‘OPIUM’ LEAVES EARTH–AND TYPICAL VEGAS SHOWS–BEHIND
Spiegelworld founder Ross Mollison, whose raunchy acrobatic spectacular “Absinthe” has been one of Las Vegas’ hottest tickets since opening in 2011, wants everyone to know that his production company “isn’t just doing the same thing down the Strip” with its new variety show “Opium,” inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. That said, the production’s charmingly wacky, retro space theme may have never come about if not for “Absinthe’s” roaring success.
“About a year and a half ago, we were having
a dinner party in L.A. with Elon Musk
and some of the ‘Absinthe’ artists and I
thought to myself, ‘What if Elon said he
needed some entertainment on his journey
to Mars?’” Mollison recalled. “So, we started
to build the show off of this concept.”
Staged in the venue that formerly housed
the ambitious but short-lived “Vegas
Nocturne,” “Opium’s” retro-futuristic
comedy variety is truly its own thing. Audiences
step aboard a 262-seat “spaceship”
traveling from Uranus to Las Vegas, where
they’re welcomed by an assortment of
Mollison’s “favorite artists from around the world.” Examples: A very sassy sword
swallower and a mustachioed unicycle-riding
juggler. With a storyline that unfolds
among the ship’s…unique crew members,
two of which end up falling in love and having
a baby, and a live band covering spacey
rock hits from the ‘70s and ‘80s, audiences
are cheering and singing along by the time
the hilarious production is over.
“People want a blowout, fun time when
they come to Las Vegas,” Mollison said.
“The market has been dying for something
like this. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, it’s intimate
—Itruly think it’s the most exciting
new show to hit the Strip in years.”
