Las Vegas' 'Mamma Mia!' posted its closing notices 18 months early.
The Vegas incarnation of "Mamma Mia!" has posted a closing notice -- a full 18 months before it plans to shutter in late summer 2008.
The announcement makes "The Phantom of the Opera" the only Broadway show with an open-ended run in Vegas, which has chased out recent Rialto transplants "Avenue Q" and "Hairspray." (Both "The Producers" and "Spamalot" are headed for Sin City later this year.)
"Mamma Mia!," which will have played at the Mandalay Bay Theater for 5½ years when it closes, is one of the rare Broadway shows to draw crowds in Vegas. Although the city's legit productions do not report grosses the way Broadway offerings do, word is that the Abba tuner is still going fairly strong at the B.O.
Advance notice of the closing is seen as a way to stimulate biz through the end of its run, giving tourists a deadline to buy tickets.
Closing date also gives "Mamma" producers the freedom to nail down fall 2008 touring dates in regional markets that ceded the show to Vegas exclusivity.
In addition, it allows the Mandalay Bay Theater to shop for a new tenant without prompting whispers of "Mamma's" imminent demise.
Vegas viability for Broadway shows remains an open question. "Phantom" producers report vigorous biz, but industry watchers wonder whether "Producers" and "Spamalot," neither of which has yet achieved the global brand recognition of "Phantom," can stake out their own spots on the Strip.
"Mamma Mia!" has 11 productions running around the world, including incarnations in the West End, on Broadway and touring the U.S.
Producers have begun talks for a potential return engagement to Toronto, where the show had its North American preem in 2000 and played five years.
Contact Gordon Cox at
gordon.cox@variety.com