Spiegelworld
| Private company | |
| Industry | Entertainment, Cirque |
| Founder | Ross Mollison |
Area served | Las Vegas, New York, Australia |
| Website | spiegelworld.com |
Spiegelworld is a live entertainment production company known for its shows which combine adult comedy, acrobatics and music, with a contemporary twist on the traditions of vaudeville, burlesque and speakeasy bar culture.
Spiegelworld began by producing shows for a heritage Belgian spiegeltent, made of wood and mirrors, which blurred the lines between cocktail party, live show and night club. Audiences were encouraged to drink from the bars during the show while performers appeared on a central stage only nine feet in diameter. This intimate, immersive design principle has informed the creation of all of Spiegelworld’s subsequent productions.
Headed by its Impresario Extraordinaire, Ross Mollison, Spiegelworld first opened in the summer of 2006 with the premiere of the show Absinthe on South Street Seaport’s Pier 17 on the East River in New York City. Spiegelworld returned in 2007 with a follow-up season of Absinthe and the premiere of La Vie. The Spiegelworld village was expanded to include a restaurant, hammock garden, outdoor bars, VIP cabanas and a late night music program. In August 2008, Spiegelworld presented a third season on Pier 17 with two spiegeltents and three shows: Absinthe, Gazillionaire’s Late Night Lounge and Desir as well as a live music program and silent disco.
Spiegelworld toured Absinthe to Miami South Beach in 2008, and in January 2009 it created the live entertainment program at the Australian Open tennis grand slam tournament in Melbourne which included a season of Absinthe and a live music program.
Spiegelworld opened an enhanced version of its hit show Absinthe at Caesars Palace Las Vegas on 1 April 2011. The show was initially presented in a 650 seat spiegeltent located on the Roman Plaza. After a six month season, the show was extended and transferred to a custom-built tent on the same location. Still running today, on 16 November 2016, Absinthe was named by Las Vegas Weekly as “the #1 greatest show in Las Vegas history”.
On May 31, 2012, Spiegelworld returned to New York City with its new show Empire and a new site for its spiegeltent on an unused car park in Times Square. Empire commenced a 17 month Australian tour in Sydney on 4 January 2013. In late 2014, the show toured New Zealand and then in 2015 it played seasons in Tokyo, Portland, Toronto and Montreal.
In January 2014, Spiegelworld premiered its new show Vegas Nocturne at Rose.Rabbit.Lie. at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Presented in three distinct cantos throughout an integrated bar, showroom and restaurant venue, the show ran until July 2014. Select elements of Vegas Nocturne have since been presented at development showcase seasons at the Slipper Room and House of Yes in New York City and the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it was voted Strangest Show.
In 2016, Spiegelworld presented a series of development showcase seasons in Las Vegas and at Joe’s Pub in New York City of Never Sleep Alone, an interactive dating advice comedy featuring the character Dr Alex Schiller.
Absinthe toured Australia in 2015, co-presented by Nine Live. On 24 March 2016, a 3 month Los Angeles season of Absinthe opened at L.A. Live in Downtown LA.
In early 2018, Spiegelworld began creating a new show for Las Vegas which set out to combine an ensemble of comic characters, unusual variety acts and a live band with a retro outer space theme. Opium commenced previews at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on March 13, 2018.
Current Productions
Absinthe
Hosted by The Gazillionaire and inspired by the absinthe-drenched cabarets of late 19th century Europe, Absinthe is an adult-themed cocktail of wild acrobatics, burlesque and vaudeville for a 21st century audience. The show assembles the most talented, sexy and daring artists from across the globe to present breath-taking physical feats, subversive comedy and seductive teases as close to the audience as they can possibly get. The creative team includes director Wayne Harrison, choreographer Lucas Newland and costume designer Angus Strathie.
Opium
Presented in the 300 seat Opium Theatre at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, the show is set on the OPM 73, a spaceship transporting passengers from the planet Uranus to Las Vegas. The show features the comic crew characters of the OPM 73, a live band The Many Moons and a variety of absurdly funny variety acts including hula hoops, sword swallowing, juggling and banana antics.
Past Productions
La Vie
La Vie was a show produced by Spiegelworld which premiered in New York City in its spiegeltent during the summer of 2007. Spiegelworld commissioned the Montreal based circus company Les Sept Doigts de la Main (The 7 Fingers) to create the show. Las Vie was set in an imaginary purgatory where the sinners attempted to tumble, juggle, climb, fly, sing or joke their way out of hell. Acts included apache dance, hand balance on canes, aerial silk and banquine with music from DJ Pocket. La Vie toured internationally until 2013.
Desír
Desir was a show produced by Spiegelworld which premiered in New York City in its spiegeltent during the summer of 2008. The acrobatic show was set backstage in a 1920s French nightclub with characters inspired by historical figures including Josephine Baker, Raymonde de Laroche and Joseph Pilates. The creative team included director Wayne Harrison, choreographer John O’Connell and costume designer David Quinn. The show featured the jewelry of French jewelry house Boucheron.
Gazillionaire's Late Night Lounge
Gazillionare’s Late Night Lounge was an edgy late night variety show produced by Spiegelworld which premiered in New York City in its spiegeltent during the summer of 2008. The show was hosted by The Gazillionaire and his assistant Penny Pibbets, with house band Fish Circus and special guest acts each evening. The show featured outrageous audience participation and regular segments including What Would You Do For A Dollar?
Empire
Empire was a show produced by Spiegelworld which premiered in New York City in May 2012, presented in its spiegeltent located on an unused car park in Times Square. The show was inspired by the vintage days of vaudeville, the night clubs of the East Village and the eccentric characters in Times Square. Hosted by MC Oscar and his wife Fanny, characters included the Gorilla Girls, Miss A in a Bubble, 3D Graffiti Guy, Lime Green Lady and Carrot Boy, and Half Naked Asian Dude Wearing Pigtails. Acts included banquine, german wheel, risley, hand to hand and sanddorn branch balance. Live music was provided by the singer Miss Purple and electric guitarist Moon Dog. The show was originally directed in New York by Wayne Harrison and choreographed by John O’Connell, with the touring production re-imagined by director Terence O’Connell. The show has toured Australia, New Zealand, Japan, USA and Canada.
Vegas Nocturne
Vegas Nocturne was a show produced by Spiegelworld which premiered in January 2014 at Rose.Rabbit.Lie, a custom-designed venue which integrated bars, secret rooms, restaurant, showroom and nightclub, located at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. With a cast of 38 performers, the show was presented in three distinct cantos over seven hours each evening, moving throughout the various spaces of the venue. The characters consisted of the Falzone-Buzukhov family, their servants and their entourage who presented an eccentric display of comedy, acrobatics, burlesque, dance and live music which increased in intensity and energy as the night unfolded. The creative team included director Wayne Harrison, choreographers Lucas Newland, Dein Perry and Gideon Obarzanek, and costume designer Angus Strathie. The residency at Rose.Rabbit.Lie ran for seven months. Working with a variety of different creative teams, Spiegelworld has since presented further small-scale development seasons of Vegas Nocturne in Los Angeles, New York City and the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.