Censoring Broadway

Let me begin by saying that I spent a year working for Steve Wynn, the former owner of the Mirage Hotel and Casino. In my time with Steve I spoke to him occasionally but otherwise went about my duties. However I did glean from my experience at The Mirage that every major decision passes by Steve, especially when opening a show. Steve has now opened the Wynn Hotel and Casino, home to Le Reve produced by Cirque Du Soliel, and the Broadway Theater which boasts a line-up of current Broadway musicals (mostly Tony Award winners). Broadway in Las Vegas, fabulous idea! People have a vast choice of US destinations not just for vacations but also for conferences and conventions; of these destinations New York and Las Vegas are the top two picks. You can't gamble in New York, but you can see a Broadway show in Vegas! NO YOU CAN'T! The money sucking punks behind the desks in Vegas have determined that they couldn't possibly handle keeping their beloved casino guests from the slots and tables any longer than absolutely necessary. They have decided that the Broadway shows that take residence in the Broadway Theater must be re-written into a 90 minute, no intermission version of the production. Not only that, but in the case of Avenue Q, Steve-O has demanded that any political humor be "scrubbed" from the show. Isn't that whole point of Avenue Q? So not only are we trashing half the show, but censoring it as well. We Will Rock You, the London rock show based on the music of Queen, has been playing in London since 2002. Historically the natural progression would be New York City for a production of this size and scope. Not in this case, the first US production of We Will Rock You, was a sit-down production at the Paris Casino in Las Vegas, again a 90 minute, one act attraction. The point here is that Casino owners are abusing what many of us would call art as an attraction to drain your pockets. During my tenure at the Mirage I watched as the Bellagio, another Steve Wynn property, took form and opened. Featured at the Bellagio was the exhibit of Picasso paintings, a great attraction. Thank G-d Stevie didn't demand that they be modified to ensure that he got the most money possible from his patrons. At least in that case there was no censorship. The Vegas approach to Broadway show production translates to "Produce a bare minimum of the show so as we can use the name and the logo, cut everything else". Yes folks, all for roughly the same price you'd pay in New York! A Broadway show ticket for the full length, politically incorrect, TONY AWARD WINNING musical Avenue Q, will set you back about $100. For $90 you can see half the show, stripped of its questionable content in Vegas. But ask yourself, would the modified Vegas version win a Tony Award in New York? I hardly think so. I'd like to think that when I buy a ticket to a Tony Award winning show, that I'll actually get to see the parts of it that earned it a Tony the in the first place. I'd like to hear your comments. Syndicate me! http://stagespot.blogspot.com/atom.xml