Absinthe (show)

Absinthe
Company	Spiegelworld
Genre	Contemporary circus
Show type	Resident show
Date of premiere	2006
Location	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Creative team
Writer and director	Wayne Harrison
Producer	Ross Mollison
Choreographer	Lucas Newland
Official website

Absinthe is a live show presented in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show is hosted by The Gazillionaire, originally played by actor and former Cirque du Soleil clown Voki Kalfayan and his assistant, Penny Pibbets, portrayed by actress Anais Thomassian. In a 2011 interview in The Huffington Post writer Paul Carr stated that Anais Thomassian and Voki Kalfayan were both Armenian, "And, yes, they're a couple." The cast changed in December 2014, and the new Gazillionaire is supported by an assistant named Joy Jenkins, supposedly the cousin of Penny Pibbets. The characters are known for giving interviews without breaking role.

A contemporary circus, the show is described by Stage and Cinema as "an uneasy cross between terrific variety acts and a stag party."

Absinthe was first presented in 2006 in a tent at New York City's South Street Seaport. It has been playing on the forecourt of Caesars Palace since April 1, 2011. It was scheduled to close at Caesars Palace on October 21, 2016 and relocate to the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Disputes between the show's producers have made the move indefinite while legal issues are resolved in the Nevada courts.

Originally, Absinthe was supposed to open in Las Vegas at the Fontainebleau Resort. The Fountainebleau never opened, however, and Caesars Palace allowed the producers to set up a temporary tent at the Roman Plaza instead. Within 90 days of performances, after inspections by Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, the organizers were told to shut down production. Due to the success of the shows within those 90 days, Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace, purchased a Spiegeltent that met fire code standards from Germany and had it installed on site to replace the original tent.

...
Wikipedia