Campy musical reopening

Kathi Glist was watching "America's Got Talent" when the contestant known as Queen Emily rocked the house with "Chain of Fools."

Her first revelation was, "Who knows the original lyrics anymore?" In Glist's world, as co-producer of "Menopause The Musical," the Aretha Franklin classic is forever known as "Change of Life."

Her second thought was, "If she doesn't win, we've got to put her in the show." Emily (David) became the first star ever to receive special billing in any run of "Menopause" in the show's final five weeks at the Las Vegas Hilton, where it had run since early 2006.

Ticket sales perked up for Emily, who again will be onboard when the campy musical reopens at Luxor on Tuesday, sharing the Atrium showroom with Carrot Top and "Fantasy."

Before Emily, Glick explains, the musical had flourished with the philosophy that "the star is the ensemble," and focusing audience attention on any one of the four actors would upset the balance.

But Emily's "personal journey (as) a single mom who struggled" outweighed those concerns, and she blends with the ensemble because she wasn't branded with any previous fame.

"We felt the timing was right for a move to the Strip," Glist says. More than 1,500 Hilton shows proved "Menopause" could compete. "We couldn't have played with the big boys if we didn't start modestly."

The Luxor run will launch with locals discounts for the first three weeks, and it now takes only 10 friends to qualify for a group rate.

Glick's company, G Force Productions, is one of the many producers behind the new Broadway version of the Dolly Parton movie "Nine to Five." "I think it could play well in Vegas," she says. Empowered women yell back at the characters just as they do at "Menopause." ...

The Web site Showtickets4locals.com sends out daily e-mails offering tickets to bottom-tier shows such as "Magic's a Drag" and impressionist Larry G. Jones, and often for better-known people such as comedian Louie Anderson. The service guarantees functional audiences for performers while doubling as a marketing tool: Offers for free seats are typically followed by a second e-mail blast that says the freebies are gone, but you can still buy at a discount.

But it was quite a surprise to see one of the daily blasts offering a complimentary ticket to the Danny Gans memorial service today at Encore.

Well, it's not a surprise in one sense. ShowTickets4Locals is co-owned by the late impressionist's manager, Chip Lightman. But it did raise questions of why they needed to "paper" a service that had been characterized as an invitation-only gathering of family and friends?

"It was not an effort to fill the house," says Gans' publicist, Laura Herlovich. Rather, "Danny was very active in a lot of community things," and this was part of the outreach to include some "regular" fans and locals in the memorial. Tickets also were given to firefighters and police officers, she said. ...

I always thought they should call them "happy hour shows" anyway. Three afternoon productions are shifting their start time later in the day.

Figure it's more of a budget thing -- with roommate productions sharing stagehand costs -- than any attempt to second-guess the consumer psychology of when people come in from the pool.

"Menopause" will play at 5:30 p.m. except on Tuesdays or weeks when Carrot Top is on vacation, when it will go at 8 p.m. instead. A few minutes of running time may be trimmed to ease the changeover with Carrot Top.

"Defending the Caveman" at Excalibur has shifted to 4 p.m. daily, with extra evening shows at 7 Fridays and Saturdays.

And Tropicana afternoon star Dirk Arthur has moved his "Xtreme Magic" into a 7 p.m. time slot, so his matinee moves to 4:10 p.m. (Yes, that's the advertised time. Talk about honesty. Wouldn't want people to quit the slots 10 minutes early, would we?)

By the way, Arthur is not the reason why "Folies Bergere" closed. Tropicana spokeswoman Brittany Markarian says his evening show is an interim deal, and management is "actively seeking" a new production after "a deal in principle collapsed at the last minute" for the never-named show that sent "Folies" packing at the end of March. ...

Celebrity pinup power comes to two topless revues. Holly Madison, who flew the Playboy nest when she left Hugh Hefner and "The Girls Next Door," replaces Kelly Monaco as the co-star of "Peepshow" on June 22.

Carmen Electra finally gets into a Las Vegas show as the guest star of "MGM Grand's Crazy Horse Paris" July 8-13. Electra almost starred in "Lumiere," which never opened in 2001. And she wisely backed out of "The Beauty of Magic" at Planet Hollywood in 2007; Pam Anderson replaced her in the dud.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.