Big-cat illusionist Dirk Arthur lands on his feet at Westgate Las Vegas

By John Katsilometes

Friday, July 31, 2015 | 1:54 p.m.

It’s not easy to pinpoint the number of lives for Dirk Arthur, but it is likely about the same number as a cat.

One of the city’s great survivors, Arthur has lived through yet another hotel ownership change and closure and leaped back to the Las Vegas stage with a new residency at Westgate Las Vegas. He’s set to launch “Dirk Arthur Wild Magic” at Westgate Theater on Aug. 24. (The show runs at 4 p.m. Mondays through Sundays; tickets are $90 VIP to $60 for preferred to $50 general admission and available at the Westgate box office or by calling 800-222-5361.)

In his 34th year as a professional entertainer, Arthur now stands alone as the frontman for a large-scale production featuring exotic cats (he has kept as many as 14 big cats in a remote habitat near Las Vegas and plans to use his stage show as a way to educate students in Clark County about the cats used in his act). He has vast experience performing on and off the Strip, most recently at the Riviera’s Starlite Theater, where he opened in November.

Arthur was cruising along until he was stunned to learn in February that hotel was being sold to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to allow for the development of a exhibit and meeting project as part of the Las Vegas Global Business District.

“It was a shock at first, but I have been through a lot of closings and ownership changes before,” Arthur says. “The difference with this one is that the hotel was closing really quickly after the announcement (the Riv shut down May 4), which didn’t leave us a lot of time. But everybody learned of this at about the same time, and if we were blindsided, everyone else was blindsided, too.”

Arthur is keeping with what has worked in the past. He’ll employ between a half dozen and nine exotic cats onstage, adding video screens at the back of the theater and doubling his dancers onstage from two to four (thus the increase in his ticket price by about $20 from his days at the Riv). He’s keeping the vanishing-helicopter illusion and returning and oldie — a 45-foot-long locomotive — to Westgate.

“We’re looking at a two-pronged effort to develop the new show,” Arthur says. “We’ve some new, big props and stuff we’ve used before, like the locomotive, and a laser cannon and a circle of fire, along with the video screens, to help tell the stories of these illusions instead of just using a black wall behind us. Down the line, after about six months, we’ll add a bunch of effects and some different illusions.”

Over the years, Arthur has worn a path around the city, starting in 1997 with “Jubilee!” at Bally’s in his Las Vegas debut. He’s been featured at the Silverton, Plaza, Tropicana and O’Sheas, where he also was the last show in that hotel-casino’s little showroom. He worked for Caesars Entertainment at Harrah’s in Reno and Laughlin, then was signed by the Riviera last spring, only to see that hotel abruptly sold and closed.

“I was trying to keep focused, and I felt like some positive things were happening, even if we weren’t sure, specifically, what they were,” Arthur says. “I always felt I would keep working.”

Arthur’s show is produced by Red Mercury Entertainment, founded by former Caesars Entertainment exec Carlos Reynoso in a partnership with Darin Feinstein, whose business interests include El Dorado Cantina next to Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club, and part ownership of Beauty Bar on Fremont East (with Corey Harrison of “Pawn Stars”). Red Mercury has shown its ability to put shows in open venues — “MJ Live” at Stratosphere a recent example — and shopped Arthur’s show at that hotel before landing at Westgate.

The relationship between Westgate and Red Mercury is connected by a link between Westgate and Paragon Gaming, which also is a Red Mercury partner. Paragon has been enlisted to run casino operations at Westgate.

Red Mercury is now booking all entertainment at Westgate and is exploring options for a production to take over the nightspot at the theater in the fall (but don’t expect a return of “Elvis: The Man, The Show, The Experience” that played this spring). Red Mercury also is filling the open dates at Westgate Cabaret, which has afternoon slots available. The nighttime shows are “Suzanne Sizzles” starring Suzanne Somers (who is set to return in mid-September) and Jennifer Romas’ adult revue “Sexxy.”

Arthur is impressed by the investment happening around his show at Westgate Theater — which was upgraded for the first run of the Elvis production — and the general upgrades at the hotel.

“It’s turned into a grand manor,” he says. “I’ve always liked the theater. It’s big, we can move in and out with the cats, and it has a great, flexible seating capacity.” The theater seats 1,600, but Arthur will work to a draped-off house with a capacity of 800.

It’s been a while since Arthur has held the afternoon slot — the last time was his days at the Trop. He did well with the 2 and 4 p.m. shows, pulling 800 to 900 in the earlier slot. No one is yet predicting those numbers at the Westgate, which is still building its entertainment program with Red Mercury.

But like his cats, Arthur remains forever nimble.

“I think it’s going to be great,” he says. “I’m in a great partnership, the room is great, the hotel is fixed up. ... I have to say, I’m in a pretty good place.”

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.