By Chuck Darrow
As we reach the midpoint of 2024, one thing is certain: The best casino-entertainment news of the year so far is the rededication to entertainment on the part of Tropicana Atlantic City.
There was a time when the Trop’s 2,000-seat showroom was a big-time player in the top-tier-show-business game: Johnny Mathis, Patti LaBelle, The Moody Blues and Ray Romano were just some of the performers who hit the facility that boasts what is believed to be the second-largest proscenium stage on the East Coast, bested only by the one at Manhattan’s famed Radio City Music Hall. But several years of mismanagement by previous ownership interested solely on wringing as much profit as possible from the adult playpen, caused the venue to be dark 90-or-more-percent of the time.
The Trop’s current corporate parent, Casears Entertainment Inc., has obviously recognized the folly of such a strategy, and this year, things have changed in a huge way.
“The previous owner’s philosophy was to pull back…and just really watch expenses,” offered Joseph Giunta, the gaming hall’s general manager. “And when you think about the name ‘Tropicana,’ it exudes ‘party’ and ‘fun’ and ‘entertainment’ and ‘music’ and that sort of thing. So, we just felt like it was time to get back to the roots and really put on a show for people on a consistent basis.
“We were having about 20 showroom activations a year; this year, our goal is to do 60 or 70.”
While competitors like Borgata and Ocean tend to gear their show biz strategies toward reaching a younger, hipper crowd, under Giunta, who has spent the past 25 years in various management positions at Caesars-owned properties here in AyCee, Tropicana is taking a different, more inclusive path with its bookings.
“The way we think about it is that Tropicana is the casino for all ages,” he said. “We believe that we have so much to do for everybody. And I think our entertainment philosophy kind of mirrors that. We’re casting a wide net; we want as many customers as possible that have not experienced Tropicana to come in. We want to expose all the things we have to offer to a wide variety of new customers.”
So, what’s cooking in the the Trop’s show biz kitchen? Among the attractions on the books for the next few months are rock and pop bands (Barenaked Ladies, June 22; Asia, July 12; a super-cool double-bill of Boy George and Squeeze, Sept. 14); comedians (Fortune Feimster, July 6; Joe Santagado and Frank Alvarez from the popular “The Basement Yard Experience” podcast, July 27) and specialty programs like “RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars” (Sept. 21). There’s even a live staging of the classic TV game show, “The Price Is Right” (Oct. 4-6).
And, of course, this being 2024, there are tribute acts covering a wide variety of musical legends. They include “Queen Of the Night—Musical Tribute to Whitney Houston” (June 27); “The Australian Pink Floyd Show” (June 28); “ZOSO—The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute” (July 5) and “Rhinestone Cowgirls—Legendary Ladies of Country Music” (Oct. 24).
There will also be a series of 3 p.m. matinees, staged primarily for the charter-bus crowd. These include the Houston tribute, “Motortown Soul Celebration” (Motown revue, June 17), “Hooray For Hollywood” (July 25) and “Bachelors of Broadway—Gentlemen Of the Theater” (Aug. 22).
While the Trop will continue its long-standing tradition of hosting martial-arts smackdowns (Lou Neglia’s Ring of Combat 84 Champion MMA, June 7), Giunta is especially jazzed by the return of boxing.
“On May 11, we brought back boxing; Tropicana used to be known for boxing. It was a big step for us to put our feet back in those waters.” He added he expects another card to be staged next month, though nothing has yet been officially announced.
However, there is one genre of entertainment from which Tropicana will be refraining for the foreseeable future. Although in the past, such shows as “Cats” and “Rent” had multi-week runs there, they’ll be no “Broadway on the Boardwalk” plans in the works. It’s a decision, explained Giunta, that was based on business, rather than artistic, considerations.
“Typically,” he said, theatrical producers “want long-run shows. But we just don’t seem to have the demand to be able to do that for a bunch of nights in a row. And, we really chose not to focus on those because, they’re in here on weekends, and it’s tough to get a lot of retail business in here and sell rooms on a weekend when we’re filling them with players.
“So, that’s kind of a tough thing for us.”
For a complete schedule of events, go to caesars.com/tropicana-ac/shows.
A ‘wicket’ good time at Hard Rock
It’s not every day a casino stages an event for cricket fans, but that’s exactly what Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City is doing this Sunday. At 10 a.m., the Lobby Bar is hosting a viewing party for the T20 match between India and Pakistan.
Admission is free.
Chuck Darrow has spent more than 40 years writing about Atlantic City casinos.
