John Katsilometes on the attendance figures at 'Mamma Mia!', noting they are better than Wynn noted

Feb. 19, 2006

[hear the whole Wynn interview by clicking here]

To be fair to Steve Wynn, it doesn't appear he was actually trying to lay waste to some of the Strip's finest productions. But to be fair to one of those productions - "Mamma Mia!" - Wynn simply missed the mark.

Similar to the puppets in "Avenue Q," his math was a little fuzzy. Wynn was interviewed by Las Vegas freelance journalist/podcaster Steve Friess Wednesday afternoon, shortly after Wynn announced that "Avenue Q" would end its run in May (the last performance at Wynn Las Vegas is scheduled for May 28).

Friess used the interview as a special edition of his radio show, "The Strip," (found at www.thestrippodcast.com) and for a Web-exclusive Q&A currently posted on newsweek.com. During the 35-minute session Wynn canvassed myriad topics, including the reasons behind the early closing of "Q."

In comments pulled from the podcast, Wynn said, "I would love to have had a show that was doing 10,000 people a week or more - but ('Avenue Q') was not that strong. I think that 'Mamma Mia!' doing about 6,500 people and that's what 'Avenue Q' was doing." ("Avenue Q" drew about 800 per show to its 1,200-seat theater, which will be expanded to 1,500 to house "Spamalot," which opens in February 2007.)

Later, Wynn added, "Mamma Mia came here late in its life and has been doing 800 per show, 6,400 per week. that's it. Eight eights." That last comment was to mean eight shows, 800 fans per show. Not so. "Mamma Mia!" is performed seven times per week at Mandalay Bay (the second show on Sunday was dropped months ago) and, in a conservative estimate, draws between 1,000 and 1,200 fans per show at the 1,742-seat Mandalay Bay Theatre.

Though MGM Mirage won't provide specific figures, those who are familiar with attendance at the Mandalay Bay Theatre said that the show is stronger than ever this year, its third year at the hotel.

Last week (not counting Saturday's two shows) the production averaged a little more than 1,300 per performance. Wynn, who was off to Macau for preparations for Wynn Macau (opening in September) and not available for comment, also characterized "Phantom of the Opera" (opening in May at the Venetian) as having already run a long life and said "Spamalot" was a more impressive production than "Hairspray," which recently opened at the Luxor.

"'Hairspray,' is not 'Spamalot,'" Wynn said. "There's a huge difference ... If you go you will see the size of the theater."

Luxor President Felix Rappaport defended "Hairspray," which did sell out Friday and was expected to be at our near capacity through the weekend.

"Our policy (at MGM Mirage) is we don't ever comment about competitors or competitors' shows, but we are very happy with 'Hairspray,' " he said during a phone interview Saturday. "I've seen this (90-minute) version and the 2 1/2-hour version and I prefer this one ... 'Hairspray' has a real subversive diversity theme, not in a heavy-handed way, that brings unity."

And among those who took in the Wednesday-night premiere of "Hairspray": Elaine Wynn. "We have a great relationship with the Wynns," Rappaport said.

...More Wynn: He's taking up some space today ... but Wynn also told Friess that he has plans to create a "Wynn Boulevard" from the Strip to Paradise Road. The planned 135-foot-wide thoroughfare will be decorated by trees and will cut through the resort's golf course. But no plans for his vision of the golf course have been drawn up. "My life is consumed by one thing and one thing only: The September opening of Wynn Macau," he said ...

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