When Spiegelworld reopens the horny sci-fi comedy variety show Opium this week, the irreverent entertainment company won’t just be bringing back the last of its three Las Vegas Strip productions. It’ll be taking another crack at creating a fully integrated experience in a familiar space at the Cosmopolitan.
Opium returns on September 24, the same day adjacent restaurant Superfrico will make its debut, featuring self-described “Italian American psychedelic” vibes, a curated art collection and more.
Chicken Parmesan at Superfrico
“I think it’s going to have a massive impact on Opium, to tear down the wall and reunite the two spaces that were initially designed to have a restaurant next to a theater and integrate the entertainment component into the restaurant and the dining component into the theater,” says Spiegelworld boss Ross Mollison. “It makes us realize what a privilege it is to work in the circus and the restaurant business in one of the finest casino resorts anywhere in the world. I’m proud to come to work here and that [Cosmopolitan has] the faith in us to take this next step.”
Before Opium debuted in 2018, this Cosmo space was home to the Rose.Rabbit.Lie. restaurant with supper club-style entertainment and Spiegelworld’s immersive Vegas Nocturne show, both born in 2014. Nocturne lasted about seven months; RRL closed early this year, when Spiegelworld officially announced its plans to take control of the restaurant space and create a more connected experience.
The culinary offerings are anchored by Anthony Falco, an acclaimed international consultant, chef and author also known for working at legendary Brooklyn pizzeria Roberta’s. Cocktails come from Leo Robitschek, formerly of NoMad Bar at Park MGM.
“We’re here to blow minds, to transport guests to places they’ve never been,” Falco says in a statement. “There will be delicious, beautifully-plated classic dishes, yes, but as far as culinary fireworks go, we’re infinitely more focused on creating an all-encompassing sensory experience than superficial flash.”
The latest installation of Spiegelworld’s VegasHitShow YouTube series shows Falco crafting a personal-sized mortadella pizza with a super-crunchy cheese edge—that’s the Superfrico, since frico is an Italian dish starring crisp cheese—alongside Asher Treleaven, who stars in Opium as Captain Kunton and is quite the accomplished cook himself.
Treleaven has spent some of the show’s downtime performing a different act in Spiegelworld’s Absinthe at Caesars Palace. The company’s newest offering, Atomic Saloon Show at Venetian, also features some different artists compared to its pre-pandemic version. Opium will see the same sort of slight changes.
“Part of the reason for that is [that] getting some artists out of particular territories around the world is extremely difficult right now,” Mollison says, citing visa issues and travel restrictions. “We have people coming from Germany, Australia, Sweden, Spain, Mexico. Slowly we are getting everyone back to the city they love and into the shows they love.”
With its third show back onstage and an exciting new endeavor thrust into the spotlight, morale is high at Spiegelworld, Mollison says. And the opportunity to create something new lies at the core of that positivity.
“We want guests to experience this at the pace they want to go, so the show is fast and the restaurant can be whatever you want it to be,” he says. “You can come in and have a signature dirty martini, or you might sit down and have a full-on, private dining room baller menu for four hours.
“It goes back to the Spiegelworld philosophy of no rules. We try not to have any rules, unless they’re absolutely necessary.”
SUPERFRICO Wednesday-Sunday, 5 p.m.-late. Cosmopolitan, 702-534-3419.
OPIUM Wednesday-Sunday, 8 & 10 p.m., $99. Cosmopolitan, 702-534-3419.
