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Mike Weatherford
Breaking down the Blue Man move
Updated: Feb. 17, 2011 | 6:21 p.m.
What's behind the blue greasepaint that beats what's behind the white mask?
Infrastructure.
A chance to steal away the Blue Man Group was a no-brainer for MGM Resorts, even if it means cutting loose the Jabbawockeez, last year's good news in terms of a fresh idea that seemed to pay off.
The company announced last week the Jabbawockeez will continue at the Monte Carlo through November. Then the theater will be remodeled for the Blue Man Group, which jumps ship from The Venetian after its lease expires there in September 2012.
Jabbawockeez may go on tour instead of trying to move elsewhere on the Strip. It's likely to continue a success story that began on the Strip last May, after the daughters of MGM casino executives talked up the hip-hop dance troupe to their dads.
The ability to sell tickets to a younger demographic -- which has mostly ditched the ticketed shows for Las Vegas nightclubs -- earned them the key to Lance Burton's theater and a potentially bright future on the Strip.
So why drop a group with a story still being written for the Blue Man Group, which may be (as they say of us newspaper toilers) "a mature industry" this far down the road? Is it just faith in the familiar? A wider demographic appeal?
Probably. But it also comes down to each company's resources. MGM wants self-sufficient partners, who won't be coming around asking for much. The Jabbawockeez are said to be in a fragile cost situation, with ticket sales trying to stay ahead of the weekly overhead. And the original guys still perform the show; they haven't reached the place where they can clone themselves and amortize costs with tours or other resident productions.
Compare that to the Blue Man Group, with shows in four U.S. cities and two overseas, plus a current U.S. tour. The company is more like Cirque du Soleil, with in-house resources and enough Blue Men to spit marshmallows -- as announced last week -- in 14 shows a week at The Venetian. That's way more than any other Vegas show, so you have to assume the overhead is low enough to offer people a choice of 7 or 10 p.m.
If you were MGM, and Blue Man executives showed up at your door unhappy with a pending rent hike and in-house competition at The Venetian, it's safer to trust the company with the infrastructure. Even one that is slow and cautious in its artistic choices. ...
Is that Willie Nelson at the blackjack table? Jay Leno in the coffee line? Heads will turn and you might just be fooled next week when the Golden Nugget hosts the 11th Annual Celebrity Impersonators Convention.
Fans of tribute artists will have a full buffet of look-alikes, with indoor showcases in the hotel's showroom on Tuesday and Wednesday (which are $10 for those who don't sign up for the whole enchilada) and free showcases on the outdoor Fremont Street Stage Monday through Wednesday at 8 p.m.
It all culminates with next Thursday afternoon's Reel Awards in the Nugget, a spoofy version of the Oscars complete with red carpet and the rare opportunity to see an event hosted by both Johnny Carson (Jeff DeHart) and Jay Leno (Marcel Forestieri). ...
The Las Vegas entertainment community frequently comes together for "Let's put on a show" types of benefits. But those who usually gather to help Family Promise of Las Vegas often go the extra artistic mile as well, offering something beyond variety shows or classic show tunes.
On Saturday and Sunday, performers from most of the Broadway musicals on the Strip will stage an original work, "The Parenting Project," at the Clark County Library, 1401 W. Flamingo Road. The author is "Ka" conductor Richard Oberacker and the stage director is Keith Thompson, who keeps creative work moving forward in town through his periodic composer's showcases.
Tickets are $15 and $20 for the 1 p.m. matinees of the new musical examining parenthood from both comedic and poignant angles. ...
Final goodbyes are Sunday for two veteran performers. Friends of Breck Wall will stage a long-delayed tribute to the "Bottom's Up" showman at 3 p.m. at the South Point. Wall died in November of Alzheimer's disease.
Services for veteran close-up magician Steve Dacri will be at 5 p.m. Sunday at Davis Funeral Home & Memorial Park, 6200 S. Eastern Ave. Dacri died Feb. 4 of colon cancer.
Both performers held on to their good humor as long as they could. Dacri's last e-mail to me, just a week before his death, said he had "a camera crew coming in tomorrow (colonoscopy)" to determine what needed to be done, and that he "spent a lot of money on Christmas cards for this coming year and I hate to see them go to waste."
Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.
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Mcguire,
You obviously have been under a rock for the last 23 years. Blue Man has a HUGE international following who are very, as you put it, "passionate" about the group and the show. You might want to do some research before you jump to conclusions. I myself have been a fan of Blue Man for the better part of the last decade. I have friends who have been fans since their days playing the underground club scene in NYC back in the late 80's. Blue Man has a much wider appeal than some hip hop dance crew that really aren't all that original. You can go to any major city in this nation and they have groups doing the same thing for little to no money and are usually a heck of a lot more talented. I for one do not want to pay the prices they're asking for the Jabawockeez to sit through an hour and a half of dancing. Sorry, not my cup of tea. Now with Blue Man Group I have seen them over 50 times just here in Vegas! I have friends who've seen the different shows all over the world hundreds of times. Blue Man appeals to people of all ages and lifestyles where Jabawockeez has a very narrow audience demographic being people who like (c)rap "music" and that style of dancing. I for one am not sorry to see them go. There are far better shows on the strip I would rather spend my money on than some dance troop that can be emulated by anyone.
Entertainment in Las Vegas is nothing more than good branding. I hate hearing this but totally get the reasoning. Why would they continue taking a risk when a sure thing just knocked on their door? I remember Blue Man Group when they were working the streets of NYC, antagonizing those standing in line for the clubs ... same can be said for Cirque du Soleil, who started on the streets of Montreal. They are great success stories, have a solid brand, and now take all the risk! The days are long gone when a group like JabbaWockeeZ would even have the opportunity to BECOME a brand! I'm sorry to see them go.
Hold on, with all due respect but are we sure that its MGM wanting to steal away the Blue Man Group (BMG) or its the Monte Carlo really wanting to steal away the JabbaWockeeZ? I haven't even heard of BMG before I started following JBWKZ's stints in LV. Yes, JBWKZ may be a young group but their possibilities are endless and I won't be surprised if Monte Carlo saw a more promising deal with them. First off, they have a clothing line that's always sold out. 2nd, they are releasing their album at iTunes of soundtrack/original mixes of the music they use for their dance routines by their affiliated musicians, The Bangerz. 3rd, they are about to start dance classes in LV too.
Sure BMG have clones, but I don't see that making them more liquid since having more "employees" also entail additional costs. JBWKZ can always hire more members too, and a lot of hip-hop dancers out there would be dying for a spot! I hope we're not trying to make it appear like MGM kicked out JBWKZ because that would also be the same as saying that Monte Carlo might have raised the rent on BMG as another way to tell them "get outta here" ;D And I can assure you that JBWKZ have more "passionate" fans than BMG, times 100 :)