When you say theatre, you think of a place, but actually, the theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers. The performers present an experience of an event, either real or imaginative before a live audience, on a stage. Today the modern theatre includes many types of live performances, from music to opera, from magic to acrobatics.
These shows can be performed even outside of the theatre, outside on the city streets, and even inside a casino, that has a stage for live entertainment. There are actually some casinos that have a niche for live performances and annually they organize shows that are meant to be enjoyed by the audience.
Casino Adjara in Tbilisi
Back in 2018, Tbilisi-based Casino Adjara celebrated its 20th anniversary with a party that lasted for two nights. Each anniversary night had around 1500 visitors where they were able to witness an entertainment show performed by local artists. The shows were supplied by professional dancers and entertainment groups with individual artists.
The second night of the anniversary was the most popular one for the Georgian casino. Artists from Ukraine and Russia banded together to create a show theme based on “Alice in Wonderland.” The casino was redecorated in order to additionally highlight the theme of the night with the first part of the event was dedicated towards the “Alice in Wonderland” theme.
The second part of the entertainment was more of a fairy tale for adults. The live show was a dance performance done by a popular Russian female group, together with a local acrobatic dance performer. In addition, the event turned out to be outstanding. The casino has received a huge amount of positive feedback from its guests. Everyone agreed that no other Georgian casino has even organized such an event.
Live Performance According to Murray Sawchuck
Everybody knows that Las Vegas is the Entertainment Capital of the World. According to one of the most well-known magicians in the US, Murray the Magician, Las Vegas will never change. One of his iconic performances, called Vegas Cares, happened in Las Vegas at the Venetian Resort, where Ken Henderson, CEO of BEST Agency, collaborated with Murray for a show that had a great lineup of entertainers.
It was safe to say that people have never seen such collaboration between these artists and they will never see again. The performance was made to be remembered. Ken Henderson gave special thanks to Frankie Scinta, Murray Sawchuck and Clint Holmes for their vision with this event.
Murray Sawchuck is a magician that was fortunate to be in this business since he was five. He was introduced to entertainment through Ukrainian dancing and then later by playing the accordion. In his early teens, he got into magic and dropped all of his entertainment ideas he had. He started touring the world on cruise ships, and in resorts, going international through Europe and Japan. His passion is walking on stage every day and not take one day for granted in what he has to do.
He believes that an entertainer has to look the part, and when they walk on stage they have to give their best towards the audience, every time. The best approach towards the audience is to listen to them. If there is no reaction or something is not good, the performance needs to be changed or worked on. Murray is very sure that a performer has to be honest with his or her performance.
According to Murray, entertainment facilities, venues, celebrity performers and events have recently evolved in casinos too. However, the casinos have taken a less ownership role. Instead, they give away their rooms to larger companies to produce their shows.
In today’s environment, entertainment is still a significant draw to casino resort destinations. In past years, great performers like Sinatra, Dean Martin, and others were a huge attraction for the casinos in Las Vegas. However, Murray believes that in Las Vegas this isn’t the case anymore, instead, the audience is drawn by DJs taking over the Strip, and Pool Parties. Outside of Las Vegas, the live performances are still a big case for casino resorts.
Hippodrome Casino in London
Hippodrome Casino is well-known in adding entertainment shows in London. They even have a special stage just for that with a lighting and sound control room. One of the most ambitious shows done by Hippodrome is the collaboration with Channing Tatum who brought his Vegas show, “Magic Mike Live.”
“Magic Mike Live” in one word, was amazing, according to CEO Simon Thomas. The show was conceived and co-directed by the Hollywood actor Channing Tatum. The original production of “Magic Mike Live” happened in March of 2017 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The show is a large-scale, live production based on the hit films “Magic Mike” and “Magic Mike XXL.”
At Hippodrome, the audience was invited to enter through a dedicated entrance on Cranbourn Street and they had gone straight into a redecorated and newly-themed bar and lounge on the first floor. From there the guests were invited to enter Magic Mike’s mythical Club, where a group of male artists performed acrobatics that included dance routines at 360-degrees.
In simple words, for Hippodrome, “Magic Mike Live” was a new diamond in an existing crown that sat wonderfully well alongside their world-class gaming. The target was people having fun with The Hippodrome being packed with beauty and the sheer breadth of opportunities for entertainment.
Last Words
The casino industry has added live entertainment in new dimensions yet this approach is not embraced by most of the casino-era mindset. Some operators choose to remain online through the online casino, meanwhile, the land-based casino operators seek ways to add another approach towards the casino floor. Some casinos are known for hosting live performance events, such as concerts, acrobatics, and magic shows.
