David Cassidy on the Web
'EFX' celebrates a really B-I-G show
July 21, 1997
By Anne Hosier
www.lasvegassun.com
It'll be a gushfest of superlatives Tuesday evening when the world's biggest casino resort, the MGM Grand, celebrates the biggest milestone --the 1,000th performance -- of the world's biggest and most expensive (as in biggest money) theatrical production, "EFX."
The show, a kind of mystical journey in which an ordinary guy sets out to reclaim his lost love, is named for its "eye-popping" special effects, like animatronic dragons and other things you might expect to encounter in a theme park.
Even back in early 1993, when executives from MGM Grand first got together with producers from Landmark Entertainment to discuss a concept for the show, they seemed to have a penchant for hyperbole.
"(They) locked themselves in a room with the common goal of creating the world's most spectacular production," says MGM Grand spokesman Lynn Holt. That called for the creation of a 1,700-seat Grand Theatre, which reportedly sucks up enough electricity to power 1,440 homes, and features a sound system that shakes the seats.
Holt describes the show thus: "It's kind of everything you'd expect from a Las Vegas show combined with the best of Broadway and multimedia elements."
"EFX" has changed since its inception, however. Last year, when the show's original star Michael Crawford suffered "a hip injury," he was replaced by former teen heartthrob David Cassidy -- a k a Keith Partridge. The casting change required some significant script alterations, but MGM execs appear to be satisfied with the way Cassidy has filled Crawford's shoes. "He certainly had the acting and vocal skills to pull it off," Holt says. Besides, "he has a fan base that dates way back."
Creating the world's "biggest show" wasn't cheap. But the estimated $45 million the MGM Grand spent on the project allowed them to boast that theirs was "the most expensive permanently installed theatrical production in the world." Says Holt: "We consulted the Guinness Book of World's Records on that one."
The record-setting apparently stops there.
Once billed as the largest hotel in the world, the MGM Grand now must settle for calling itself the casino resort with the most rooms in the world. (A hotel in Russia beat out the MGM Grand on its room count, Holt says. Wouldn't want to try to order room service there.)
And neither Tuesday's party, a backstage bash for cast and crew, nor the prize and accolades heaped upon the evening's 1,000th audience member -- who'll be yanked from line and invited to the party -- will be the world's biggest.
"It's kind of a small honor, but it's something we don't want to let pass," Holt admits.
"We want to commemorate that thousandth as well."
