BROADWAY WEST LAS VEGAS RAISES CURTAIN ON FIRST-RATE THEATER.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS - The wattage and advertising along the Las Vegas Strip are certainly comparable to the lights of Broadway, even if a billboard for the latest musical theater spectacle may be jostling for position alongside promises of untold riches or the come-hither glances of nearly naked showgirls.

There are other notable differences between Times Square and this newly burgeoning Broadway West. Even with all that fanfare of direct-from-Broadway entertainment at your fingertips, it's not all that easy to actually find the theater where, say, the Queen songbook musical ``We Will Rock You'' is playing.

It's in the bowels of Paris Las Vegas. Just follow the signs leading you directly - uh huh - through the casino. Feel free to bring your drink along since every chair in the customized, 1,450-seat Theatre des Arts has a cup holder.

Ninety minutes later, after Queen and some multimillion-dollar technical effects have numbed you into submission, you can be back on the Strip - through the casino again - en route to a 10:30 p.m. performance of Cirque du Soleil's ``KA'' a few neon-soaked blocks down at the MGM Grand.

Or, if you've satisfied your live-stage itch for the evening, you can stay and play.

But if upbeat, wow!-inducing entertainment is the new name of the game here in Sin City, then expect casinos to book shows such as ``We Will Rock You,'' ``Mamma Mia!'' and ``Hairspray'' with increasing frequency. Particularly if you can pull a Steve Wynn, enticing Broadway's most recent Tony award-winning musicals to play your casino and practically nowhere else.

``Certainly, Las Vegas is known as a city that offers lots of options,'' said Scott Schecter, vice president of entertainment for Harrah's Las Vegas branch. ``Our tourists come from all across the country, and in many cases - New York and Los Angeles being the exceptions - large numbers of people who come from middle America don't always have the opportunity to see these kinds of shows presented in their hometowns.''

``Broadway has its eye on Las Vegas,'' added producer Michael Gill. ``Everybody is thinking, 'What's going on out there? And is it a place for us?' ''

Given the Strip's current and upcoming lineup, some local theatergoers might logically even ask, ``So who needs Broadway, anyway?'' Joining the aforementioned ``We Will Rock You'' and ``Mamma Mia!'' (set to the songs of ABBA and now in its third year at the Mandalay Bay) is the recently opened puppet musical ``Avenue Q'' at Wynn Las Vegas. A spruced up (and trimmed down) ``Hairspray,'' headlined by Tony winners Harvey Fierstein and Dick Latessa, shimmies into the Luxor in February, followed in March by a 90-minute, $35 million ``Phantom of the Opera'' at the Venetian; the show will be reconfigured by original creators Harold Prince and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

In 2007, theatergoers can expect no tour of the Monty Python smash ``Spamalot'' anywhere in California or Arizona. Thanks to a semi-exclusive Wynn deal, it will play at the Wynn in yet another custom-built theater.

Throw in the performances of Blue Man Group (at the Venetian) and site-specific extravaganzas by Cirque du Soleil (at the Bellagio, MGM Grand, Treasure Island and New York New York) and you've got an intriguing new spin on the catch phrase ``What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.''

``Avenue Q'' is certainly staying, thanks to a unique arrangement that only a deep-pocketed gambler like Steve Wynn would attempt. Even before nabbing the Tony award for best musical of 2004 (upsetting the heavily favored ``Wicked''), the producers of ``Q'' announced their plans to bypass a national tour in favor of a sit-down company at the Wynn. So the ``Q'' team gets the luxury of Vegas-bought amenities and the time to build word-of-mouth that a show as offbeat as this one will need to draw steady audiences.

Wynn, meanwhile, gets an exclusive: Tourists wanting ``Q'' can either go to Vegas or they can go to Broadway. Given that nothing else on the Strip is remotely like ``Avenue Q,'' Wynn is essentially offering a product unique both to Sin City and to the rest of the country.

And in the self-professed entertainment capital of the world, uniqueness is a draw.

``People don't really understand the scope of what 37 million visitors per year means,'' said Anthony Curtis, who publishes the monthly Las Vegas Advisor newsletter (www.lasvegasadvisor.com). ``That's a lot of people from a lot of diverse areas with a lot of diverse likes and wants. The high-end resorts are looking for ways to differentiate themselves and set themselves apart from the competitor down the street. The only way they can be different is in entertainment and dining, and there are only so many celebrity chefs to go around.''

Given the number of available spaces and the risks inherent in producing musical theater, industry watchers say there is a ceiling on any Broadway-to-Vegas activity. Certain rules seem to govern what will play in Las Vegas. At nearly $100 per ticket for most offerings, music and pageantry are givens, as are upbeat themes. So don't expect packed houses for ``Death of a Salesman'' or ``Angels in America'' with a two-drink minimum.

Producers are advised not to keep people away from the tables for too long (even a running length of two hours is pushing it), and if you dare to attempt an intermission, you're wise to also include a recorded announcement at the break emphasizing that the show is not, in fact, over.

Breaking somewhat with tradition, both ``Mamma Mia!'' and ``Avenue Q'' have intermissions and run at two hours. The recently retooled ``We Will Rock You'' eliminated its intermission and now runs at 90 minutes. ``Hairspray'' and ``Phantom'' will arrive, also at 90 minutes, with trims that have come not from any mandates from casino top brass, but from the productions' creative teams.

Which represents another enticement of playing Vegas: the opportunity to rejigger a proven product to make it both Vegas-suitable and spiffier. In Vegas, theaters are newer, more luxurious and more spacious, while the casino contracts with the professional stage union, Actors Equity, permit 10 shows per week. And with nearly triple the budget of the most expensive road version, the Venetian's ``Phantom'' figures to make spectacular use of that famous plunging chandelier, among other things.

This does not mean that every show that comes to Vegas will automatically be slashed and redressed, said Gill, co-producer of ``Hairspray.''

``We wanted to make sure we honored what was done on Broadway,'' he said. ``We were very sensitive that it not come back as a Vegas version. That's cheesy to make, and we're not interested in doing that. If there's a way to streamline it, great. If not, fine.''

Gill continued: ``We challenged the creative team. We said we want a Vegas ending, whatever that means. We want something you can't do on Broadway because of physical restraints and that you haven't seen in 'Hairspray.' We don't want it to be untrue, just a punch where people go, 'Oh, oh ho ho ho.' ''

The new wave of Broadway-style musicals isn't entirely new to Vegas. Music-based shows like ``EFX!,'' which starred Michael Crawford, have played the Strip, and there was an extended run of Andrew Lloyd Webber's ``Starlight Express'' at the Hilton. ``Chicago,'' with a rotating cast of celebrity Roxies and Velmas, ran for a year at the Mandalay Bay.

That show, with its dark and cynical themes, may have tested the patience of a fun-loving Vegas crowd. The fact that it ran with an intermission also may have confused audiences that were apt to leave at the break.

``This is Vegas. People don't want to spend three hours in a show because of a lengthy intermission,'' said Curtis. ``And the casinos are happy to comply. 'Yeah, we want you back out there gambling, too.' ''

While industry watchers await the arrivals of ``Phantom,'' ``Hairspray'' and ``Spamalot,'' the next wave of big-ticket titles to hit the Strip could conceivably include titles like ``Wicked,'' ``The Producers,'' ``Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' or ``Disney's The Lion King.'' Or, if Broadway entertainment truly takes hold, then the next must-see show on the Strip might again be something you've never heard of.

``Broadway producers are now thinking about custom-making shows for Vegas; that is more and more what the casino owners are looking for,'' said Gill. ``You might have some creative productorial teams behind something that was made just for here, and that's where I feel like we may be heading.''

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO

``AVENUE Q'': At the Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S. All tickets are $99. [phone]; www.wynnlasvegas.com.

``MAMMA MIA!'': At the Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Tickets are $100, $75 and $45. [phone]; www.mandalaybay.com.

``WE WILL ROCK YOU'': At Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Tickets are $124.50, $97 and $80.50. [phone]; www.parislasvegas.com.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) In a scene from ``Avenue Q'' at the Wynn Las Vegas, puppets frolic in the kick line with, from left, Cole Porter, John Tartaglia, Natalie Gray, Brynn O'Malley and Tonya Dixon.

(2 -- color) Oh, those outfits! The '70s are in full flower with, from left, Reyna Von Vett, Jacquelyn Holland and Kristine Zbornik in a scene from ``Mamma Mia!'' at the Mandalay Bay.

(3 -- color) Performers coclude a scene with a flourish in ``We Will Rock You,'' a Queen songbook musical at Paris Las Vegas.

(4) Josh Campbell and Suzie Jacobson Balser share a kiss in ``Mamma Mia!'' at the Mandalay Bay - one of several Broadway-style musicals on stage in Las Vegas.

Box:

IF YOU GO (see text)