Broadway on the Strip
11:07 AM PT, Jan 13 2006
Yesterday I finally made it to see "Avenue Q" at Wynn. As the local advertising promises, now I know what the fuzz is about. "Avenue Q" is at the vanguard of the much ballyhooed Broadway to Vegas nexus. And as it may be the shape of things to come for Vegas entertainment, its adjustment is closely watched by the entertainment establishment.
For example, "Avenue Q" in Vegas retains everything about the original Broadway show from its full length to the 15 minute intermission (something unheard of in Las Vegas). By contrast, when "Phantom Of the Opera" opens at Venetian this spring the show will be cut down to 90 minutes with no intermission. In exchange, however, "Phantom" is taking advantage of the fact that Vegas can build new venues for shows to make our version heavier on effects, scenery and sets (try doing that in a century old theatre). The same approach is being taken by "Hairspray" which is to open in a custom made theatre at the Luxor next month. It will appear in a tightened 90 minute version without an intermission. Meanwhile Wynn, also, has another Broadway play set for a Vegas debut in 2007: "Spamalot" (the theatre for which is currently being built). Decisions on the length and intermission have yet to be made.
Back to "Avenue Q." The show is fantastic and sure to please any of those worried about protecting the edge and artistic integrity of the original New York production. There were jokes about the subways, rents, and Brooklyn that are all East Coast and not a word about Vegas, gambling or anything else related to the local audience. The Jewish wedding scene must play great in New York, for example, but seemed to confuse the Vegas crowd.
Similarly, keeping the full length of the production and providing the audience with an intermission has created some problems. Yesterday night featured two performances, so the early one had to start at 6:30 (a very awkward time for show going). Still, for a week night, attendance was respectable even if---as has been widely reported ----the balcony remained empty and the seats on the floor weren't completely full either. Also, the people sitting around me seemed not entirely sure what to expect. There has been very little precedent for unexpurgated theatre experiences like this here, but I saw no one leave during the intermission and the show got a legitimate if abbreviated standing ovation (and, not the usual Vegas standing ovation where people headed for the exits and so happen to be standing when they applaud).
Back in November I wrote about one critic from the New York Post who speculated on the possible reason for Avenue Q's attendance problems here: " 'Q'" may also be too sophisticated for Vegas audiences, whose tastes generally run to animal acts, Celine Dion and slot machines."
Now that I have seen the show I would say that is definitely not true. "Avenue Q" has a perfect sensibility for Vegas in its celebration of ridiculous dreams and its characters loathing of their mundane realities.
Anyway, maybe what needs to happen is that original Broadway shows become rough drafts of the versions that wind up in Las Vegas, and the creative teams be allowed some freedom and fun in figuring out how to make their work fit into this culture. "Avenue Q" has a lot going for it. But I don't think that one of its major draws need be an "authentic" Broadway experience. Rather, it is a brilliantly conceived show that just needs to work a little harder to carry its sensibility over into these new digs.
Let me illustrate how this can be done with an example from left field: The Second City comedy troupe got off to a rocky start opening here in 2001 faced with pressure not to lose its edge in Las Vegas. As a result, as had worked for them in Chicago and elsewhere, they localized their jokes and did not avoid politics. The problem though was not that Vegas audiences feared politics; Vegas audiences just don't live here. Sadly, jokes about Henderson (the suburb around Las Vegas) were lost on the audience and eventually Second City found its footing here moving increasingly away from local jokes and regular skits. The show became more improvisation which worked well with the Vegas audience's desire for spontaneity and a feeling of being outside any script. And, Second City has managed a successful run ever since. On the other hand, the Blue Note jazz club opened at the Desert Passage Mall at the Aladdin without any compromises. The owners did not even want an entrance from the jazz club to the casino mall. The entrance to the Blue Note was on Harmon Street and completely separate in every way from the casino experience. They did not compromise or change and the club didn't last a year.
(photo by Carol Rosegg)
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I was at the 1/14 Saturday 10 pm show, and the back wings and balcony were empty, even as the audience was released into a packed hotel. The audience did enjoy it. Sophistication is not the show's problem; the marketing, however, gives no indication that the humor is grown-up. Puppeteers roam the Wynn for photo ops, but aren't cracking jokes, and one could easily come away thinking that this is just a puppet show. The tv ads focus solely on the generic and unpersuasive audience reaction and the "fuzz" pun. Someone who isn't up on the Broadway scene is not going to be attracted to this show with the current marketing.
Posted by: Ted F | January 17, 2006 at 05:01 AM
nice project with good design and pictures...best wishes...;-))
Posted by: Szymon | August 14, 2007 at 01:56 AM