Thursday, Dec. 5, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
YOU TAKE MANHATTAN. Give us "MADhattan."
Actually, I like Manhattan but the words of that famous song just seemed to fit the occasion of master impresario Kenneth Feld's unveiling of his latest supershow concept called "MADhattan."
As if the soon-to-open New York-New York hasn't been enough to give locals and tourists goosebumps galore, Feld's plan to bring the incredible artistry and imagination of the New York street scenes to the showrooms of Las Vegas takes the cake. He's taken Manhattan, all right, and will move it into the middle of the Entertainment Capital of the World in May.
Kenneth Feld has a genius for producing what America -- make that the whole world -- wants to see. He's proved it time and again to children of all ages with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Walt Disney's "World on Ice" and the "Wizard of Oz on Ice." And he has proved it to the parents of those children -- of all ages -- with Las Vegas' mega-show, "Siegfried & Roy" at The Mirage.
This time, he has stepped even higher up that ladder of creative success by bringing to Las Vegas a show that has played to millions of people on the streets and in the subways of New York City. The question, of course, is can he pull it off.
The answer would be an unqualified "no" if he didn't have the perfect setting for his show. But by creating an environment with New York-New York in which the customers will move seamlessly from hotel to street show and back again, his plan to re-create the actual experience of a tourist on the streets of Manhattan fills the bill. If it works, there's nothing better.
Of course, like all great producers, my friend Kenneth can use a little advice. Mine would be to keep the streets of his Manhattan clean. If he wants to import the smell of freshly bagged garbage, OK, but leave the real stuff in the Big Apple where periodic strikes and other labor issues fill the curbs to overflowing and leave the pedestrians at the mercy of taxi drivers.
While I am sure Terry Lanni and Gary Primm, the chairmen of the boards of the two companies that own New York-New York, have already thought of it, a police force designed to keep the muggers, rapists and panhandlers out of the faces of the millions of tourists who will visit the hotel would be a good idea. That's something the real New York has been working on for years with little signs of success.
Not that there is anything Kenneth can do about it, but one way to assure success of his new show is to make sure the people who come to "MADhattan" have good weather. In that regard, New York-New York's president, Bill Sherlock, can assure us that all is under control. After all, this New York is in Las Vegas and "MADhattan" is inside!
So much for my advice. The rest, Mr. Feld will have to do on his own with the fabulous creative crew he's brought to the table. And from the look and sound of things at the Brown Derby yesterday, he'll make the hard seem easy and the impossible a piece of cake.
There's less than a month before New York comes to Las Vegas. In a city known for its incredible openings and mold-breaking hotels, this one will set a high-water mark. And just a few months later, the vitality that is the streets of one of the greatest cities in the world will find its way to the MADhattan Theater. It, too, should be a winner.
Kenneth Feld says, "An apple has fallen far from the tree." He means that wonderful piece of the Big Apple that he's bringing to Las Vegas next May. He's right.
But in a much larger sense, for those of us who knew his father, Irvin, the apple has not fallen very far from the tree at all. It's a show business tree that has taken root in Las Vegas and, we hope, will grow successfully for many years to come.
I'll take Manhattan and "MADhattan." You got a problem with that?
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