Producer Simon Painter calls his shows “entertainment for entertainment’s sake.” They’re heavy on comedy, light on story and generally designed to provide audiences with a greatest-night-out feeling.
That approach sounds appropriate for a new Las Vegas Strip production show, and Cirque du Soleil agrees. The Canadian entertainment mega-company acquired Painter’s the Works Entertainment in 2019 and has partnered with him to create its newest Vegas show, Mad Apple. An announcement this week has the acrobatic, musical, comedic new creation opening May 26 at the New York-New York Theater, the room that hosted Zumanity for nearly 17 years before its 2020 closure.
“Thankfully, this room was my favorite one in Las Vegas, and that was before we started,” Painter says. “The audience I hope [to have] coming to see this show is anyone who is in Las Vegas and wants to have a fantastic time. That sounds like we’re casting a wide net, but that’s what we’re trying to do. It’s a fun night out and a celebration, a great place to come have a drink and enjoy some incredible entertainment inspired by the greatest performers in the history of New York.”
Mad Apple will match up with its host property by celebrating all things NYC, attempting to blur the line between circus, live entertainment and the nightlife culture of the iconic city. The spectacular acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil will be a major part of the show, Painter says, but so will stand-up comedy—from a variety of performers including star and host Brad Williams—and music recalling artists from Billy Joel to Run-D.M.C., George Gershwin to Lady Gaga.
“The soundtrack of New York City is really central to this show, and we have some unbelievable singers who really made me say, ‘Wow!’ many times when I auditioned them,” he says. “Acrobatically, it’s still really strong, and that talent should stand on its own. And yes, there is some more adult comedy. It’s a bloody fun night out, but it’s also a beautiful show.”
Williams, who has visited Las Vegas frequently on the stand-up circuit, says Mad Apple is unlike anything with which he’s been involved, and that’s what made it such an attractive offer.
“Even if you’re used to seeing other Cirque shows, which are spectacular, this is special, because normally you’d have to go to different shows to see comedy, acrobatics and music like this,” Williams says. “Now you can go to Mad Apple and see all of that, and it obviously works with the whole theme at New York-New York. I feel like anything can happen in that city, and it’ll be the same for this show.”
Renovations are underway at the 1,200-seat theater, which will bring the audience closer to the performers and add interactive elements and extra bars to the venue. Both Painter and Williams are excited about a pre-show being planned that will entertain audiences well before the actual production begins.
“I would put the pre-show up against any show in Las Vegas—magicians walking around the theater doing incredible magic before the show even starts, and a bar where you can walk up and get a drink, which will morph into the stage,” Williams says. “If that doesn’t start things out with a bang, I don’t know what will.”
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