Incredible dance performances and fascinating real-life mob stories combine in “A Mob Story.”
Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018 | 2 a.m.
You can’t compare the downtown Las Vegas entertainment scene to the Strip. It’s a different world on Fremont Street. But the original Vegas drag could use some more traditional, showroom-based options to balance the ever-evolving downtown experience.
That’s why “A Mob Story” is so important. The brand-new, original show at the Plaza is the first made-in-Vegas production to hit Fremont Street in years, but it’s also a completely fresh take on the conventional variety show that wisely takes advantage of the public’s ongoing fascination with organized crime in America.
It’s safe to say this is the first show to create a sexy burlesque performance set against the backdrop of the Kefauver hearings of 1950-1951. Later, a gangster sings a lounge-style cover of Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” as names and of mobsters and their associates and enemies scroll across video screens. It’s wacky and very Vegas, and it’s a lot of fun, too.
“A Mob Story” is produced by Jeff Kutash, the man behind the long-running hit “Splash” at the Riviera. Like that classic, this 105-minute show is heavy with terrific dancing and a powerful pop soundtrack. There’s no live band but plenty of live singing, including a few comedic numbers from the Mafia-themed “Don Popera.” But the spice that sets the show apart comes from Michael Franzese, the former New York mobster and leader of the Colombo crime family who made millions in the gasoline tax rackets of the 1980s before serving time in prison and leaving the life. His cool, stoic presence lends some serious gravitas to the show and his stories are simply fascinating.
Things lighten up later when Franzese does a question-and-answer session with the audience but there’s more storytelling weaved into dance numbers. One segment has JFK, Sam “Momo” Giancana and Marilyn Monroe casually conspiring to assassinate Castro. If that sounds a little silly, you’re on the right track. Only in Vegas.
“A Mob Story” is presented at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday at the showroom at the Plaza (1 Main St., 702-386-2110) and more info can be found at plazahotelcasino.com.
