It was never a secret that Ross Mollison’s Spiegelworld has been developing additional show concepts for Las Vegas, hoping to capitalize on the success of Absinthe at Caesars Palace. In fact, Mollison told us in August the unorthodox company was working on something for the now-abandoned Alon resort project that he’s hoping will find a home somewhere on the Strip.
But we didn’t see this coming: Spiegelworld’s new effort, Opium, is set to open March 13 at Rose.Rabbit.Lie. at the Cosmopolitan—the same place where Spiegelworld’s celebrated Vegas Nocturne ran for seven months in 2014. There’s just something about that Cosmo space that Mollison can’t ignore. “We are very excited to be making a brand new show in Vegas, for Vegas, and we are thrilled to be returning to the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to create an intimate parlor of idiocy in the showroom at Rose.Rabbit.Lie.,” he said in a statement.
In true Spiegel-style, the specifics of Opium are hazy. “Veteran promoter” Harry M. Howie may or may not be the centerpiece of a fast-paced, Absinthe-like, comedy-focused variety show: “Remember the good old days when you relaxed into a Las Vegas showroom with a martini in hand while a pack of comedians and crooners bantered in front of the house band?” the statement read. “Neither do we, but it sure as hell didn’t look like this.”