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February 12, 2012

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Death of headliner Danny Gans creates gap at Encore

By Steve Green (contact)

Friday, May 1, 2009 | 10:43 a.m.

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  • Russ Fons, Las Vegas Broadcast Center Bureau Chief, interviews Danny Gans in 1996
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Danny Gans

Singer, impressionist and comedian Danny Gans, shown performing at the Encore Theatre on March 20, died suddenly Friday at his home in Henderson. Launch slideshow »

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The sudden death of Encore headliner Danny Gans today reminded some of the 2003 tiger attack that ended the Siegfried & Roy show at the Mirage.

Once the immediate shock passes and after a period of mourning, Wynn Resorts will have to deal with the uncomfortable task of finding new entertainment for Encore.

Like the attack on Roy Horn at the Mirage, the loss of Gans may have some limited financial impact on Encore.

"It's a horrible thing,'' Union Gaming Group analyst Bill Lerner said of the loss of Gans.

He noted the end of the Siegfried & Roy production at the Mirage led to the remodeling of the Siegfried & Roy Theater into the Love Theater that now hosts the Cirque du Soleil production of Love celebrating the Beatles.

He said the loss of the Siegfried & Roy show and the creation of the Love theater probably had a noticeable but small financial impact on the Mirage -- but for parent company MGM Mirage it wasn't significant, financially.

For Encore, the financial impact is likely to be limited and may depend on whether a solo entertainer succeeds Gans, which would not require extensive changes to the showroom as a new production show might.

In the short term, Lerner said he expects Encore to try to accommodate Danny Gans ticket holders by moving them to the Le Reve show at the neighboring Wynn Las Vegas.

Wynn Resorts stock was virtually unchanged this morning, trading at $39.15.

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