Goulet sues over canceled shows

Grace Leong

Wednesday, Sept. 22, 1999 | 11:26 a.m.

Las Vegas entertainer Robert Goulet and Rogo Productions Inc. sued Bellagio Productions LLC of Newport Beach, Calif., and its chief executive Dr. Howard Mango, alleging they had failed to compensate him for cancelled engagements of his performance as "Don Quixote" in Mango's production of "Man of La Mancha."

The Clark County District Court suit said Mango, a medical doctor and theater producer of Bellagio Productions, doing business as Pacific Coast Theatre Group, had contracted Goulet on July 15, 1999, to perform in his production for engagement dates starting July 27 through Aug. 1, 1999.

The suit alleged that after Goulet had performed at one of the scheduled engagements in Cerritos, Calif., and was compensated $50,000, all future engagements were cancelled without Goulet initiating the cancellation.

"Under the contract, if he was responsible for initiating the cancellation, then he won't get paid. But he was willing and able to perform," said Michael Singer, Goulet's attorney.

The suit added Rogo Productions wasn't aware of the "logistics, problems or cause of such cancellations."

The suit said the defendants then agreed to compensate Goulet $100,000 for cancelled engagements, which was to have been paid in full by Aug. 20, but they allegedly ignored the plaintiffs' repeated notifications for payment.

Mango declined comment on the allegations. His Bellagio Productions is not associated with the Bellagio hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

Robert Goulet's wife, Vera, declined further comment on the suit.

She, however, denied accusations in a separate suit filed Sep. 7 that poor lighting in the Goulets' Las Vegas residence had contributed to a Las Vegas woman's injuries while she was being interviewed for a housekeeping position.

The plaintiff, Celine Santeler, claimed she slipped and fell, while being led through the Goulet's residence due to inadequate lighting, railings or warnings that there was an elevation change from the dining area into a sunken area.

"We asked if she was hurt after she tripped on the steps. But she said she wasn't. Then three or four weeks later, she telephones our office saying she was injured and wanted medical compensation," said Vera Goulet. "If she was truly hurt, she wouldn't have waited about a month to tell us about it."