Friday, Aug. 19, 2005 | 8:28 a.m.
His sight might be failing, but not his vision.
Steve Wynn, who suffers from the degenerative eye disease retinitis pigmentosa, this week outlined what he sees as Las Vegas' entertainment future a center of theatrical productions to rival Broadway.
"We have long felt there is no reason why the theater center of action shouldn't be here in Las Vegas," Wynn said.
The road to that future may begin with "Avenue Q," if Wynn has anything to say in the matter.
"The secret that runs this engine (Vegas) is not gambling it's entertainment," he said.
Wynn's comments were made Tuesday during an elaborate news conference (which included a musical number involving a Wynn puppet) celebrating the arrival of the cast for the much-anticipated Broadway show by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (who created the music and lyrics) and Jeff Whitty (who created the book).
"Avenue Q," directed by Jason Moore with choreography by Ken Roberson, will begin preview performances Aug. 27 in the 1,200-seat theater constructed especially for the production at Wynn Las Vegas which also features Franco Dragone's "Le Reve."
Avenue Q opened off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in March 2003, where it received rave reviews, before moving to the Golden Theatre on Broadway in July of that year.
In 2004 "Avenue Q" won three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score of a Musical and Best Book of a Musical. Traditionally, popular Broadway shows go on road tours after making their mark in the Big Apple.
But after seeing the production, Wynn hijacked the hit before it could get to the highway. The day after the show won its Tonys the announcement was made that fans can only see "Avenue Q" on Broadway and on the Strip.
"Avenue Q" deals with adult issues, such as sex and drugs, and there is adult language -- so it might not be suitable for children.
The story follows the lives of several residents of a low-income neighborhood in New York City who are struggling to better themselves.
Some of the residents are puppets, some are not.
There is no attempt to hide the puppeteers -- they are onstage with the rest of the cast.
"When I went to see 'Avenue Q' I recognized the simplicity, the wonderful honesty of its message -- that life isn't always what you hoped it would be," Wynn said.
Wynn gave a brief lesson about entertainment during the news conference. He divided it into three broad categories -- concerts, circus and theater.
"This town has been famous for concerts since Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jimmy Durante," Wynn said. "The virtuoso performer would stand on the stage and do his thing -- that's a wonderful part of our scene, with all the concerts and live stars that appear in Las Vegas."
Circuses are something else.
"There is no attempt to relate to the audience," he said. "You just sit there, incredibly amazed at the athleticism and the skill of the performers, but you don't identify with them."
Wynn noted such performers as Siegfried and Roy fall into the circus category -- as do the four Cirque du Soleil productions in Vegas.
"I would say we have taken the notion of circus to the ultimate level here in Las Vegas," Wynn said. "It has been explored and taken to limits no one ever dreamed of."
With concerts and circuses firmly established, theater now looms over the entertainment horizon.
"Elaine (Wynn) and I have been searching for a counterpoint to the circuses, to the concerts of our city -- to add another dimension to the entertainment menu that all of our visitors who come to this city can enjoy," he said.
Theater was the next obvious choice.
"Theater is the center of activity in New York City," Wynn said. "It's where dramas, musicals and comedy are presented -- the play is the thing. They get you, the audience, to identify with the characters -- the joy, happiness, dilemmas, the preposterousness of the characters.
"Whether it's pathos or laughter, you identify with the characters."
Theater, he said, has been in short supply in Vegas.
"We have had the most wonderful stand-up comedians in the world performing here in concert, but we haven't had a long history (of theater) in Vegas," Wynn said.
But all of that may be about to change, with the arrival of "Avenue Q" and the impending debut of the Broadway productions "Phantom of the Opera" at the Venetian and "Hairspray" at the Luxor.
"Mamma Mia!" at Mandalay Bay has been a major hit since it arrived three years ago.
"This is the beginning of a wonderful new chapter (in Las Vegas)," Wynn said.
Floored by Vegas
Robyn Goodman, co-producer of "Avenue Q" along with Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller, says he is happy to be part of that new chapter.
"When Kevin first told me he had been approached by Steve Wynn, I thought, 'Oh my God, I've never even thought about it,' " she said. "I can't imagine it."
But then, after receiving the news, she made her first trip to Las Vegas and was won over.
"I had never been to Vegas before," the New York resident said, "and now I can't stop coming.
"I learned more about the town and became mesmerized by the place -- it truly is the Entertainment Capital of the World, the kind of place where 'Avenue Q' can flourish.' "
She found the number of tourists who come here -- about 40 million annually -- enticing.
"You want to reach as many people as you can," said Goodman, co-founder of the award-winning Second Stage Theatre in New York and its artistic director for 13 seasons.
She said the musical is for everyone, young and old.
"The thing that surprised me about 'Avenue Q' is the breadth of the appeal," Goodman said. "It's touching, as well as hilarious.
"The message is that life isn't perfect, but it's all you've got so have a great time."
Cole Porter
One of the cast members includes Las Vegas resident Cole Porter -- a 31-year old actor unrelated to the late composer.
The Vegas Porter is originally from Billings, Mont. He was passing through town six years ago, en route to Los Angeles and an acting career, when friends convinced him to set up residence here and commute to work in Los Angeles and New York.
"I fell in love with Vegas," he said.
Since moving to town he has performed in commercials and independent films.
Porter had never seen "Avenue Q" when he auditioned in September and won the role of Brian, an aspiring stand-up comic who has to support himself working for a catering service and other jobs.
"Brian is your Everyman in the play," Porter said. "Throughout the show his character talks about how he tries to reach these goals, but can't."
But Porter is pulling for Wynn to achieve the goal of making Vegas a theater town.
"There should be more Broadway shows here, and more film," he said. "There is an amazing pool of talent here -- ready to work, wanting to work.
"It's a match made in heaven."
And, perhaps, on "Avenue Q."
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