Angel-Dragone ‘Amystika’ closing: Is a tour next?
“Amystika” is destined to serve as Franco Dragone’s final directorial production. But the show was not destined for the long run at Planet Hollywood. Its final performance was Saturday night.
About 150 folks turned up. Good crowd for, say, Tuscany’s Piazza lounge. But in a 1,400-plus seat theater, ouch. And a show that featured a fake storm blowing debris through the theater is now picking up the pieces. “Amystika” opened in April and ran 26 weeks.
Criss Angel, who partnered with Dragone in the autobiographical magic-variety production, announced on his social media pages Friday the show was halting, immediately. The veteran magician headliner used “due to the recent unforeseen events” as a reason. He reportedly did not make an appearance on closing night, and there was no mention from the stage of the show shutting down.
Dragone’s sudden and shocking death was certainly among those events. The legendary entertainment visionary died of cardiac arrest Sept. 30 while doing business and taking some time off in Cairo. His memorial service in Belgium was Tuesday.
Three days later, Angel shut down “Amystika.” He stated the production would step back for an overhaul and be reset for an international tour. Angel himself did not appear in the production, other than in voice-over, after performing the goth-magic character Xristos in the first few shows.
“Criss Angel Mindfreak” is continuing its run, and that show is pulling about 1,200 a show, five shows a week, in its 1,460-seat theater. So it’s not going anywhere soon.
As for the outgoing production, Dragone CEO Francois Girard said in a text Saturday, “We are bullish for ‘Amystika.’ It is Franco Dragone’s last directed work and it will be traveling the world so more people can see it.” Dragone’s creative team has set up an office in the Arts District and is working on multiple concepts, including the next ‘Amystika.’”
Girard said the team is negotiating a first location for May, and the idea is to take the show outside the U.S. That is the most optimistic concept for a show that will need to be retooled, possibly recast (with a mix of new and current performers) and marketed for an international audience. This after failing to find an audience on the Strip.
It is highly unlikely another production show will move into the theater. The room is appealing for one-off headliners. Rob Lowe, with his multimedia show, was the most recent headliner at the venue before Angel and his production company, alongside BASE Entertainment, moved forward with “Mindfreak.”
Angel is also about to premiere “Criss Angel’s Magic With the Stars” Oct. 22 on The CW. The iconic, quasi-retired magician Lance Burton and comic/actress Loni Love are the judges. Sahara headliner and comic actor Eddie Griffin hosts. The show’s format calls for two celebrities to train with professional magicians in a series of magic acts. The celebs are required to master three variations of magic and then perform them for the judges.
Donny Osmond, Terry Fator, Debbie Gibson, Flavor Flav and Randy Couture are among the celeb competitors. It is the second series on The CW to be hosted by a Vegas headliner. “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” debuted its ninth season Friday.
Angel intends to promote “Amystika” during the telecasts, which were taped in August and September in the Criss Angel Theater. In published reports, R&B star Ginuwine was left gasping and lost consciousness after attempting a water-escape routine, proving there is high risk on and off the stage in Angel’s empire.
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 Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
