Columnist Kate Maddox: It’s the end for ‘Chicago’ at Mandalay Bay

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2000 | 9:08 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column appears Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, only in the Las Vegas Sun. Reach her at kmaddox@vegas.com.

It'll be curtains for the hit musical "Chicago" at the end of the month.

The popular show, which was originally slated for a 17-week run and ended up staying for a year, is said to be closing in order to bring in something "fresh" to the Mandalay Bay. Although rumors are flying about what show will take its place, talks are still ongoing with hotel management and entertainment, and no official decision has been made at this point.

Disney's "The Lion King," which has been a huge success on Broadway, is one of the shows that people are talking about as a possible replacement, but there appears to be a glitch in that plan. "The Lion King" is set to open in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre in the fall and run through June 30, 2001.

More than a few casino insiders are wondering whether or not such a big production would play in two cities as close to each other as Vegas and L.A. However, "The Lion King," which has won more than its share of major theater awards during its two-year run in NYC, does pull in sell-out crowds and might have the popularity it would take to be a success in both cities. We'll have to wait and see.

On a similar front, it has been reported that the resignation of corporate VP of entertainment for the Mandalay Bay Resort Group, Joel Fischman, was due to a falling-out over the future of "Chicago," but I'm hearing otherwise.

Sources are speculating that the two had nothing to do with each other, and that Fischman's departure had more to do with New Year's Eve entertainment fallout than it did with anything currently happening within Mandalay Bay.

For the past month insiders have been quietly speculating about what might happen to those responsible for the lackluster New Year's ticket sales and the pricey big-name shows. As it turns out, some of those talking were just waiting to hear the ax drop and, if you believe the buzz around town, Fischman was one of the unfortunate casualties.

Don Rickles brought in some Hollywood fans to his show at the Desert Inn on Saturday night. Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, were in the crowd. The Hanks were joined by their friend, comedian Martin Short and his wife, Nancy, as well as by actor Kevin Pollak, who was most recently seen in the movie "End of Days" with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The opening party on Saturday for the new WB Stage 16 -- the new Hollywood-theme restaurant in the Venetian hotel-casino -- is expected to draw a crowd of 600 to 800 movie/TV types, as well as plenty of local heavy hitters. Scheduled to attend the party are music impresario Quincy Jones, actor Harry Hamlin and his wife, former "Melrose Place" vixen Lisa Rinna, football's Rodney Peete and actress Holly Robinson Peete. Also scheduled to show will be various stars from two of the WB network's hit shows, "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and cast members from "ER" and "Friends."

This will be the second time in the past couple of weeks that the "ER" crew will be working party duty. Some members of the cast were recently shuttled off to an NBC party for network President Robert Wright, in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately for the cast members who made the boss' bash a star-studded one, most were snowed in as a nor'easter tore through the nation's capital. Julianna Marguiles, who plays the departing Nurse Hathaway, managed to sneak out on a train to NYC, but co-stars Eriq LaSalle and Noah Wyle weren't as lucky. The snowbound duo had to spend an extra night at the Four Seasons Hotel in D.C.

The box office officially opens today for Danny Gans' new show at the Mirage. Opening night will be April 4, and tickets can be purchased up to 90 days in advance. As for prices, most of the seats in the intimate 1,280-seat showroom will be $75, but sources tell me that select "gold circle" seats will be available in the first eight or nine rows for somewhere in the $95 range. It's no question that Gans puts on a great show and packs in the crowds, but that price puts tickets in the same neighborhood as the Rio's former $99 price tag -- the one Gans was apparently so upset about at his former venue.