The dream began five years ago and magician Steve Wyrick has spent $35 million to pull it off. From humble beginnings downtown at Lady Luck in 1997, he's graduated to the world's first triple-threat nightclub, ultra-lounge and theater and the sprawling 33,000 square-foot, four-floor ultimate entertainment complex is closing in on its now planned mid-January opening. "We just had our final full rehearsal and we're ready to go with everything working well," said the illusionist. "But making a Lear Jet disappear or making a Donald Trump helicopter appear is a lot easier than constructing our building," he laughingly added. It's taken a year of actual construction in the Desert Passage's Miracle Mile at the new Planet Hollywood arising from the old Aladdin resort. From more than 1,000 potential candidates Steve has hired 274 employees for the 7-day-a-week operation, including the seven most gorgeous girls ever cast anywhere in the world for a magic show! In addition to the stage being used as a dance floor with a DJ, there will be aerial acts putting on a show above them!
Luxe Life got the sneak preview of the awesome undertaking in a walkabout tour with Steve playing tour guide. Here's our conversation:
Robin Leach: So Steve we have 33,000 square feet spread out over four floors?
Steve Wyrick: It all starts at the ground floor with the box office, the high-end snack bar and the gift shop and that turns into the regular ultra lounge. Then, atop that is the floor of the actual theater and then Fridays and Saturdays the entire thing becomes Triq Nightclub. At 8AM the box office opens, at 10AM the snack bar, the main bar, and the gift shop opens at 10. People will start arriving at 2 for our first show at 3. After ventriloquist Ronn Lucas we have the top singer of the Philippines, Martin Nievera at 5. I am doing the 7 and the 9PM shows and then the Broadway comedy hit 'Defending the Caveman' at 10:30. After all the shows, there is an LED wall on the back of the bar that changes it into Triq nightclub and ultra lounge. Everything that would be perceived as a snack bar becomes a full-blown bar. So, it doesn't look that way during the day, but it converts to a specialty shot bar at night. All of the gift shop pieces, they are removed and an architectural mesh wall actually closes off everything and more furniture is placed down here and the entire first floor become Triq lounge. Every single night of the week we are open from 10AM until people stop coming during the week. Sometimes I think on certain days it may wind down at 2 or 3AM. But, on a Friday or a Saturday, Triq can go as late as 8AM, which will be a real tight turn over from an 8AM close to the actual opening again for its daytime usage at 10AM. You have to be completely different in Vegas yet its hard to be different. But we think we've achieved it."
RL: So how many seats are in the upstairs theater floors?
SW: There are 500, and it is much different than the show we did here at the Aladdin. The big difference is the finale when I magically make a Lear Jet 35-60 ft. long and 60 ft. wide appear on stage! It's a spectacular way to say 'goodnight' and nobody's done that before. I also use a Euro-S 350 helicopter, which is like a Donald Trump style helicopter and a Hummer H2, a motorcycle plus our sets, which are all like Broadway shows. For me, it will be the biggest show that I have ever done in my life and it will be larger than my show at the Sahara, which we all know was really huge. For years now I have had this thing as a vision in my mind and now to see it all turn out is pretty cool.
RL: You started on the actual construction when?
SW: It has been underway for about a year. But the idea to do my whole entertainment complex, for about four or five years. I would do my shows, then I would go and have a drink and I said wouldn't it be great to have a club underneath the show so I could finish the shows, walk downstairs and have a few drinks. It really makes it as one destination and it gives a really classy environment for show-goers to have a drink before or after the show.
RL: Any trick tables or gimmicks? Will there be any surprises?
SW: There are always surprises. I am very excited about the furniture; it is all Italian furniture down here; all chocolate, red and these are all back-lit in red neon and then for example at the front of the bar that gets back-lit with red neon and the entire top of the bar is black onyx and so every single bar, box office they are all front-lit and top-lit. You can see it from every angle. All of the cubicles are lit with color changing LED's. In addition to 500 people up in the theater, I believe that in the nightclub after hours we are slated to hold about 1,500 people over the 4 floors.
RL: So how much of your own warmth did you put into the design and how much did you input into the architecture?
SW: I have been doing this every single day for a year-and-a-half. I wouldn't say I'm the designer, but I was there every step of the way, I'm a detailed oriented individual since I was a kid so I needed to have a hand ion each step of the way.
RL: It is safe to say that there is nothing like this anywhere in the world. There is no magic theater with a nightclub underneath and then it converts to an ultra lounge. You could only do this in Vegas correct?
SW: I think so. It is a 20-year deal for me so we're looking forward to a really long run combining theatrical shows with an extraordinary nightclub to keep the gun going on through till dawn!
Vegas nightlife pioneer, Tony Verdugo who kicked off the entire after-hours concept eight years ago at the hit Drais nightclub will be running the Triq nightclub for Steve, and he promises complete emphasis on "taking care of local residents." There's even word he'll hand out "Too Hot To Pay" cards to the most beautiful girls in Vegas who will be "comped for life!!!"
MAKE-A-WISH
Our Joan Jett photos tell the story as Carrot Top joins with Santa Claus to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The Luxor headliner joined the North Pole's biggest celebrity to fulfill the wishes of several under-privileged children just in time for the holidays. Celebrities aren't often given enough credit for all the goodwill they do on behalf of many charities, so this is just a little note of appreciation from Luxe Life to say a sincere thank you for all your community charitable support.
STRIP SCRIBBLES
With basketball heroes past present and future headed to the Feb 17 weekend NBA All-Star festivities, the battle is heating up between our hotels to claim the most exclusive event. Wynn just snared Alonzo Mourning and Magic Johnson for an 8-Ball tournament against competing top sports, music and TV celebrities. Proceeds benefit Magic and Alonzo's charities. ... Studio 54, the legendary MGM nightlife disco, is undergoing yet another new facelift, but will reopen for New Years and then the full rebirth starts January 9 with WWE diva and Go Daddy.com spokesmodel Candice Michelle hosting the first of the Influence weekly hospitality industry parties. ... For the 2nd consecutive day, actor James Spader lunched at celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck's Bar and Grill in MGM.
TOMORROW'S TEASE
It didn't matter if you were an oil-rich mid-east prince or a hot new Tinseltown star because you still couldn't get a table at New York's most sought after restaurant, RAO's. Caesars Palace has now solved that problem by opening an outpost of the legendary dining establishment, and Luxe Life has the advance tour before the official January opening! Plus our Royal Rundown to take you right through the Christmas vacation weekend.
Add Luxe Life to your main page via RSS feed by clicking on an appropriate button below or add the URL manually to your favorite RSS reader.
ADD URL Manually: http://www.vegaspopular.com/category/luxe-life/rss.xml
