Erik Kabik
Duo Vector performs during “Absinthe,” which reopens at Caesars Palace this week.
Monday, Oct. 26, 2020 | 2 a.m.
“Absinthe” at Caesars Palace and Piff the Magic Dragon at Flamingo were the first Las Vegas shows to announce their return to the Strip this month. “X Country” at Harrah’s became the first casino show to perform in front of a live audience last week after more than seven months of shuttered showrooms and theaters due to the pandemic.
All three productions take place at Caesars Entertainment resort properties and the company’s President of Entertainment Jason Gastwirth said it was important to get such entertainment programming, “the lifeblood of Las Vegas,” back in business as quickly as possible.
“This is something we’ve been preparing for, for months, and as soon as we could get a show up and running when it was allowable, we would look to do so. Once the guidelines were established a few weeks ago, that got things in motion,” he said. “We’re very proud of the four shows we’ve got on the books right now and hopefully there will be more to come after that.”
In addition to the “X Country” return on Oct. 22 and this week’s planned reopenings of “Absinthe” on Wednesday and Piff on Thursday, Caesars Entertainment also announced the return of Tape Face at Harrah’s on Nov. 11. Ticket information can be found at caesars.com/shows.
All live entertainment offerings follow guidelines set forth by health and government authorities and implement Caesars’ health and safety protocols including verbal health screenings and non-contact temperature checks for guests, modified seating for social distancing, mandatory masks for guests and staff and limited capacities. The state’s updated safety guidelines announced on September 29 restrict audiences to a maximum of 250 people or 50% of the venue’s capacity, whichever is less.
Piff, the comedian and magician whose real name is John van der Put, explained on last week’s Sun on the Strip podcast how he’s moving his show from Flamingo’s Bugsy’s Cabaret venue to the larger Flamingo Showroom to accommodate audiences safely, and how he’s refashioned his show with new material and planned special guests.
“I thought there was a chance [the shutdown] would go on for a while and when we’d come back, we’d have to do some shows with people sitting farther away,” he said. “I thought there was a chance we might end up doing the show in the big room for less people, so why don’t we spend six months working on a brand-new show that will fit in a larger showroom. It turns out that was a good idea.”
The Tape Face show will follow in Piff’s footsteps when it moves from the intimate House of Tape room at Harrah’s to the spacious Harrah’s Showroom. MGM Resorts announced a slate of reopening shows last week including some that will similarly relocate to larger theater spaces.
Gastwirth said it’s likely more of those movements are on the way as his team continues to sketch out scenarios to activate more entertainment options for Las Vegas visitors.
“It really comes down to our close relationships with our show partners. We’re constantly trying to think through [possibilities] like, if this were to happen, here’s how we might move forward,” he said. “We’re hoping there will continue to be a natural progression and we’ll get back to full capacity and migrate back to our regular programming formats with enough notice to be able to shift, but it really is about planning around whatever we are allowed to do and doing it the best way possible, and there are a lot of hypotheticals there.”
Gastwirth attended the reopening of “X Country” and said he was impressed with how smoothly the show ran and the audience’s high level of enthusiasm.
“Guests were thanking us for bringing these shows back and really just excited to be back in a theater with all the right protocols that made them feel really comfortable,” he said. “I’m really proud of our team’s efforts and the collaboration with governing authorities and show partners that really made it work. Las Vegas is going to be a leader in bringing these things back and we’re excited about further developments to come this week because it’s an important milestone for our recovery.”
Caesars Entertainment also offers live music at several casino venues during weekends including the Piano Lounge and Carnaval Court bar at Harrah’s, the Indigo Lounge at Bally’s, the Heart Bar at Planet Hollywood and Le Cabaret Lounge and Napoleon’s Lounge at Paris.
