During his absent-minded interregnum as Tropicana Las Vegas CEO Scott Butera nearly denuded the casino of on-property entertainment. Only the hasty re-signing of Xtreme Magic left the Trop with a show in the house. Over time, Butera’s people added a slew of second- and third-tier acts.
“Too much,” said some. Those “some” would appear to include new CEO Alex Yemenidjian. Virtually unpublicized Beatles tribute act Penny Lane? Gone. Impressionist Rich Natole? Going soon. Bobby Slayton? Going a little later, perhaps. (Anthony Cools‘ track record as a producer is looking dire.) Although I’ve heard good things about the new venue created for Soprano’s Last Supper and Hypnosis Unleashed, apparently they will be relocated elsewhere within the Trop.
To no one’s surprise, Dirk Arthur will yield the prime-time slot (where he was, in all honesty, a placeholder) to incoming Wayne Newton. The Wayner will keep the Tiffany Theater warm until a Trop-owned show replaces Newton’s morbidly titled Once Before I Go.
The Harmon Theater‘s ill-publicized Tickled Pink has also closed and it sounds as though that place is experiencing cash-flow problems. Normally, I’d be sanguine that departing acts would soon find new homes elsewhere in town. However, in these desperate times, entertainment has been one of the first items on the chopping block, so the evicted performers can probably use all the positive vibes they can get.
Casino explosion in Ohio? Not only will Buckeye State voters get to say “aye” or “nay” to Gov. Ted Strickland‘s creation of racinos, the state could get as many as 11 gambling venues — not the seven Strickland envisions. Another ballot measure (pushed by Penn National Gaming) would authorize four casinos in four major Ohio cities. Minimum capital investment will be $250 million and the tax rate would be set at — Ouch! — 33%. Somehow, I doubt that will scare anybody away.
And they’re off! Congratulations to Ocean Downs, the first racino approved in Maryland. By June, reels should be spinning on the first 200 of an eventual 800 slots, to be fully phased in within 11 months.
