Producer testing price change

This is either a bad idea or the start of a revolution.

Ticket pricing on the Strip is nearly upside down. Discount ticket outlets have become the cart that drives the horse for all but the top tier of shows. Producers respond by jacking up prices so tickets can be marked down to what they should be to begin with.

In the face of all this, producer Dick Feeney asks, "What if somebody reversed it all, and went back to a realistic price?"

So Feeney is changing his ticket prices for "The World's Greatest Magic Show" at the Greek Isles to $19.95 and $24.95 before casino entertainment taxes (the old prices were $63.75 and $74.75). And he's not stopping there.

Feeney offers a promotion giving the first 100 tickets to each show away free (well, there's a $2 ticket-printing fee) to the first people who call the box office each morning. The hope is that callers who don't snag one will take the bait for the new ticket prices.

"It's going to drive more direct sales, hopefully," says Feeney. "This is going to be copied within months," he predicts.

Feeney is quick to add that he is in a unique situation as an independent tenant at the Greek Isles. "If I sell 200 tickets, I'm making money," he says. He still plans to use the same-day discounters, but "my hope is that block (of half-price tickets) will reduce to a minimum or nothing."

Another component to this test is to see if it devalues the title. Some producers long have defended their price points by saying if a show is too cheap, audiences will deem it not worth their time.

"I'm gonna find out," Feeney says with a laugh. ...

Then there's the "straight from the headlines" promotion. Producer David Saxe is offering a free ticket to any of his shows to locals involved in the housing industry; anything from construction to refinancing. The offer runs through April 30. ...

"Last Comic Standing" again will make its way to Las Vegas after a new season starts May 22 on NBC. The talent show and Paris Las Vegas enjoyed a beneficial association during its first season in 2003. But the contest shot itself in the foot the next year with a judging controversy and interest dwinded.

This time, the finalists will again wind up squaring off in the Paris theater (which is currently without a resident show) after the first few weeks thin the herd. According to the network, the eventual winner gets a talent deal with the network, a new car and "a starring appearance" in Bally's "Jubilee!"

The latter sounds like one of the revue's three slots for specialty acts. It's a gift ventriloquist Terry Fator turned down after winning "America's Got Talent" on the same network; the Las Vegas Hilton already had made him a better offer. ...

After a heart scare and an overnight visit to the hospital Monday, Toni Braxton is canceling shows for the rest of the week at the Flamingo Las Vegas. She hopes to return Tuesday. The singer is playing it safe because she has pericarditis, an inflammation of tissue around the heart. ...

Cher doesn't do her first show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace until May 6, but those who like to plan ahead can buy tickets for her return trip in September starting Sunday. Tickets for shows from Sept. 2 through Oct. 5 go on sale at the theater box office starting at 10 a.m. and through Ticketmaster outlets. ...

Musical impressionist Tom Dane will set up shop in Steve Wyrick's theater with a weekly show on Fridays starting April 18. The Scandinavian performer showcased his act at the Suncoast in November 2006. ...

Three shows celebrate a year's survival on the Strip. "Monty Python's Spamalot" launches a second year with a new Lady of the Lake, Erica Ash, replacing Nikki Crawford. Ash toured in "The Lion King" and is part of "The Big Gay Sketch Show" on the Logo cable channel.

Comedian Bobby Slayton was to mark a year at Hooters Hotel on Wednesday. A second anniversary is unlikely in the face of plans to remodel and rename the hotel, but he is booked through Labor Day. And "Stomp Out Loud" thumps the tub for a year at Planet Hollywood Resort on April 17.

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at (702) 383-0288 or e-mail him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.