A 4-day notice: Las Vegas off-Strip show abruptly closing

Four days’ notice, or one day for every season.

That’s the warning members of “Jersey Boys” received Wednesday night, as they were told the show would close Sunday.

The Four Seasons’ musical experiment at Orleans Showroom was always a long-shot just off the casino floor. In the end, the show was unable to generate profits for a Broadway-styled musical at an off-Strip resort.

The show’s producer John Bentham of Ivory Star Productions notified the company in a meeting and via e-mail Wednesday night of the show’s impending finale. The veteran Vegas entertainment professional said in a statement Thursday:

“We are all incredibly saddened to have to say goodbye to this wonderful show. The cast is arguably the best to have ever hit the Jersey Boys stage and performs night after night with brilliance. The band rocks the house every night and the phenomenal crew pulls off the hundreds upon hundreds of cues and other elements flawlessly.”

In all, about 55 members of the cast and crew will be out of work. That includes the onstage cast of 18, along with 10 musicians. Those figures do not include ushers (employed by the hotel) and box office personnel (under Red Mercury contracts) assigned to the show.

Bentham has not returned requests for comment since the announcement went public Wednesday night.

A talented cast

“Jersey Boys” was a terrifically performed account of the Four Seasons’ rise to fame, punctuated by such hits as “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man” and “Who Loves You.” All of the vocals and music were performed live. The costumes, choreography and sets were Broadway standard.

But the show struggled to find its audience at a hotel-casino six miles west of the Strip with scant foot traffic. The Orleans typically caters to a value customer, not the same audience that ventures to The Venetian/Palazzo, the show’s first home.

Early estimates were the show would draw 65-70 percent tourists, 30-35 percent locals, with the hope that Vegas residents would become return customers and even bring their families. But the ticket prices reflected the quality and cost of the show, $69.95-$139.95 per ticket without fees, a comparatively expensive night for an off-Strip entertainment experience.

The show’s seasons

“Jersey Boys” reopened in January, having closed at Paris Theater in September 2016. The show opened in Las Vegas at Palazzo in May 2008, moving to Paris in 2012.

The estimated production cost of “Jersey Boys” was $12 million, though the show saved a substantial amount of revenue by using the existing set pieces from its earlier incarnation.

Bentham said Monday the show’s cast and crew had signed for six months, and was bracing for a challenging summer. Cast members report that as recently as Friday they were ensured the show was stable and not in danger of closing anytime soon.

Union issues

But a source said Thursday members of Actors Equity were working under open-ended contracts. Contracts for non-union cast members were to end July 16, with their contract status still to be addressed.

The production’s status as an Actors Equity show was a source of curiosity. Equity actors have been working with musicians employed outside of Musician Union of Las Vegas contracts.

Otherwise, according to an Actors Equity rep, the show has operated under the Actors Equity Casino Agreement, which covers shows in any theater in a casino. There are seven salary tiers, pension and health benefits provided, along with housing and per diem for out-of-town actors.

The “Jersey Boys” agreement began on Nov. 20, during pre-production, and was to run through Nov. 17.

As the show closes, “Menopause The Musical” at Harrah’s is the only Actors Equity residency show being performed in Las Vegas. Some, but not all, touring shows at The Smith Center are also under Actors Equity contracts. The closing of “Jersey Boys” only buttresses The Smith Center’s position as the go-to venue for Broadway-styled entertainment.

A January relaunch

After seeking a Vegas home since its 2016 closing, Bentham reopened “Jersey Boys” in January. The hit-packed musical was the first resident production ever at Orleans Showroom.

The move comes just two days after the show’s consulting company and box office manager Red Mercury cut ties with the production after infusing between $600,000-$700,000 into the project.

Red Mercury had joined the show in late March. Its departure left Ivory Star as the sole Vegas production company, working at the behest of Dodger Theatricals and TRW Productions, which authorizes licensing for the show.

One source close to the show said Bentham informed the company that with Red Mercury leaving the show, producers couldn’t sustain the production. Another, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said of the financial climate, “It’s been a mess.”

“Jersey Boys” was the latest production attempting to overcome a soft ticket-buying trend on and off the Strip for musicals. The Meat Loaf-themed “Bat Out of Hell” was similarly adventurous at Paris Theater, but closed Jan. 1 after running just three months.

Sagging finances knocked out that production, too, and the venue has been without a show ever since.

The showroom is empty

As the primary tenant at the 850-seat Orleans Showroom, “Jersey Boys” had taken dates previously held for headlining productions.

Over the years, the showroom has hosted such stars as Air Supply, Natalie Cole, the Temptations, Englebert Humperdinck, Frank Caliendo, Wynnona Judd, Don Rickles and Dana Carvey. The Orleans Showroom also hosted Donny and Marie Osmond in the years before they moved to the Flamingo.

Bentham’s company still produces shows in The Venue at the Orleans, the “Marriage Can Be Murder” dinner show; and the magic showcases Adam London’s “Laughternoon,” “The Conjurors — Cabin of Wonders” and “Late Night Magic.”

The “Jersey Boys” closing coincides with Cirque’s “The Beatles Love” finale at The Mirage, which shuts down after 18 years with an invite-only, VIP performance. That long-running production bows out at the very same time “Jersey Boys” closes.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.