Columnist Joe Delaney: Thoughts, predictions on production scene

Joe Delaney

Thursday, April 19, 2001 | 8:21 a.m.

Joe Delaney's column appears on Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at 259-4066 or joe@lasvegassun.com

April seems to be a month for new beginnings ... "Storm" is a most anxiously awaited arrival, a world premiere ... Creator and artistic director Jamie King is Ricky Martin's creative director and has choreographed videos and concerts for Madonna and Britney Spears ... There have been several delays in reaching this point; the actual premiere was Wednesday.

Mandalay Bay has a lot riding on "Storm" ... We wish all concerned the very best, but our nearly 34 years at the Sun has shown that plays or productions that originate here have not had a good track record.

"EFX," now "EFX Alive" (MGM Grand), had a long, tough time getting started ... It has succeeded with four successive strong marquee names in Michael Crawford, David Cassidy, Tommy Tune and, currently, Rick Springfield, plus a storyline that could be changed to suit each headliner.

That is why Broadway shows, musicals especially, go on the road for extended tours to work out the kinks and give audiences in various cities a chance to respond and make comments ... When the production hits the Big Apple, it better be ready for review.

"Notre Dame de Paris" was dead on arrival at Paris Las Vegas last year ... It didn't need a play doctor, it really deserved an early interment ... "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" (Flamingo Las Vegas) really needed some time on the road before opening here; it is still a work in progress.

I'm sure Steve Wynn would like to have in the bank what he had Mirage Resorts invest in Sandy Gallin and Jerry Herman and that "original musical" that caused him such embarrassment on Wall Street a year or so ago ... With "O" and "Mystere," he was working with an established success and still proved a point by having Cirque de Soliel perform in a tent on Mirage property first.

With Siegfried & Roy, he sent them off to the Far East while a completely new show and a custom-built theater were created ... Siegfried & Roy were a proven success elsewhere first ... The same was true with regard to Danny Gans, who built solidly, from that first Las Vegas Hilton date with Bill Cosby and then long, successful stands at the Stratosphere and Rio.

It is noteworthy here that the efforts of an executive (no longer with the Rio) to lessen Gans' bargaining power by constantly raising his ticket prices, only succeeded in proving that Gans' show is worth $99.

Also new this week, assuming her custom-built theater is ready Friday at New York-New York, Rita Rudner should continue at the high point she achieved when MGM Grand decided to go into the late-night "skin" business with the Parisian import "Crazy Horse" ... If the MGM Grand really brings in the Parisian version, Rudner and "Crazy Horse" should prove to be win-win moves.

The Aladdin goes with the second of its four Broadway musicals with "Fame," in the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts tonight through Sunday ... "Forever Swing" and "Fame" aren't as strong as the next two -- "Fosse" and "Les Miserables" ... A stronger first show could have given the series an impetus it sorely needed.

Next week "The Scintas" officially open at the Rio ... The question here is whether "The Scintas" can continue to do capacity business in a venue more than twice the size of its recent home, the LV Hilton NightClub ... With the expertise of the Blair Farrington organization behind them, we're betting "The Scintas" can do it.

Bob Anderson is in his third and final week in the LV Hilton NightClub ... Trent Carlini, "The Dream King," the most commercial of the Elvis Presley perform-alikes, opens there on Tuesday for a two-week stand, followed by Sheena Easton for what could be a summer-long run ... We reserve judgment on this one.

Star-policy rundown

It's Bill Acosta (Flamingo Las Vegas); David Brenner (Golden Nugget); Clint Holmes, evenings and Mac King, afternoons (Harrah's); Anderson (LV Hilton); Blue Man Group (Luxor); George Carlin, plus Springfield starring in "EFX Alive" (MGM Grand); Siegfried & Roy and Gans in separate theaters (Mirage); and Lance Burton (Monte Carlo).

Plus Kenny Kerr (New Frontier); Rudner (New York-New York); Tanya Tucker (Orleans); Pete Barbutti (Plaza); "The Scintas" (Rio); Village People, Friday and Saturday (Riviera); Wayne Newton (Stardust); Dave Mason Band (Suncoast); Rick Thomas (Tropicana); and Melinda, First Lady of Magic, plus Andre-Philippe Gagnon (Venetian).

Good news: Caesars Magical Empire has been extended indefinitely ... Indefinitely should at least continue until they have the proposed new showroom up and going ... Also new this week: "The Michael Holly Off-The-Wall Comedy Hour" at 1 and 3 p.m. (Sahara Congo Room) ... Happy 10th anniversary, Dick Feeney and his "Viva Las Vegas" cast and crew ... See you Friday.