‘Atomic Saloon Show’ sets a Cinco de Mayo return

“Atomic Saloon Show” swings the doors (both ways) again on Cinco de Mayo, at its brothel-themed venue at The Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes.

The bawdy, acrobatic, western-themed sendup is back on sale for a May 5 restart, with performances at 7 and 9 p.m.

“Atomic’s” return arrives 14 months after it most recently performed at The Venetian. The show has no direct tie-in to the Mexican holiday. The date is a coincidence, set just after after hotel-casino pandemic reopening authority shifts to the state Gaming Control Board on May 1.

“I never want to be too confident, but I am quietly confident Atomic will be fine, knock on wood,” Spiegelworld founder and impresario Ross Mollison said Saturday. As he said that, you could hear him actually knocking on wood in the background.

Show host and brothel proprietor Boozy Skunkton (the terrific Petra Massey) and dopey cowboy heartthrob Blue Jackson (the multi-talented Colin Cahill) are among the cast members filing back into the saloon. Written by veteran theater director Cal McCrystal, the show is a wild satire of western musicals, often (and justifiably) compared to Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles.”

“I really think people will want to come and want to see it,” Mollison said. “It’s the only show at The Venetian now, and we are in a great position with the property.” We’ll qualify “Atomic” will be the only ticketed show at Venetian/Palazzo when it comes back. The Venetian currently is returning its free “Streetmosphere” entertainment program.

“Atomic” is scheduled to run 7 and 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Ticket prices are worth a double-take, starting at $169 apiece (without fees), higher even than those for its sister show and decade-long hit “Absinthe” (starting at $149).

That price point is explained at least in party by “Atomic’s” greater ticket demand, and the show’s weekly break-even point.

“We’re only getting about 120 in the room, so we have a slightly higher price because we are only offering about 1,200 seats a week,” said Mollison, whose company counts about 250 full- and part-time employees across three shows. “We need to make a living. We have to make money.”

Acts on tap

Among the acts returning to “Absinthe” is the peerless tap team of Sean and John Scott. Expect them back mid-April, at the earliest. The guys will masked, and allowed to perform in the middle of the venue as other acts perform in the center of tent as originally designed.

Also, skaters Emily and Billy England are on hold while Emily England works out her return from London, where she has spend much of the pandemic shutdown. Fellow skating act Matt Edmunds and Valentina Bor are likely back this month (in a rarity, the show is currently not running a skating act).

We also expect the dynamite jugglers (meaning, they are dynamite at juggling, not that they juggle dynamite) from Water On Mars, all to return. That act is on hold for a minor shoulder injury to one of its performers.

Business-wise, “Absinthe” has sold out all of its shows since returning Wednesday night, at about 170 guests per performance. And you’ll see that The Gazillionaire alternates masks, from a traditional face covering to his water-bottle designed attachment. Which to wear is a game-time decision, depending on how Gaz is identifying with his alter-ego each night.

Safe to play

Mollison said the, um, distinctive condom-themed act was a collective idea within his creative team. Coincidentally, or not, the act is perfect fit for the current public-gathering climate.

“It’s safe, right?” the producer said. “You can’t have a safer act than that one.”

Future of RRL

On the topic Planet Spiegelworld, a moment of speculation about “Opium” at the Cosmopolitan, expected to return in July. That show’s theater abuts the currently latent Rose. Rabbit. Lie restaurant and nightclub space. Those of us who have followed Spiegelworld over the years well remember the novel “Vegas Nocturne’ dining and entertainment experiment running for six months ending in July 2014.

Spiegelworld operated both the show and the restaurant until the show closed. With the future of RRL uncertain and unannounced, Spiegelworld could conceivably return to control of both venues and turn the entire space into an interplanetary experience. Just a thought. It would be a heck of a retribution story if it happened.

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Sheldon Adelson, the late chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Las Vegas Sands operates The Venetian and Palazzo.

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.