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Will You Fall for 'FOLLIES'?

SamNovak

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Editor

Will You Fall for 'FOLLIES'?

Massive production at Aliante Casino could be a surprise hit...or a fool's folly. Place your bets...

This editorial represents the writer's personal opinion. Everything you've seen in the movies about Sin City is true...and then some. It's a place of hidden agendas, double deals, and Phoenix-like returns. That leads us to FOLLIES, an old-fashioned musical coming to Aliante Casino in April. Scheduled to run for six performances at the resort's Access Showroom, FOLLIES is an early 70s show by Stephen Sondheim. The FOLLIES Las Vegas website claims that over 1,500 seats have already been filled. Take note that the word is "filled", not "sold". This is an obvious deception in what may be a dressing room full of them. Because as everyone knows, free tickets are routinely supplied to the cast and crew of large productions.

Cast and crew of FOLLIES (photo by Linda Stephens Woodson via Facebook - public)

Just how large are the creative and talent teams of FOLLIES? Let's take a look: CAST - Andrea McArdle (Broadway star of ANNIE) Ted Chapin Christine Shebeck Michelle Johnson Randal Keith Sam Holder Tim Molyneux Clint Holmes Kelly Clinton-Holmes Pete Barbutti Skye Dee Miles Merald "Bubba" Knight Frederica von Stade Linda Stephens Woodson Denise Rose Kate Kinhan Nicolas King Seth Sikes Madison Morseburg Cynthia Nesbit Steph Payne Patrick Hogan Michelle Marshall Jennie Malcomb Gabriella Versace Katy Monroe Anna Bailey Lou Anne Chessik Cindy Doumani Marla Gomes Suzanne Jipson Sheri Mirault Terry Ritter Joni Sailon Ramona Shaw Lauri S. Thompson Teri Thorndike Diane Michelle Varney Brooke Brown Alejandro Domingo Becs O'Hara Jennifer Jordan John Marr Eric Michael Morgan Alyssa Sims Avree Walker

CREATIVE TEAM: David James Robinson - Director Dave Loeb Sarah LeClear Allen Bracken Lou Ann Chessik Brandy Erickson Catherine M. Pratt Sean Stephenson Tim Molyneux Sheri Zanger Heather Hughes Sam Thompson Diane Taylor Donny Thompson Kenny Rampton Gary Cordell Curt Miller Tom Michel Sean Stephenson Isabel Castro-Melendez Ed Foster Kirk Kazanjian

Photo by Terry Ritter via Facebook - public

JOI JAZZ ORCHESTRA MEMBERS: Dan Falcone, Lead Trumpet Gary Cordell, Trumpet Glenn Colby, Trumpet Wes Marshall, Trumpet Curt Miller, Lead Trombone David Philippus, Trombone Nathan Tanouye, Trombone Sonny Hernandez, Bass Trombone Lauren Cordell, Violin Phil Wigfall, Lead Alto Sax/Woodwinds Eddie Rich, Alta Sax/Woodwinds Rob Mader, Tenor Sax/Woodwinds John Summers, Baritone Sax/Woodwinds Wayne de Silva, Tenor Sax/Woodwinds Jimmy Tripi, Guitar John Belzaguy, Acoustic and Electric Bassist Dave Loeb, Pianist So you're looking at a massive gathering of talent that numbers in the dozens. Something on par with a Cirque du Soleil production. Who is paying for all these people to rehearse and perform? That's the question of the season. So let's take a look at ticket prices to see if this makes mathematical sense.

ACCESS SHOWROOM at Aliante Resort (Photo by Michael Nugent via Facebook, public)

According to the Aliante Resort website, Access Showroom holds 650 patrons. Multiply that by six performances and you have 3.900 seats to fill. Tickets range from $122.10 bar seating to the top-tier $174.45 (inclusive of taxes/fees). About as much as you'd expect to pay for a hit Strip production like Atomic Saloon Show or Absinthe.

Screenshot via Google Maps

Now, let's examine the location. Aliante Casino is situated on the far north edge of the Valley. Under the most ideal conditions, it will take thirty minutes to drive there from the Strip. It's extremely unlikely that visitors will spend that kind of money and travel time on an unproven production. Therefore, you can rule out nearly every Las Vegas tourist from attending.

Screenshot from Fill-A-Seat site

Will local residents spend that kind of money to see FOLLIES? Again, highly unlikely. Friends and family might venture in that direction, but at full price? Absolutely not. Residents tend to shy away from pricey shows. Why would they pay over one hundred dollars for a fifty-two-year-old Broadway show that most have never heard of? We have Netflix-style subscription services like House Seats and Fill-A-Seat to satisfy our live entertainment itches. And there are plenty of familiar shows at much cheaper price points. So....locals won't be supporting FOLLIES either...unless it shows up for free on the seatfillers. What about the show itself? FOLLIES, from a book by James Goldman with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, opened on Broadway in 1971. The Vegas production at Aliante has a listed running time of two and a half hours. Its story centers on a reunion of chorus girls in a decaying theater that faces the wrecking ball. Ghosts, memories, and lost loves are represented in songs like "I'm Still Here" and "Losing My Mind".

Famed theater producer/director Harold "Hal" Prince famously said: "Follies examines obsessive behavior, neurosis, and self-indulgence more microscopically than anything I know of." And if you're familiar with the new production's producers and director, you may be chuckling right now.

FOLLIES crew (from left) Allen Bracken, Lou Ann Chessik, Sean Stephenson, David Robinson, Brandy Erickson, Tim Molyneux, Rebecca Jacobsen, Sam Thompson, and Tom Michel (photo via official FOLLIES site)

FOLLIES is being brought to the stage by Metropolis Theatricals LLC, a not-for-profit organization dedicated "to present(ing) high quality, groundbreaking past, and present theatrical works via local performers. The LLC was founded by three former partners of The Vegas and Nevada Rooms (David James Robinson, Tom Michel, and Sean Stephenson) and one of their key supporters, Peggy Shaner."

Sean Stephenson, David James Robinson, and Tom Michel operated THE NEVADA ROOM

It's very well known that the above-pictured trio developed many contentious relationships during their tenure at both The Vegas Room and The Nevada Room. Food and beverage vendors reportedly went unpaid, causing the propietor's accounts to be closed. Staff members and performers were known to suffer the same fate, and the lies and diversions piled up as the venues inched toward collapse. Musical Directors, General Managers, Chefs, bartenders, and servers frequently departed The Vegas and Nevada Rooms. Some were noteworthy names, and most of these separations were loud, unpleasant, and spread across social media. The same could be said for the behavior of David Robinson, whom this writer witnessed having a meltdown on a respected businessperson while planning an event. I was an early supporter of The Vegas Room and The Nevada Room. The operators were gracious and frequently offered me free meals and shows. For the sake of full disclosure, I also spent a great deal of my income at both places and considered the owners to be friends. But it was necessary to pull away as I began to question their behavior and ethics.

Patrons accused this trio of verbal and online abuse, and at least one individual claimed assault during a performance. She publicly slammed one of the three for throwing a drink in her face during an altercation. Another patron told me personally that he entered the kitchen to complain about a bad meal and found the "cooks" serving already-prepared entrees from a local grocery store. It's also well-known that this trio was financially strapped. They were seemingly in such straits that their automobile was repossessed from The Nevada Room parking lot. This reportedly occurred while the gentlemen were working inside. So how have they recovered enough to pay the enormous FOLLIES cast and crew after shuttering two businesses? Before publishing this article, I reached out to Donny Thompson, who represents the JOI Jazz Outreach Initiative Orchestra. In the email, I asked whether JOI is or has already received compensation for their participation in FOLLIES. I will update this article with any official response. Update 2/29/24 - Here's a portion of the response from Donny Thompson, Executive Director of Jazz Outreach Initiative:

"The contractual agreement and terms between Jazz Outreach Initiative on behalf of the JOI Jazz Orchestra and Metropolis Theatricals Las Vegas (Follies) is confidential. However, it is widely known given the leadership of our team that our top-tier musicians don’t work for free (and we don’t ask them to), especially in a production of this magnitude. We are confident our agreement on behalf of all 30 musicians will be fully executed."

"If more specific information related to sources of funds for this production are needed for your article, I refer you to the show producers who can best provide that data."

I recently received a phone call from a respected name in the entertainment community. This person had caught wind of my skepticism of the FOLLIES producers. They in turn had received a call from an executive of Boyd Casinos, which operates Aliante Resort. The exec made it known that Robinson and Michel had paid in advance to use Access Showroom. But where is the money coming from for an LLC to launch a mega-production?

Perhaps the most eye-opening development of all is the unwavering support of FOLLIES by John Katsilometes, columnist and commentator for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In a piece published on February 20th, Katsilometes touted star Andrea McArdle, a 70-member cast, and its 30-piece orchestra. But the article doesn't delve into the massive production costs, except for this:

"Michel says that ticket sales, sponsorship revenue and program advertising will fund “Follies.”

"The show’s producers are operating as the nonprofit Metropolis Theatricals Las Vegas production company, with proceeds going to Las Vegas theatrical productions."

Another piece about FOLLIES was published by Katsilometes on January 26, 2024. It covers the same glossy ground on featured performers and the show's history. It should be noted that Kats, as he is widely referred to, had a permanent VEGAS ROOM booth named after him by the FOLLIES' producers. Talented singer Steph Payne, who is dating Kats, is part of the FOLLIES cast as well. On February 22nd, I had an in-person discussion with a FOLLIES performer. This individual assured me that, despite what they knew about other singers not receiving timely compensation, he or she was paid on time for gigs at Vegas/Nevada Rooms. The anonymous individual also noted that things are going well at FOLLIES. That issue, more than anything else, is where this writer's concerns lie. Since FOLLIES was announced, producer Tom Michel has been canvassing the city, heavily hyping the production at other venues and performances. He's also reached out to me and my counterparts, hoping to mend relationships and regain our respect. I have not responded to the request, as my stance has already been stated.

Several individuals have informed me that they will not attend or support FOLLIES specifically due to the involvement of Robinson, Michel, and Stephenson. One went so far as to donate their ticket to a charitable cause after learning who the producers were. They preferred to forfeit a seat acquired at full price over appearing to publicly endorse the production. The City of Entertainment has shifted its focus from live entertainment to sporting events in recent years. This leaves perhaps thousands of show business professionals in positions of uncertainty. They, and we, have the right to question the intentions of producers with excessive bravado, troubling backgrounds, and questionable resources. As a fictional sports agent once said,