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Zarkana closing on April 30th

Discussion in 'Shows & Entertainment' started by hail2skins, Dec 16, 2015.

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  1. hail2skins

    hail2skins VIP Whale

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    LV newspapers are reporting that Zarkana is closing at the end of April to make way for a $154 million expansion of the conference facilities at Aria. MGM says that the new theater at Monte Carlo, the park leading from the Strip to the new arena, and the entertainment at the arena should make up for the loss of Zarkana.
     
  2. dvandentop

    dvandentop VIP Whale

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    Show has seemed to be struggling in the last year or so never did make a big splash since they had to revamp it after a few years. Dang can't believe expanding the conference center will be that costly.
     
  3. VegasDave

    VegasDave Addicted

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    Zarkana was worst show I have seen, basically a juggling act. So many better ones out there.
     
  4. VegasGroove

    VegasGroove VIP Whale

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    Conference Center makes sense (instead of that awful Zarkana). MaBay does a hefty business with the conferences there, why not have another option mid-strip for conventioneers?
     
  5. sarah9nascar

    sarah9nascar VIP Whale

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    Only show we have walked out of and we have even seen Criss Angel.
     
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  6. carolineno

    carolineno VIP Whale

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    Oh, it was my first cirque show, so I'm sentimental about it. I'll try and go one more time (for free ideally).
     
    Ladies getaway, somewhere on the strip with a pool :)
  7. Funkhouser

    Funkhouser In Charge of the Big Door

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    Completely disagree. If you are comparing to say O or Love, then yes it falls short. However I found some the acts incredible, like the snake / fire act, the spider lady, etc. Sure there was some moments of slowness, especially
    the first act set behind the scenes of the theater stage, but I thought it picked up. I would rank it solidly in the middle of the pack of Cirque shows. For perspective though, I am not a fan of Mystere.
     
  8. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    It looks like the Elvis show was not so bad after all. LOL!

    Too bad they are not using the theatre for big name acts, but not big enough for the event centers at MGM or MBay. Other than the Mirage with their comedy bookings, none of the Mlife casinos do stuff that Vegas was once known for.
     
  9. irmster

    irmster Low-Roller

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    I find the Cirque shows pretty tedious, with the exception of Love. I fell asleep in O and as for Elvis - would have been better off watching paint dry. Shame there's not more mainstream shows like Jersey Boys etc.
     
  10. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

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    My least liked Cirque show. Hopefully they will replace it with something more interesting
     
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  11. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

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    At about 5,000 seats, I think (hope) that the new theatre at Monte Carlo will do this. And House of Blues at Mandalay Bay has good acts sometimes as well, I just have a feeling that a lot of people think that it's strictly a "blues" venue and don't really give it much consideration.
     
  12. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    As said in the first post, they are expanding their conference facilities. So...nothing more interesting it appears.
     
  13. vegasqc

    vegasqc VIP Whale

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    I loathe CDS and saw this show cause i won a pair of tickets by finishing 2nd in the my vegas aria slot tournament they had back then , the show was zzzzzzzzzzzzz

    Cant wait to see which one will be the next one to close
     
  14. donfairplay

    donfairplay VIP Whale

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    I have it on good authority that rumor has it that when Harmon was taken down, Zarkana lost the free advertising from their hotel-sized banner, causing a downward spiral in attendance.
     
  15. zippy1973

    zippy1973 Tourist

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    Tough crowd!!! We enjoyed Zarkana!
     
  16. FuzzyDiceCraps

    FuzzyDiceCraps VIP Whale

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    We did too! It's actually been our favorite Cirque-style show - granted, we haven't seen that many, but thought MJ One was good, but not really Cirque, and La Reve and Mystere were both less interesting for us.

    To each their own I guess, but now I'm wondering if we should try and hit it up one last time before it closes.
     
  17. Rodent Pack

    Rodent Pack S.S. Minnow

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    We've seen most of the CDS shows and Zarkana wasn't at the top, but it certainly wasn't at the bottom. We booked a SWA package for January which included two CDS tickets and we chose to see Zarkana again. Different strokes...
     
  18. NeonTurtle14

    NeonTurtle14 I Run the Vegas Hotdog Stand

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    Just saw Zarkana this past week, and the place was about 30% full. I can see why they would be axing it.

    It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. Kind of a hodge podge of feats/acts thrown together without any real cohesion to any of it.
     
  19. Funkhouser

    Funkhouser In Charge of the Big Door

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    I think Cirque has played out in Vegas. Outside of a couple of great shows IMHO (Love, One, Zummanity) I don't see their brand holding. That's one of the reason the Cirque was sold to a private equity firm this past year.
    They over expanded. Vegas is looking for the next big thing, which appears to be residency shows right now. Theater style shows have run their course (although The Steve is betting on Showstoppers), burlesque is dead, magic is dead, and no one is sure how the Absinthe / Rose Rabbit Lie type shows will play out in the future.

    I think the bean counters want proven money makers these days and have little tolerance for risk. Which is too bad since I thought the idea of Spiderman Turn off the Dark could have been a great fit for Vegas.
     
  20. lithium78

    lithium78 VIP Whale

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    Zarkana was a show originally staged in NYC at Radio City Music Hall which they moved to the Aria when Viva Elvis tanked, so it was never designed to be a Vegas show. I thought it was better a few years ago before they revamped it. I'm disappointed that it is being shutdown without a replacement show. Guess I have no reason to go to the Aria anymore. There are better casinos and hotels in Vegas and they lose a lot of luster by not having a resident show anymore.

    When it comes to the new arena at Monte Carlo, whatever. I can see traveling musicians and hockey whenever I want where I live already. I go to Vegas to do Vegas, which means big production shows along with the gambling.
     
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