New cowgirl in town; “Zarkana” opens quietly

There may be a new Cirque du Soleil production show at Aria but it’s been drowned out in the thundering hooves and comparable hype that marked Shania Twain‘s arrival at Caesars Palace. It was quite a sight: 20 horses and Twain herself, “in a floor-length leather coat and black leather trousers, her curly hair wild in the wind,” rhapsodized England‘s Daily Mirror.

Meanwhile, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d missed the Zarkana premiere. Lead-up promotion and coverage were distinctly muted, probably in attempt to avoid the high-expectation/low-response double whammy of Criss Angel vehicle Believe and surprise flop Viva Elvis. Similarly, while those shows set off critical reactions that were sometimes violently negative, Zarkana received low-key approbation from Vegas critics, who — because they are exposed to Cirque so often and in such profusion — are less easily dazzled than their coastal counterparts.

Las Vegas Weekly‘s Rick Lax, giving Zarkana roughly a “B,” praised its ability to capture the inner workings of a circus. He found it enjoyable on its own merits, but not transformative in
the manner of O or Ka. CityLife‘s Mike Prevatt zeroed in on the return to “human fireworks and general Cirqueyness” after some controversially high-tech extravaganzas (including the abominable Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour, with its creepy, vacant-eyed floating baby). “Breathtaking” and “druggy” is how Zarkana‘s highlights are described, although derivations from previous Cirque shows are noted … a recurring theme in the coverage. Indeed, it was the mantra of Mike Weatherford‘s deeply ambivalent review in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He describes it as a “greatest hits” show and wonders — as may those who have gotten déja vu from the preview reels — “if the bag of tricks is close to empty.” Weatherford deems Zarkana “a bit languid … Yet it’s an elegant type of languid, classy and beautiful throughout,” though he questions the decision to drop the show’s plotline and English dialogue. I could probably do without all the snakes, too.

Whatever the case, Zarkana is a low-risk proposition for MGM Resorts International: It gets a pre-paid, pre-packaged Cirque show that only needs to break even and generate more foot traffic at CityCenter to qualify as a success.

Entering Caesars Entertainment more quietly yesterday was its new CFO, Donald Colvin, recruited to fill the vacancy left by Jonathan Halkyard‘s abrupt departure. S&G wishes the best of luck to Colvin, who has to dig Caesars out of the deep crater into which CEO Gary Loveman plunged it. Somewhat ominously, Loveman touted Colvin’s ability at “executing and integrating acquisitions.” Hinting at a buying spree is mighty big talk for a company that can barely cover the interest payments on its $20 billion debt.