Book of Mormon - Hit or Flop

[Phantom of London]

Given that a lot of big bfat hit Broadway shows have flopped in Las Vegas, shows like The Producers, Spamalot and Avenue Q.

Other shows Phantom, Mamma Mia, We Will Rock You and Lion King are questionable whether they made money.

If Book of Mormon did a sit down in Las Vegas would it be a fat hit or a dirty flop?

[wicked1492]

You seriously need to think up some less misleading thread titles. Is there some sort of course for that at University in LONDON?

[bwayphreak234]

Hit.

[FishermanBob]

A wise person once said to me "never ask a question unless you are actually going to do something with the information you get back". Are you asking because you are considering investing?

[JoeKv99]

If a parrot could type would it prefer single malt scotches?

[Wynbish]

So, you are saying that none of the other shows are fat hits?

If that is the case, then no, I don't think it would be one. I think it would do decently.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

It will be a Flit. Or a Hop.

[Wynbish]

It will flit.
It will float.
It will fleetly flee!
It will fly!

[SNAFU]

awwwwwwww

[kidbroadway2]

said a hit flop the hitty to the hitty
the hit hit flop and u dont stop
rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie
to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat

[GavestonPS]

I'm reasonably sure POTO and MAMMA, MIA! made money in Vegas. They didn't keep them running for years just to support the arts.

[LizzieCurry]

Actually, Phantom isn't going to recoup.

"But The Venetian production is said to be $20 million shy of its $35 million investment, on its way to being the only version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" ever to lose money."
http://www.lvrj.com/neon/broadway-in-casinos-still-shows-signs-of-life-137655933.html

[Jon]

Vegas tourists want Cirque de Soleil and Blue Man Group.

Or titties.

[ChiChi]

I'll take the titties.

[GavestonPS]

Wow, Lizzie, I'm very surprised. Thanks for the info.

Of course, the reason casinos have shows is to draw people in the hopes they will gamble while they are there, so maybe the POTO run made money for the house, even as it failed to recoup the cost of the production. If the show was financed by individual investors, I guess they learned their lesson.

(FWIW, fans of the show I know who saw it in Vegas were very disappointed with the cut-down production they saw as "Phantom Lite".)

A friend of mine played in MAMMA, MIA! for three years to mostly packed houses. (The show continued for I don't know how long after he left.) It looked just like a regular production, so if it didn't make its costs back, somebody is doing something funny with the accounting.

[ChiChi]

I've not seen any of these Vegas shows, but a colleague mentioned that for Phantom, what looked neat on the website was rather plastic and overly fake to actually see.

Like I say, I don't know from personal experience, but that's what he said.

[GavestonPS]

I haven't seen MAMMA, MIA! elsewhere and only went because my friend was playing a lead. But it was presented in a regular theater and was directed by the same people who directed the tours (supervised by the original creator from England).

It was certainly full-length (interminable, if you ask me) and looked like the photos I have seen of the Broadway production. To my knowledge, no "concessions" were made for Vegas; it was just a sit-down production of the show.

[Phantom of London]

***Taken from Wikipedia***

In the United States, Mamma Mia! played in Las Vegas, opening at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in February 2003 and closing on January 4, 2009.[12][13] In June 2005, Mamma Mia! played its 1000th performance in Las Vegas, becoming the longest-running West End/Broadway musical in Las Vegas. The clothes and scenarios from this production are now used in Brazil.[14]

[bwayphreak234]

I've not seen any of these Vegas shows, but a colleague mentioned that for Phantom, what looked neat on the website was rather plastic and overly fake to actually see.

I disagree. I saw it in Vegas and it was a stunning production. It is next Spider-Man in my book for one of the most visually stunning shows I have seen.

[Mister Matt]

Next time see Le Reve. Far more stunning than Phantom or Spider-Man.

[LizzieCurry]

I've seen Phantom and Jersey Boys multiple times in Vegas (and Love once). I was very, VERY impressed and actually prefer the Vegas production of Phantom just because it's so unabashedly ridiculous.

As for the actual subject at hand: Sit-downs are tricky in Vegas, as we can see. No, I don't think BoM should be there as a sit-down. Tour, sure.

[justoldbill]

I should think the show could be shaved down to a 75-minute tab verson for the Vegas set without losing anything. (I can't help but think about Big Jule- "Let's shoot crap.")

Indeed.

[hermajesty]

Is the OP getting at the fact that the Mormons and mafia originally financed las Vegas?

[millie_dillmount]

People don't go to Vegas to see a Broadway show. I love seeing shows in NYC, and even I didn't have much interest in seeing a Broadway show there (okay, I might see Jersey Boys, but only because it is one of my favorites).

People go for the spectacle, hence why shows like Cirque du Soleil, La Reve and Penn & Teller are successful. I don't think Vegas is the right outlet for a 2.5 hour Broadway production with an intermission. I don't think Book of Morman would be as successful as the NYC production.

[GavestonPS]

But "successful as the New York production" isn't necessarily the standard, is it? The issue is whether the show will pay for itself.

I know my sister and her husband stayed at the Venetian last year because POTO was playing there and they are fans of the musical. (That's also why they didn't like the Vegas production, but that's another matter.) It may even have been a package deal, which probably didn't help PHANTOM, but may have served THE VENETIAN quite well.

In addition to pure spectacle, I think musical comedies tend to work better in Vegas. (A friend of mine has been in MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL for I-don't-know-how-many years and it is still drawing (albeit in a smaller theater).)

So who knows how BOM might do? It could come down to how they adapt it for Vegas crowds. In my experience, a lot of visitors to Vegas are too drunk to sit through two-and-a-half hours of anything.

[bobs3]

It doesn't matter if THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA didn't return its investment in Vegas. Most shows are not expected to. What they are expected to do is bring tourists into the casino where they will drop mucho dolares into the slots, roulette, craps and blackjack tables. Very few people go to Las Vegas just to see a show.

Every hotel on the Strip is designed in such a way that you are required to walk through the casino to reach the showroom (and the same on your way out).

And, remember to tip your scantily clad waitress when she brings you those free drinks.

Sadly, the last topless burlesque show on the Strip (at the Tropicana) closed several years ago after a run of over 50 years (I guess there are a finite number of Japanese tourists).