flopped."

[JSquared2]

Posted: 8/23/25 at 9:05pm

Full scale "legit" Broadway musi8cvals will never work in Vegas for the exact same reason that (most of) the Broadway community is so against the possibility of a Times Square casino (and rightly so).  Every minute that a tourist spends sitting in a show is a minute they are NOT at the slots.  Casinos are designed so that their guests never have to leave the premises for entertainment, shopping, dining, etc.  That's why most of the big name residencies (Midler, Celine, JLo, Brittney, etc.) tend to be 90 minutes or less.  
 

[Idiot]

Posted: 8/23/25 at 9:56pm

The Vegas vibe has just never meshed with theatre.  Some of the 'concerts presented as musicals' could probably run there... but being in Vegas is all about running around, causing mischief.  It's just not a 'sit and appreciate a classic American art form' kinda town. 

I saw A Chorus Line there a million years ago and it was atrocious.  Hairspray was fun - but it still didn't blend well with our Vegas shenanigans.  

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/23/25 at 10:13pm

All the Broadway shows that choose to play in Vegas are required to have a running time of 90 minutes or less so extensive trims to the shows are required.

HAIRSPRAY in Vegas had no intermission and along with song verses and scenes being trimmed, many songs were completely cut like “The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs” and “Velma’s Revenge” (yup, the role of Velma Von Tussle became a non-singing role!), as was “Cooties” and the entire prison sequence along with “The Big Dollhouse” and the “Good Morning Baltimore (Reprise)”. The creators referred to it as HAIRSPRAY Lite. 

[Wick3]

Posted: 8/23/25 at 10:26pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "All the Broadway shows that choose to play in Vegas are required to have a running time of 90 minutes or less so extensive trims to the shows are required.

HAIRSPRAY in Vegas had no intermission and along with song verses and scenes being trimmed, many songs were completely cut like “The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs” and “Velma’s Revenge” (yup, the role of Velma Von Tussle became a non-singing role!), as was “Cooties” and the entire prison sequence along with “The Big Dollhouse” and the “Good Morning Baltimore (Reprise)”. The creators referred to it as HAIRSPRAY Lite."

That makes sense. I saw Starlight Express in Vegas back in the 90s and it was only 90 minutes.

I wonder if a show like SIX would work in Vegas?

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 12:33am

Six did a run at the Vanetian as part of their tour. It didn't do well, the night I went there were maybe 300 people there

since the Smith center opened in 2012 there is alot less of a reason to do a strip run and lock yourself into an exclusive contract when you can just book 2 weeks of a tour there.

that is why you are seeing more of an investment in companies like Spigelworld to produce original productions on the strip 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 3:09am

I’d love to see Starlight Express back in Vegas some day and I think Moulin Rouge would work well if it was cut down to 90 minutes.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 8:38am

Vegas' Phantom remains the most fun I've had at any version of it. Shame it didn't last longer though the purpose-built opera house theater is still there. At least it was when they used it for the Republican debates in 2016. He was center stage and I remember wondering if the chandelier could still drop...

[inception]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 10:43am

The purpose of shows in Las Vegas is different from on Broadway.   

In NYC the show is the product.  Everything is about getting people in to see your show & hopefully turn a profit.

In Las Vegas everything is about getting people into the casino to gamble.  Entertainment &  dining & the resorts & pool parties & everything is there to draw people in & hopefully they'll drop a bunch of cash gambling.  That's why the entertainment is either concerts by big name performers or spectacle style shows with not much in the way of plot.  The shows are not the end product.

I don't gamble, but I'm signed up with both MGM & Caesars to look at better room rates. I usually end up staying at smaller offf-strip places that fit my budget better.  I don't need anything fancy, just as long as there is a decent pool.  I'm going the October Canadian long weekend because weather will likely be gross here but chances are still 90-100°F in LV.    Even without a gambling history, MGM send me weekly marketing emails.  This summer the offers have included free Cirque tickers with minimum stays.  If I had a gambling history with them I'd be getting free room & free food offers as well.   Rooms, food, & shows ultimately don't matter to the bottom line.  Gambling revenue is all that matters to Las Vegas casino operators  

Which means that when tourism is down & sales are on, so much the better for me. The biggest mistake I'm making on my next visit is traveling on a Canadian long weekend,  so airfare was higher.  

Updated On: 8/24/25 at 10:43 AM

[Huss417]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 11:41am

Scarywarhol said: "Vegas' Phantom remains the most fun I've had at any version of it. Shame it didn't last longer though the purpose-built opera house theater is still there. At least it was when they used it for the Republican debatesin 2016. He was center stage and I remember wondering if the chandelier could still drop..."

It ran for 6 years.

The Las Vegas Spectacular ran in Las Vegas for six years, from June 24, 2006, to September 2, 2012, totaling 2,691 performances at The Venetian. The show featured an abridged storyline with the same Andrew Lloyd Webber score, presented in a custom-built theatre with elaborate special effects.

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 11:54am

Yes, the Vegas model for Broadway shows was to "abridge" them. The earliest Vegas version of a Broadway musical I ever saw felt like one hour and change. The Cirque shows, on the other hand, seem lengthy in comparison. 

In terms of even abridged Broadway musicals finding an audience in Vegas I have no idea when they "went wrong" but probably decades ago. 

Contemporary Vegas went wrong after the pandemic severely cut into its profits and casinos started nickel and diming their guests to claw back some of that lost revenue but it is now in a death spiral because tourists from Canada and other parts of the world don't want to be subjected to Trump's sadistic caprices. 

Updated On: 8/24/25 at 11:54 AM

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 12:17pm

Jersey Boys had an 8 year run in Vegas opening at the Palazzo Hotel and then moving to the Paris Hotel.

 

I stayed at the Venetian back in 2009. It was in the middle of the recession so everything was pretty cheap. We could have seen Phantom at a discount but chose to see Cirque's "KA" instead. I had seen Phantom and was really curious about the Vegas production after the hype around it. But Cirque won out. Looking back, I kind of wish I had seen it because Sierra Boggess was in it. She is from here in Denver. We weren't sure if she would be on the night we were able to go but I still kinda wanted to see the chandelier that was talked about.

Updated On: 8/24/25 at 12:17 PM

[darquegk]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 12:31pm

Off the strip but in the area, Vegas does have Majestic Theatre, which is possibly the best-known non-equity and/or alternative theatre in the country since Starkid is more of an institution now. 

They did Scream’d and The Craft, plus their Ride the Cyclone went majorly viral. All the way in Pittsburgh, I see art referencing their zombified doll Jane Doe design.  

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 12:55pm

Contemporary Vegas went wrong after the pandemic severely cut into its profits and casinos started nickel and diming their guests to claw back some of that lost revenue but it is now in a death spiral because tourists from Canada and other parts of the world don't want to be subjected to Trump's sadistic caprices. 
 

That’s what I heard for years after Covid, friends who used to love it now spend their money elsewhere. Now it’s overpriced and dead but I feel like they did it themselves. And no one goes to Vegas for musicals anyways. Vegas is for gambling, eating and whores. That’s all

Updated On: 8/24/25 at 12:55 PM

[African Queen2]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 1:44pm

Atlantic City is thriving during the summer time 

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 2:26pm

darquegk said: "Off the strip but in the area, Vegas does have Majestic Theatre, which is possibly the best-known non-equity and/or alternative theatre in the country since Starkid is more of an institution now.

They did Scream’d and The Craft, plus their Ride the Cyclone went majorly viral. All the way in Pittsburgh, I see art referencing their zombified doll Jane Doe design."

 

Just went to their website. Their theater looks like a lot of fun. A friend and I are thinking about going to see "The Wizard of Oz" at the Sphere. May have to check them out if we go. 

 

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 2:27pm

Sutton Ross said: "Vegas is for gambling, eating and whores."

NAH

[JSquared2]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 2:41pm

Sutton Ross said: .And no one goes to Vegas for musicals anyways. Vegas is for gambling, eating and whores. That’s all 

 

Well, if anybody would know...

[darquegk]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 2:53pm

uncageg said: "darquegk said: "Off the strip but in the area, Vegas does have Majestic Theatre, which is possibly the best-known non-equity and/or alternative theatre in the country since Starkid is more of an institution now.

They did Scream’d and The Craft, plus their Ride the Cyclone went majorly viral. All the way in Pittsburgh, I see art referencing their zombified doll Jane Doe design."



Just went to their website. Their theater looks like a lot of fun. A friend and I are thinking about goingto see "The Wizard of Oz" at the Sphere. May have to check them out if we go.

"

If you go during the Halloween season, they’re reviving The Craft; it’s got a jukebox score of goth-pop and witch-pop songs and artists. Probably the only place you’ll hear Marianne Faithfull songs in a musical.

[Idiot]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 3:45pm

uncageg said: A friend and I are thinking about goingto see "The Wizard of Oz" at the Sphere. May have to check them out if we go.

Seeing this next Saturday... finally an excuse to see that facility do its thing!  

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 3:49pm

Idiot said: "uncageg said: A friend and I are thinking about goingto see "The Wizard of Oz" at the Sphere. May have to check them out if we go.

Seeing this next Saturday... finally an excuse tosee that facility do its thing!"

 

Please PM me with your thoughts after seeing it. Enjoy!

 

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 4:12pm

uncageg said: "A friend and I are thinking about goingto see "The Wizard of Oz" at the Sphere".

We are  making our way to Vegas in Feburary and have tickets for "Oz".  Then another visit for the 4th of July to celebrate America's 250th Anniversary and "Oz" again if it is still showing.  Very excited!

I have been enjoying everything Vegas has to offer since first visiting in 1958 when I was 11 years old.  Viva Las Vegas!

[Timon3]

Posted: 8/24/25 at 5:34pm

Do you think that shows being cut to 90 minutes is what damaged the show and if they did the full length show as on Broadway the shows would’ve faired better?

I get Vegas is all about gambling, but would’ve thought you can win a lot of money in 5 minutes, but then again you can lose a tonne in an hour, do casinos expect people to be on the machines or tables for more than an hour?

When I was in Vegas I went for the famous buffets and lived lvery well, eating Baring Sea King Crab which isn’t cheap, but the buffet was, I hear it is very different now?

As for touring shows, I would’ve thought Vegas would be the same as Los Angeles or San Francisco and sit down for a good month, but they don’t and are done in a week.