Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

New acts in store for ‘Absinthe’; ‘Never Sleep Alone’ shacks up in N.Y.

Absinthe

Gabe Ginsberg

Absinthe” characters the Gazillionaire and Penny Pibbets appear at the show’s third-anniversary celebration in Las Vegas.

‘Absinthe’ Fourth Anniversary

“Absinthe” celebrates its fourth anniversary Wednesday, April 1, 2015, at Caesars Palace. Launch slideshow »

Third Anniversary of ‘Absinthe’

The Gazillionaire and Penny Pibbets of “Absinthe” celebrates its third anniversary Wednesday, April 16, 2014, at Caesars Palace. Launch slideshow »

The Kats Report Bureau at this writing is the Forum food court at Caesars Palace, where a few members of “Absinthe” have happened by to snack rabidly before unleashing the show’s fifth-anniversary performance this evening.

In fact, just a few minutes ago, I ran into Billy England, half of the show’s skating tandem of Billy and Emily. The high priest (in the act) was pushing a baby stroller covered with a multicolored blanky. Underneath was his son, little Remy England, who today also turned 5 — days. A fresh person!

Remy should be developing his own act in a couple of weeks …

Elsewhere in the tented fiefdom operated by Spiegelworld founder Ross Mollison, discussion of a touring version of “Absinthe” has tempered a bit since the show ended its run through Australia in 2015. Mollison does want to take this show on the road, possibly starting in San Francisco or Miami or Philadelphia, sometime in the foreseeable future. He’s mulled this concept for about two years now.

But as Mollison told me during a radio broadcast of The Kats Report on KUNV 91.5-FM this week (the show airs Fridays at 8 p.m. and rolls over to this landing page), his company is first attempting to deliver “Never Sleep Alone” to a venue on the Strip. Mollison said the show grossed $10,000 in three performances at the Spiegeltent at Caesars Palace in February: “It doesn’t seem like a lot, but most of that money came from the third night, when it was a fully paid show.”

The first two shows hosted by Dr. Alex Schiller, the character portrayed by inspired comic actress Roslyn Hart, were designed as showcases for potential investors or partners in the show. After the late-night performance on Valentine’s Day, Mollison was fairly crowing about the show’s viability on the Strip.

Indeed, all that energy has indeed led “NSA” back to the stage — in New York. In August, “NSA” returns to the Public Theater venue Joe’s Pub, where the show opened in November 2011. The earliest “NSA” could open anywhere in Las Vegas would be the fall, but nothing is signed yet. Important to its marketability is that “NSA” is ideally suited for a 300-or-so-seat venue and is not a particularly difficult production to stage. It’s essentially the doctor, a band, video screens and a box of props.

However, as Schiller would say, we’re still in the foreplay stages of this Las Vegas concept.

Back at “Absinthe,” which provides Spiegelworld’s horsepower on the Strip, expect two new acts to be shuffled into the show. Mollison is not specifying what is planned, but there is high expectation of some pretty fantastic advanced technology in the show.

“We can’t sit still,” Mollison said during our radio chat. “We want to continue to deliver what people have not seen before.” And even five years on, the adult circus in the Caesars tent is still that.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow Kats on Instagram at Instagram.com/JohnnyKats1.

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