Columnist Kate Maddox: O’Hara hopes to stage ‘Drood’

Kate Maddox

Sunday, April 9, 2000 | 10:47 a.m.

A local entertainer is looking for a home for a new production of a Tony Award-winning murder mystery musical. Paige O'Hara, who was the voice of Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" and who recently starred with the Radio City Rockettes, is behind the team hoping to bring "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" to Las Vegas.

O'Hara, acting as creative producer, is teamed up with Dan Florio and Broadway producer Ron Dante. The group wants to see "Drood" find a home here, preferably at the Mandalay Bay theater.

"Drood" was a big hit in New York and also had a successful national tour, mainly due to the interesting storyline, which involves audience participation. The crowd decides what the ending will be each night -- voting on who will end up being the murderer.

The Las Vegas production won't stray too far from the original form, but it will add an original twist. In the Vegas version, audiences will have the opportunity to bet on who they think the killer is, and if correct, can collect some cash. The over-21 crowd will get to bring some of the casino action to the theater.

It's the surprise ending that makes the show. Even the cast members remain clueless about the outcome -- they get a five-minute warning before the last act. O'Hara says that some "big names" are interested in playing the lead roles and financing has already been secured for production.

Wayne Newton is getting in on the information superhighway. The singer will soon be the spokesman for BroadcastAMERICA.com, a radio and TV Internet broadcasting venture. Newton will be the face of the dot.com's advertising campaign and, in exchange, collect a nice paycheck, which includes shares in the fast-growing, privately held company.

Las Vegas is on a mission to become the game show capital of the world. Riding the wave of game show popularity, a handful of new projects are in the works and hoping to settle at hotels in town.

The details on "Las Vegas Jackpot" involve contestants playing the regular casino games, but for mega-buck winnings -- creators are hinting that jackpots could pass the million-dollar mark.

Another show, "Street Smarts," will gamble on the average Joe on the street. Two contestants in Los Angeles guess whether or not people selected at random in Las Vegas will be able to answer questions correctly. The L.A. contestants will observe a Vegas participant as he is asked a question; each contestant then gets the opportunity to decide whether they think Vegas Joe will get the answer wrong or right. This high-wattage battle of skill (ha!) has already been picked up and the creators, whose other credits include the "Dating-Game"-on-acid show "Change of Heart," plan to come to town for five days at the end of April and shoot at five locations.

"Stakes are High" adds an interesting twist to the usual game-show format. Contestants wager their own stuff. If they get the answers correct, they win more things. If they goof, they get to watch as their personal possessions are destroyed.

There is some buzz about a new production show planning to fill the time slot at the Venetian's C2K -- between impressionist Andre-Phillippe Gagnon's show and the C2K's nightclub hours.

"Nebulae: The Lifeforce," which is apparently in the final stages of negotiations with C2K, is rumored to be an elaborate show with an international cast of approximately 70 people performing magic, dance and music, with intense pyrotechnics.