That was a fast year. I'm waiting for the national press to do a series of stories that say the Vegas audience can support "Broadway" theater. . . . all right, I guess I'll have to do that one, myself. But guess who just celebrated their first birthdays? LOVE and Phantom of the Opera. Both the Producers and Spamalot appear to be alive and well and Mamma Mia! announced its closing, but put it off for over a year, meanwhile adding a fresh new cast. So as long as it is filling houses, I wouldn't bet on holding to that closing date. Here's what's happening on the Broadway West theater scene.
Mamma Mia!, in its fifth year, is the longest-running Broadway show on the Strip. To celebrate its closing, it adds four new principals on July 30. With fun ABBA music, the show tells the story of an about-to-be-bride who wants to know which of her mother's three former boyfriends is her father. I've never been to a performance where the audience isn't literally dancing in the aisles by the closing number.
Actress Libby Winters, takes over the lead role of Sophie Sheridan, the bride-to-be. With experience in film, television and stage including “The Like Girl,” “Champs” and the New York musical White Noise, Winters brings new life to the show.
Directly from the Broadway company of Beauty and the Beast, Rob Sutton plays Sam Carmichael, the American architect. Sutton’s recent credits include Off-Broadway’s The Ark and regional performances in Camelot and Oklahoma! Bill Austin, the Australian traveller, is played by Ron McClary who comes to Las Vegas from New York City where he starred in Summer ’69: The Musical and The Lightning Field along with television appearances on “Law and Order” and “Ed.” Joining Sutton and McClary is T. Scott Cunningham as Harry Bright, the British banker. His credits include Broadway’s Love! Valour! Compassion!, Design for Living and Tartuffe as well as television appearances on “Law and Order” and the role of Ryan in the major motion picture “Serendipity.”
Songs including “Dancing Queen”; “The Winner Takes It All”; “Money, Money, Money.”
The performance schedule for MAMMA MIA! at the Mandalay Bay Theatre is Sunday - Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m. & 10 p.m. There is no performance on Friday.
Tickets for MAMMA MIA! are $110, $82.50 and $49.50, tax inclusive. Tickets are available by calling the Mandalay Bay Box Office at 800-632-7400, Ticketmaster at 702-474-4000 and online at www.mandalaybay.com or www.mamma-mia.com
# # #
Why fix it if it ain't broke? Phantom, with two spectacular casts, seems to be happily pulling in audiences. Personally, I like the shortened format -- when I saw the Broadway version, it dragged a little for me. The set is spectacular and the underground river, lit with acres of candles is one of the most memorable theater images ever. And here's a secret. The two female leads have been best friends since childhood.
Phantom VIP Experience | |
Enjoy the VIP treatment at the #1 show in Las Vegas! The Phantom VIP Eexperience $250 per person and includes the following:
Only available Tuesdays to Fridays. Please call to order (1-702-414-9000) or visit the Phantom Box Office. |
Tickets: 1-702-414-9000. Show Schedule: 7 p.m. daily; dark Monday; 9:30 p.m. shows on Saturday and Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment