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Nobody does it like the Jabbawockeez.
Monday, Nov. 2, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Several Las Vegas Strip shows have been making dramatic comebacks in recent weeks and some are moving into different, larger venues in order to meet state safety guidelines.
None are making a bigger leap to a bigger space than the Jabbawockeez, the masked dance troupe that has headlined on the Strip for a solid decade since winning the MTV competition series “America’s Best Dance Crew.” The show moves from its pre-pandemic home in a custom 350-seat theater just off the casino floor at MGM Grand into the nearly 17,000-capacity Grand Garden Arena this week, one of seven shows returning to MGM Resorts properties on Friday.
Joe Larot, Kevin Brewer and Phi Nguyen — three of the original members of the group that have performed with Jabbawockeez since its original limited engagement on the Strip at the MGM Grand space that is now the David Copperfield Theater — described a renovated production spreading the group’s performance across a much larger stage and a few smaller satellite stages, with an audience of 250 safely distanced from each other in the arena’s bleacher seats.
Jabbawockeez cast members perform in "Prism," their new show at the Luxor, Sunday, June 9, 2013.
It may sound like a daunting task, but playing arenas is nothing new for this crew.
“We’re so thankful to be working with MGM for the last decade and every opportunity they’ve presented to us has always just worked out,” said Nguyen. “We’ve toured with Bruno [Mars] and done our own arena tours in Asia and we’re used to headlining our own shows in [larger venues]. For us, this is almost like the ‘ABDC’ show where every week they give us a challenge to progress to the next episode.
“We’re not the only ones going through this new way of operating. MGM is going through it, the whole world is going through it, so we’re figuring out all the protocols and things we’re going to do to keep everybody safe. And we’re just excited to rock a big concert-style show.”
MGM Grand is also bringing back David Copperfield’s illusion-filled spectacular in his normal theater this week as well as Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club, though that show will be in a different ballroom venue near the arena.
Ironically, Jabbawockeez had just unveiled a new iteration of its show, a sort of greatest hits approach with new music and choreography called “Timeless,” in early March, just before the Strip was shut down to fight the spread of the coronavirus. The return this week will be a scaled-up version of “Timeless.”
“Obviously a concert vibe and feel is appropriate for that [arena] space,” Brewer said. “I don’t think this is a coincidence. I like to think that we were thinking ahead of the curve when we were building ‘Timeless.’ We were excited to see how it could be pulled off in the theater and now the stars kind of lined up for this production to happen in [the arena].”
MGM Resorts Senior Vice President of Entertainment Chris Baldizan said the company has explored and continues to examine multiple scenarios to bring back shows like Jabbawockeez, including the possibility of expanding audience capacities at larger venues like this one, pending plan approval from state and local safety officials.
“We’ve got the opportunity to be flexible and one of the great things about that venue is once we get in a rhythm, we can look at submitting a proposal to add more seats,” he said. “If we can justify doing it safely, the next step is a larger capacity, if it makes sense.”
As experienced Vegas entertainers who just happen to put on a dance-centric, hip-hop-flavored show that’s unique to the Strip, the Jabbawockeez performers recognize the significance of their contribution to the return of live entertainment to casino resorts.
“It’s exciting and scary at the same time because nobody knows what will be happening in the future with the pandemic,” Larot said. “But it really is exciting to be one of the first to break through and see how entertainment can work during these times.”
“It’s been a rough year for the whole world and now entertainment is slowly coming back and people are using it to escape their everyday trials and tribulations,” Nguyen said. “For us to be one of the first shows to be that escape for people is just a humbling experience. If we can be one of the few to set a new precedent during a time like this, we have to take the opportunity and run with it.”
Jabbawockeez “Timeless” is slated for 7 p.m. performances Thursday through Monday plus 9:30 p.m. shows Friday through Sunday. In addition to the other two MGM Grand shows, MGM Resorts also reopens Carrot Top’s comedy show and the “Fantasy” female revue at the Luxor Theater as well as “The Australian Bee Gees Show” and “Thunder From Down Under” at Excalibur on Friday. Ticket information for all seven shows can be found at mgmresorts.com.
