"We don’t pay the entertainers; the public pays the entertainers!"

Those are the extremely candid, and true, words of Steve Wynn, chairman of Mirage Resorts, at the Aug. 3 press conference making impressionist extraordinaire Danny Gans’ pending move to The Mirage in April of next year, official.

Before the discussion of how much Danny’s being paid and how much will be charged for his show could build a head of steam, Wynn deflated the questioning, with the simple but telling statement, "We don’t pay the entertainers; the public pays the entertainers."

In almost the same breath, Wynn left no doubt that the price of the show at the Mirage was not yet set because he was leaving the ticket pricing entirely up to Gans and Chip Lightman (Danny’s own Bernie Yuman, who is Siegfried & Roy’s sharp manager).

They have not yet decided what that price will be. Though I don’t know why they haven’t since Chip said months ago, amid the ado over alleged ticket-gouging and dropped lawsuits, that when they went to a Strip property they would not want to charge a dime more than the price of the tickets when Danny first went into the Rio. Of course, in retrospect, Chip would probably take that statement back now.

Wynn said at the conference, "The price of tickets will be somewhere between zero and what they are now (a C-note at the Rio)." Not sure what he bases that on since the price is entirely up to Danny and Chip and they haven’t decided what it will be yet. But, he definitely did not say, "Danny has told me the price will be $40.04, less than a dime above the $39.95 tickets were when he opened at the Rio."

Now, as we all learned a looong time ago, Wynn is no fool. While seemingly taking the onus off both he and Gans with the statements "We don’t pay the entertainers; the public pays the entertainers," and "It’s entirely up to Danny what the ticket price will be," he has, in fact, dumped the onus directly into the laps of Gans and Lightman.

So whatever the price eventually is, the public cannot blame The Mirage, as they have blamed the Rio since November of 1997. (Though the real "blame" lies neither with any hotel nor Gans, as we shall deduce at the end of this modest commentary).

Anyway, Class, what do we take away from all this?

If Steve Wynn decides to pay Danny Gans $75-100 million (no one has released official figures, but that’s the ballpark) for the eight-year-plus-options deal and Danny decides he must charge $50-75 a ticket, then the customer ultimately determines the price — by being willing to or refusing to pay it!

And that’s true of every ticket price in Las Vegas . . . or anywhere, for that matter.

Even though he’s a friend and outstanding entertainer, I don’t believe Danny Gans should be able to command the same price ($70-100) as Siegfried & Roy, "Mystere" or "O." Although the public proves every night at the Rio they will shell it out.

He was truly appalled by the ticket increases that eventually doubled the price over the course of a year at the Rio. And, I think he will weigh his cost increases in the new theater with a larger band, new promotion, etc., and come up with a price of about $50, which is what is fair to his public.

He sued the Rio when they raised the price into the $60 range, so anything at the Mirage much above the $40-50 he thought was fair then and his credibility on that subject will come into question.

And, bravo for Mr. Wynn, for making it crystal-clear that any show’s ticket price can only be what the public will swallow.

- reprinted from Gaming Today


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Mark
Talk Vegas Entertainment Moderator

My only question Mark is, was Danny really appalled by the price the Rio is charging, or was he upset that he & his manager wern't getting thier fair share of the pie? It seems to me the Rio wanted to make a hughe profit on Gan's, with out paying him any more (he's under contract).
Lee-PA

Lee,

My understanding of the situation is that Danny was offered more money by the Rio because of the ticket price increases. He refused to take it.

He has stated that much of his success has been due to "word of mouth" and support from locals. Danny has also expressed his desire to keep the prices down and that is one of the reasons why. Danny was also not happy last NYE, when the Rio brought in Whitney Houston to perform in "his" showroom on the biggest night of the year for entertainment. Danny performed at the Freemont Street party that night for no charge.

It's my opinion, that if the ticket price for his Mirage shows is his decision, then that price won't be more than $50.

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Mark
Talk Vegas Entertainment Moderator



[This message has been edited by Mark (edited August 11, 1999).]

I've been told by my friends who work at a shop in the Masquerade Village that Danny is a very down to earth kind of guy. He does not flaunt his celebrity status and he is truly genuine in his attempt to keep ticket prices low. He can been seen mingling with us peons on a daily basis at the grocery store, flea market, etc.

Michael

The way I understand it, is exactly what Mark said, some time ago the Rio wanted to raise Danny's percentage of the door, and he declined and said publicly that he was declining because he wanted to keep the prices down.. Well, the Greedy RIO decided to raise the prices anyway, after they renewed his contract at the same rate. That's when Danny got PO’d and decided not renew his contract, in the future. I agree, the Mirage prices will probably be around the 50-60 range for opening. The one advantage is that the Mirage room is about 25% bigger then the Rio Room, so with no added expense, he actually can make as much there with a lower door price. That's assuming that he still fills the room like at the RIO.

I can't imagine Danny Gans not filling a room. Especially if the ticket prices are in the $50-$60 range. Gene and I are going to las vegas in October with some first timers- we told them if only the ticket prices were lower we'd go see Danny again (we saw him last October and loved the show). So I guess we'll have to see him at the Mirage sometime next year.