Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Columnist Kate Maddox: Nursing the Baby’s brouhaha

Kate Maddox's column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach her at [email protected].

In a quick follow-up conversation regarding last week's abrupt departure of the Baby's nightclub management staff, Ryan Doherty -- who along with Richard Chu ran the place for about a year -- insisted that he and his partner were not fired but were asked to resign and did so. OK guys, whatever. Either way, Doherty did not refute claims that there were some major mismanagement issues. But he did want to make it clear that he and Chu did nothing except turn a profit for the Hard Rock's late-night dance club and that rumors of drugs and other illegalities were blown out of proportion and had little to do with their departure.

Doherty claimed that troubles started when his boss, L.A. club guru Sean MacPhearson, had a falling-out with Hard Rock hotel-casino owner Peter Morton. Morton was apparently unhappy with the hotel's 50-50 co-ownership deal with MacPhearson. According to Doherty, the Hard Rock people weren't thrilled with the idea of having to split over $9 million in club profits with MacPhearson, who was rarely in Las Vegas to oversee things and who has more nightspots in Los Angeles. Doherty's theory had Morton looking for a clean way to break his contract with MacPhearson -- and the drug rumors and police investigation were suspiciously perfect timing.

The whole episode involving the police investigation and mismanagement accusations caught Doherty, who says he's still working for MacPhearson and currently fielding offers from other Vegas clubs, completely by surprise. "The club was doing very well," Doherty said. "The hotel had just given us a $5,000 raise a couple of weeks before we left." He feels certain that there were other factors involved in their demise.

The Hard Rock denied the rumors of a feud and behind-the-scenes money problems, insisting that the changes that took place at Baby's were simply the result of some poor management choices. The Hard Rock also insists that the hotel clearly didn't want to gamble with its gaming license and that cooperating with a police investigation is standard operating procedure.

In other nightclub news: Studio 54's resident funk-master, DJ Frankie, was handed the key to the city by Councilman Michael McDonald last week. McDonald, a fairly notorious party boy himself, recognized DJ Frankie's contributions to the Las Vegas music and club scene -- Frankie's been with Studio 54 at the MGM for about two years and has also worked at just about every other nightclub in town.

It was apparently one of the world's top supermodels who messed things up for tennis lovebirds Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi. According to gossip in New York fashion circles, Graf caught her beau in the arms of a well-known model in Italy, where Agassi was ousted early at the Italian Open. Graf apparently hightailed it back to the United States that night. Personally, I don't believe the hype -- these two make a perfect match and odds are they still plan to wed sometime in the very near future.

Don't look for any more acts to be sharing the Mirage's new Danny Gans Theater -- at least not while Gans is in town. Insiders at the hotel say that the theater is Gans' and his alone. Gans was apparently less than pleased when Ray Romano and ventriloquist Ronn Lucas were booked into his showroom this month. This kind of thing won't be happening again, unless Gans takes a break.

A Mirage source confirmed some of the rumors, admitting that in the future the Danny Gans Theater will be booked in consultation with new hotel management, and that acts besides Gans will probably not be able to perform there.

archive