For this answer, we turned to CDC Gaming Reports publisher Jeffrey Compton, who just also happens to be a show buff in his spare time. Here's what Jeffrey has to say:
The only surviving remnants of the mostly-failed Broadway-comes-to-the-Strip experiment are two "jukebox" musicals – Million Dollar Quartet, currently performing at Harrah's, and Rock of Ages (Rio - '70s hair-band) – although Blue Man Group (recently restored to its original Las Vegas home-away-from-home at Luxor) could arguably be included too, since it's still running Off-Broadway in New York City. Once these three reach the end of the road, we wouldn't expect to see much new Broadway-based product on the Strip, for good reason.
After several disasters (Avenue Q, Spamalot, Hairspray, Priscilla Queen of The Desert) and disappointments (Phantom of the Opera and The Producers, for example), the powers that be in Las Vegas Entertainment finally figured out that "Broadway" is not a good fit for the Strip. Las Vegas tourists are not really interested in Broadway shows, or at least not while they're here (they'd be visiting New York City if that was the specific experience they were after); plus, the number of touring Broadway productions has increased substantially over the years, meaning theater goers can catch a show close to home -- often in a superior production and at a lower price point, to boot. (As a corollary, it should be noted that the latest Cirque de Soleil effort in New York, Paramour, is far from being a sell-out. Horses for courses...)
However, the 2012 addition of the
To date, the only sub-genre that's transplanted successfully to the Strip, Broadway-show wise, has been of that jukebox ilk referenced above – in other words, shows that make use of popular oldies from a specific era, or by a certain group, to recount a biographical timeline or a specific reality-based story of some sort – and while there may actually be Las Vegas-visitor demand for this specific type of production, the irony is that it's not necessarily the case in other markets, and hence there's very little Broadway "jukebox-musical" supply. The closest you'll find here anytime soon is Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (now three years old), which is currently touring and will play the Smith Center this fall. The latest (and final, if the official website is to be trusted) addition to the venue's Broadway Las Vegas (which has included some smash hits, like the Wizard of Oz-inspired Wicked) is Idaho! The Comedy Musical, performing now and through July 17.
