Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Circus show on Las Vegas Strip ‘on hold’

Las Vegas Review-Journal

6 years ago

Travis Pastrana jumps over the fountains at Caesars Palace on an Indian Scout FTR750 motorcycle during "Evel Live," a three-hour live tribute show to stuntman Evel Knievel, in Las Vegas on Sunday, ... — Travis Pastrana jumps over the fountains at Caesars Palace on an Indian Scout FTR750 motorcycle during “Evel Live,” a three-hour live tribute show to stuntman Evel Knievel, in Las Vegas on Sunday, July 8, 2018. (Las Vegas Review-Journal file)

Travis Pastrana celebrates after jumping a row of crushed cars on a motorcycle Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Las Vegas. Pastrana is attempting to recreate three of Evel Knievel’s iconic motorcycle jumps on Sunday, including the leap over the fountains of Caesars Palace that left Knievel with multiple fractures and a severe concussion. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Sawyer Tuck, 4, pours water on his brother Oliver Tuck’s head, 2, to cool down at the Evel Live event where Travis Pastrana attempted to exceed three of Evel Knievel’s famous jumps in a lot behind Planet Hollywood hotel-resort in Las Vegas, Sunday, July 8, 2018. The show was produced by the History Channel in partnership with Nitro Circus. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

Travis Pastrana right before his second jump over 16 greyhound buses on an Indian Scout FTR750 motorcycle at the Evel Live event in a lot behind Planet Hollywood hotel-resort in Las Vegas, Sunday, July 8, 2018. The show was produced by the History Channel in partnership with Nitro Circus. Rachel Aston Las Vegas Review-Journal @rookie__rae

Sorting out the Nitro Circus stage show at Bally’s is kind of like watching Travis Pastrana take flight on a motorcycle … and not knowing where, or even if, he’ll land

The show was announced during Pastrana’s wildly hyped trifecta of stunt jumps dubbed “Evel Live” on the Strip in July. Pastrana and Base Entertainment seized the moment, staged for a national-TV audience, to announce their partnership in a production show at Jubilee Theater.

The 90-minute show was supposed to open this spring.

It is the spring, and the only show announced for Jubilee Theater is Dionne Warwick’s headlining run through the month of April. And, no, Warwick is not part of any motorcycle stunt show. She’s singing her hits for a dozen shows between April 4-27.

With no theater overhaul evident for the Nitro Circus show, Base Entertainment officials are now saying the production is “on indefinite hold,” according to a company spokeswoman. There is no updated timeline for the show to open, but it’s not formally off the table, either. In show business, this is typically the formula for financial concerns.

This is the second Base Entertainment production in the past year to announce it would open at a prominent Las Vegas hotel, only to hit a significant snag. “The Voice — Neon Dreams” was being prepped for Hard Rock Hotel in the spring and summer of 2018, but was twice delayed until plans for the show were formally shut down in October (the frame of its 700-seat, in-the-round theater still stands at HRH site).

Similar to Pastrana’s daredevil career, the Nitro Circus production is a calculated risk: Great fun, but at great expense. As the stunt man himself said in July, “I am so psyched about this show. It’s going to be totally different from anything we’ve done and unlike anything ever staged before in action sports.” The Nitro Circus team can only hope those words take flight.

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.