Pavarotti soon to croon in Las Vegas

Monday, Nov. 30, 1998 | 5:06 a.m.

Pavarotti is to christen a 12,000-seat events center of the new Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on April 10, with a medley of songs and lots of violins.

It shouldn't be a hardship to sing at the $970 million, 3,700-room hotel on The Strip being built by Circus Circus Enterprises Inc. "Tropically themed with mystical architecture and lush surroundings" is how producer Tibor Rudas describes the venue he booked for the legendary opera singer.

Although Pavarotti's New York manager, Herbert Breslin, denies the singer is retiring from fully staged opera, his client canceled three appearances in the Metropolitan Opera's "Tosca" this fall (but made up for it by promising to sing the Verdi opera in March). A much slimmed-down Pavarotti did make it to his only operatic appearance this season - the 30th anniversary of his Met debut on Nov. 22.

He might need some willpower to stay away from Mandalay's 15 restaurants and a four-story glass wine tower, but the Italian crooner can steam off the stress of the show in the hotel's 30,000-square-foot spa or take a dip in the swim-up shark tank. Or maybe he can swing his twentysomething companion, Nicoletta Mantovani, across the floor of the "automobile-accessible ballroom," as it's touted by the mega resort.

In past years, the singer who made opera popular has drawn audiences of hundreds of thousands to such venues as Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl and New York's Central Park.

There's no question pop music is drawing him more each year. On "Pavarotti and Friends," which airs Wednesday on PBS, he sings with the Spice Girls, Stevie Wonder and Trisha Yearwood. One number is called "Viva Forever."

It does seem that the tenor with the still velvety voice plans to have a long stage life, despite both hip and knee replacements last summer and high Cs he can no longer count on.

But he is counting on "the possibility to be asked to sing everywhere," he said recently, rifling through an appointment book that shows engagements from Berlin to Beirut and Bucharest.

They're likely to be easier on his voice - and add weight to his bank account.

Ticket prices for the one-night Mandalay extravaganza start at $50 and peak at $450. That beats the Met, where stage-center orchestra on a Saturday night goes for $160. Or, for $12, you can stand three hours and hear Pavarotti sing Verdi.