Recently making its debut at the renovated Plaza Showroom, A Mob Story
is one of the most anticipated Las Vegas original productions in some
time for a number of
reasons, not the least of which is its creator and director. Emmy and
Golden Globe winner Jeff Kutash, who also produced the long-running
Vegas classic Splash, is at
the helm of the new show, which tells the tale of the mob in Las Vegas
in an authentic way.
“This is my first time coming back to Las Vegas with what we consider a
seriously innovative form of theater, and we think we’re going to change
the landscape
again,” Kutash said. “You’ll walk into that theater and see something
you can’t see anywhere else and be moved emotionally and captivated for
an hour and 20 minutes.
Everything we’re doing in this show is a highlight. It’s a half-dozen
shows within one.”
It’s hard to compare A Mob Story to anything else. An eclectic
soundtrack and a talented dance troupe serve as a creative framing
device for the gritty storytelling
aspect of the show, anchored by someone who knows the mob’s history
better than anyone: Michael Franzese, the only high-ranking official of a
major crime family to
ever walk away from the mob and survive.
The former caporegime of the New York City Colombo crime family and son
of underboss and enforcer John “Sonny” Franzese, Michael Franzese was
one of the most wealthy
and powerful Mafia bosses in the country, operating legal and illegal
businesses until he was convicted on racketeering charges and sentenced
to 10 years in prison.
Now a speaker and author of several books, Franzese goes way back with
Kutash—the producer introduced Franzese to his future wife on the set of
a breakdancing movie
in 1984—and they’ve been working on this show’s concept for years.
Franzese brings the authenticity in his role as onstage
narrator. “This is a story that hasn’t been told,” he said. “You have
mob in Chicago, Cleveland, Kansas City,
New Orleans and other cities, but the strength of that life is New York.
Anything that happened in Las Vegas, New York had a hand in it also.
Being a part of that life
for so long, I picked up a lot of knowledge and some of the people
involved I knew personally.”
The placement of A Mob Story is also significant. For years, the Las
Vegas Strip has had the lock on original production shows with few such
entertainment options available
in historic downtown Las Vegas. Ideally situated at the head of the
Fremont Street Experience, The Plaza is providing the remedy.
“We had a choice of several hotels including those on the Strip to put
this show, but we felt we needed to help reinvigorate downtown because
this kind of entertainment is
practically absent there,” said Kutash. “At this point downtown has this
incredible following, it’s been built up as this terrific alternative
to the Strip and we’re really
excited about the kind of experience we can create there.”
Plaza, 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., $59.95-$150 plus tax and fee. 800.634.6575
