MGM Resorts tells Las Vegas shows be ready for mid-May return

Las Vegas Review-Journal

5 years ago

Carrot Top celebrates the news that his contract has been extended by five years, through 2025, ... — Carrot Top celebrates the news that his contract has been extended by five years, through 2025, at Luxor’s Atrium Showroom. (Luxor)

Hans Klok is the new headlining magician at Excalibur on the Las Vegas Strip. (Linda Doubletheman)

The cast of “Fantasy” at Luxor is shown on the Blue Carpet prior to “One Night For One Drop,” held at O Theater at the Bellagio on Friday, March 8, 2019.( John Katsilometes/Las Vegas Review-Journal @JohnnyKats

Mirage headliner Shin Lim and Excalibur headliner Hans Klok are shown backstage after Klok’s show on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. (PR Plus)

David Scott as Robin Gibb of the Australian Bee Gees, a Bee Gee tribute band, performs at the Thunder Showroom at the Excalibur hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Sunday, May 13, 2018. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

Wayne Hosking as Maurice Gibb, from left, David Scott as Robin Gibb, and Michael Clift as Barry Gibb of the Australian Bee Gees, a Bee Gee tribute band, perform at the Thunder Showroom at the Excalibur hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Sunday, May 13, 2018. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

Raiders coach Jon Gruden, left, is shown with Luxor headliner Carrot Top at Atrium Showroom on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. (Scott Thompson)

MGM Resorts International officials have notified shows to be ready to return by mid-May.

That assessment might be rosier than the flowers tossed around by the cast of “Love.” It no way detracts from the gravity of the health concerns generated by the coronavirus outbreak, but it at least shows a Las Vegas resort company’s tentative plan to return to business.

Producer Anita Mann said Wednesday night she has been directed to have the adult revue “Fantasy” at Luxor ready by May 11. Adam Steck of SPI Entertainment confirmed Wednesday night he should have his shows prepared to return May 12. Carrot Top and Blue Man Group at Luxor are slated to return in May, too.

“May 11 is great for us. It gives us time to have an understanding of a better way to function,” Mann said Wednesday, noting that her show will have been off-stage for eight weeks if it does return May 11. “It’s showing a lot of optimism, sure, but I like using a sentence with ‘optimism’ in it.”

Cirque du Soleil, too, is putting tickets for its MGM Resorts shows back on sale May 11. That covers “O” at Bellagio, “Michael Jackson One” at Mandalay Bay, “Ka” at MGM Grand, “Love” at Mirage and “Zumanity” at New York-New York.

The SPI Entertainment shows in play are Hans Klok, Thunder from Down Under and Australian Bee Gees at Excalibur. Shin Lim at Mirage will be taking ticket orders beginning May 14.

But again, as a Cirque spokeswoman indicated Wednesday, the situation remains uncertain for all production shows.

May 1 had been the original date for planned return for MGM Resorts productions. The time frame was moved back Tuesday after Gov. Steve Sisolak directed nonessential businesses to shut down for 30 days to help offset the coronavirus outbreak. At the moment, all ticketed shows and public performances in clubs, lounges and taverns in Las Vegas are dark.

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.