In another age, major Broadway shows roamed the Strip like woolly mammoths with lavalier microphones. Starlight Express played at the former Las Vegas Hilton in the mid-1990s. Mandalay Bay opened in 1999 with a yearlong residency of Chicago. During the aughts, the Wynn hosted extended runs of Avenue Q and Spamalot. And Jersey Boys keeps popping up, most recently at the Orleans. Strip musicals largely disappeared when the Smith Center launched its Broadway Las Vegas Series in 2012 … but this month, the Venetian brings them back, wrapped in a matronly cardigan.
Mrs. Doubtfire, a 2020 musical adaptation of the 1993 Chris Columbus film, makes its Vegas debut atthe Venetian Theatre on July 22 for an 11-performance run, continuing through August 2. The musical, with music and lyrics by brothers Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick and a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, follows the same beats as the film—divorced, out-of-work actor poses as a Scottish nanny to be close to his children—but updates the three decades-old story with modern references, and adds catchy songs that draw on the energy of the brilliant actor who originated the lead role, the late Robin Williams.
“The revival of Broadway programming [aligns] with the Venetian’s long-term strategy of offering one of the most diverse entertainment portfolios in the market, which we saw with Six: The Musical,” says Venetian’s VP and GM of entertainment Edward “Tex” Dike. He’s alluding to the fact that the Venetian Theatre has already gone Broadway: In addition to that 2023 Six mini-residency, an adapted version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera haunted this stage from 2006 to 2012. All the lighting, sound and mechanical elements built into the theater for Phantom—as well as the numerous state-of-the-art upgrades made since then to accommodate performing artists, like the B-52s—make the theater not only suitable for Broadway productions, but somewhat obliged to present them.
And this November, a legitimate blockbuster hit follows Mrs. Doubtfire to the Venetian: Nine-time Tony Award-winner The Book of Mormon, a production that last visited the Smith Center more than a decade ago. Its return hints at an intriguing possibility: Could the Venetian bring back encores of shows that can’t find space in the Smith’s packed calendar? Hamilton, Wicked, Spamalot? Maybe Phantom, again?
Whatever the Venetian does after these two productions, it’s good to have an expanded musical theater district, if only on an exploratory basis. The age of the Broadway mammoths has returned.
“More than anything, we’re looking forward to seeing audiences discover these shows, whether they’re longtime Broadway fans or experiencing them for the first time,” Dike says. “We think both productions will be standout additions to our entertainment lineup that our guests won’t want to miss.”
MRS. DOUBTFIRE July 22-August 2, days & times vary, $57-$165. Venetian Theatre, ticketmaster.com.
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