Friday, Sept. 24, 2004 | 8:46 a.m.
Producer John Stuart, founder of the legendary "Legends in Concert" at the Imperial Palace, says he doesn't gamble.
During his 22 years in Las Vegas he has never pulled the handle on a slot machine, thrown a pair of dice or played a hand of poker.
So what is the restless show-business entrepreneur doing downtown?
"This may be one of the biggest gambles of my life," Stuart said.
Earlier this month his "Ovation," a revue featuring some of the most exciting specialty acts in town, opened at the Lady Luck after spending six months at the Aladdin.
In February his production "Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember" is scheduled to premiere at the Plaza after being delayed several months by the discovery of asbestos in the casino's theater when the venue was being remodeled.
"Before I tried this I had to get a pretty good opinion of downtown," Stuart said. "The hotels are supporting the shows, financially and otherwise.
"Where you might take a complete four-wall deal at the Flamingo, downtown you need all the help you can get."
But he isn't putting all of his chips on one color, so to speak. He still has his sights on the Strip.
Stuart, as is his habit, has more things in the air than a juggler in one of his specialty acts.
One of his new projects is in concert with Dan Aykroyd and Judy Belushi, widow of John Belushi. They have created the production "Blues Brothers Revival," which closed recently in Chicago and will be opening in the resort community off Myrtle Beach, S.C., in a couple of months.
"We want to bring the show to Mandalay Bay," Stuart said, "We're in negotiations there. But if it isn't there, we'll find another room in town."
He describes it as "funny and fast with gospel music and blues."
The premise of the story is that of Belushi trying to get back to earth to earn his angel's wings.
"He didn't get them when he died because he was a bad guy," Stuart said. "The production is funny, light, simple, with great singing and great dancing."
But for now, Stuart's main focus is downtown.
If Stuart succeeds, he might earn his own angel's wings for accomplishing something not many others have been able to do lately.
But while downtown has turned into a graveyard for some entertainers, among them comedian David Brenner, Stuart expresses confidence in his own talents.
"One of my main things is marketing," he said. "I'm an expert at destination management, moving people."
Stuart sees a lot of potential downtown, besides the willingness of the new owners of the Lady Luck and the Plaza to throw their support behind his productions.
"The Fremont Street Experience is one of the best attractions in the city," he said.
He described the street as "clean and neat, and with the amount of vendors and live entertainment, it's like walking down the streets of San Francisco or some places around Santa Barbara."
"The area appears safe; there's great parking and easy access to food and other things."
All of this adds up to making downtown a good location for "Rock, Roll & Remember" and "Ovation," which had to move when the theater inside the Aladdin, where it was performed was sold in May.
Stuart said two of Lady Luck's new owners, Keith Grossman and Bob O'Neil, had seen "Ovation" and invited his to be the first production they brought to their new property.
The showroom at Lady Luck is a large tent. After the interior was reworked and made presentable, "Ovation" opened there on Sept. 10 with many of the same acts that were with the show at the Aladdin.
While Stuart says downtown has a lot going for it, there is still a negative perception in the minds of some people. To offset that, and to lure fans into the area, specials are offered to those who buy tickets to "Ovation."
"The basic price is only $34.95," he said. "We knock $10 off of that or give the guest a free buffet to bring them downtown."
Representatives of Dick Clark invited Stuart to produce "Rock, Roll & Remember" at the Plaza.
"It's a takeoff of the radio show Dick Clark has had for 26 years," Stuart said. "It's a four-hour radio show that is on every day in many markets around the country."
Stuart says he turned the radio show into a stage production which features a cast of Danny Gans-like performers -- impersonators who are able to do 10 or 15 impressions.
"We're also putting the show together for other markets," Stuart said. "If the market warrants, we could take it to Reno or Atlantic City or some other location.
"It's the same formula I used with 'Legends in Concert,' taking some great acts and changing them often enough so that the average person coming to Vegas sees enough of a difference each time to feel as if he's seeing a new show."
"Rock, Roll & Remember" will include the impressionists singing songs from the '50s through the '80s. The backup band will be '60s Mania, a group of Australian musicians and vocalists who are themselves impressionists.
"The set at the Plaza is gorgeous," Stuart said. "And it's all centered around Dick Clark, with great media screens show clips of him as he actually introduced the performers when they were just starting to make a name for themselves."
While the clip will depict Clark introducing someone such as the real Tina Turner, the performer who will sing will be the impressionist doing Turner.
"There will be a lot of interacting with audiences who will get up and do a sock hop or do some of the dances made popular on Clark's 'American Bandstand,' " Stuart said. "There's going to be great media and great staging. It moves like a rocket. The show is dynamite."
archive
