AN AUTHENTIC 70S NEW YORK DISCO
EXPERIENCE FROM DUSK TO DAWN
On Saturday September 7, 2024, live entertainment and hospitality trailblazer Spiegelworld and Caesars Entertainment hosted a dusk-to-dawn party to celebrate the world premiere of DISCOSHOW and the new restaurant Diner Ross. The red carpet was rolled out along the Las Vegas Strip, leading hundreds of VIP guests through the velvet rope to a small door in the wall, and then a mirror-tiled entryway at the new address of disco heaven: 3535 Las Vegas Boulevard at The LINQ Hotel. And I was fortunate enough to be there for all the festivities!
Photo by Gaby Duong
Lined up under the giant, illuminated DISCOSHOW sign that has stamped a new party promise on the Strip for months leading up to its opening, the crowd was buzzing and ready to party all night long, most dutifully dressed in “nineteen-seventy-fine” glittery splendor. It was truly a night to celebrate 70s style after a seven-year wait since Spiegelworld first announced the creation of a new show about disco, unlike anything else ever seen in Las Vegas. And that promise was fulfilled beyond expectation. Making it even more special — September 7 was Gloria “I Will Survive” Gaynor’s 81st birthday and you can bet the crowd was pulsating on the dance floor when her tune spinned.
The cast of DISCOSHOW on the Red Carpet (photo by Brenton Ho)
Once inside, the multi-layered DISCOSHOW party offered two richly detailed, playful bars, a restaurant, and an innovative show that puts you in the center of a disco celebration with guests catapulted into a myriad of itineraries through downtown New York City. The first stop once inside is 99 Prince, designed on a gritty New York subway platform where Spiegelworld’s Executive Beverage Director Niko Novick honored the classic cocktails from New York’s greatest bars in the early 2000s.
Ross Mollison and the DISCOSHOW cast celebrate the show’s opening in the Glitterloft
(photo by Brenton Ho)
Upstairs, the next stop was Glitterloft, a raw, industrial space inspired by the DIY, found-objects aesthetic of disco pioneer David Mancuso’s legendary parties at The Loft. During the evening, over 5,000 balloons filled the space in honor of Mancuso’s signature party décor. But all those balloons seemed a bit risky to walk through for those who may have imbibed a bit too much – and there were many!
Dining at Diner Ross (photo by Shari Barrett)
Before and after the night’s two special performances of DISCOSHOW, many guests sat down to dinner at Diner Ross, Spiegelworld’s cozy new restaurant with its entrance tucked away under a neon sign in one corner of the Glitterloft. It’s a “friendly finer diner” serving the greatest hits of New York American cuisine (think Mac and Cheese, burgers, fries, and lots of salads) designed by Executive Culinary Director Anna Altieri of Superfrico where I enjoyed a fabulous Italian-fused dinner the night prior before seeing Spiegelworld’s adult circus-themed Absinthe at Caesar’s Palace. And since I have dietary restrictions, I was amazed that every specialty course brought out was perfectly prepared for my needs, mouth-watering to look at and absolutely delicious to eat.
DISCOWORLD dancers in the show’s finale (photo by Gaby Duong)
After dinner at Diner Ross, guests were invited through a special entrance into the dance party club where the show is presented. With platforms encircling the room, high enough for easy viewing by those standing and dancing on the floor, roller skating disco dancers sped around on both levels, encouraging guests to join in the party with large ensembles of dancers encouraging everyone to join in the fun.
Disco dance lesson! (photo by Shari Barrett)
Disco dance moves were taught, the ensemble tapped their way around the room, all led by the mother of all disco queens. And just when you think it’s time to take a break, the next great disco tune gets played and you are up and at it again. It was so fun seeing everyone up and dancing together having a great time while letting the music speak to our souls.
Ross Mollison on dance floor (photo by Brenton Ho)
Spiegelworld’s Impresario Extraordinaire Ross Mollison (pictured above) shared during Saturday’s opening, “This is the beginning of a Las Vegas party that will not only go all night long tonight, but for years to come. In fact, it started in 1970, and we all simply fell in love with the idea of keeping it going. It’s disco. After years of development, months of construction, weeks of rehearsals and previews, and many hours of kitchen and cocktail tastings, we are ready to share our love of disco with everybody. It’s what we all need right now.” And let me tell you, DISCOSHOW is the place to be when you are ready to party the night away and dance ‘til you drop.
The Mother of all Disco Queens hosted DISCOSHOW (photo by Shari Barrett)
Beginning at midnight, Saturday’s opening night after-show party was turned over to two special guest DJs, exemplifying the spirit disco’s origins, thus passing the torch to new and future generations. Iconic DJ Nicky Siano provided a direct link to Mancuso’s Loft parties in New York, widely credited as the birthplace of disco. A teenage Siano was a regular at The Loft from when it began in 1970, inspiring him to become a DJ himself the next year. He went on to establish the groundbreaking Gallery in 1972 at the age of 17, when his pioneering skills in mixing records took the evolution of disco to new heights. He was also an early resident DJ at Studio 54 and a mentor to countless disco DJs to follow. Just watching him work the turntables was its own exciting party.
The evening’s invited deejays: Nicky Siano, James Hillard and Luke Howard
(photo by Brenton Ho)
Horse Meat Disco DJ collective founding members Luke Howard and James Hillard flew in from London for the occasion. When they began as a weekly party night at The Eagle in 2004, their mission was to resuscitate the disco dance genre. They went on to become freewheeling global disco pioneers, with new music record releases and residencies around the world from Berlin to New York, proving that disco has a present and future as glittering as its storied past. DISCOSHOW director Steven Hoggett and writer Michael Wynne were regulars at Horse Meat’s Sunday nights in Vauxhall, communing on the dance floor long before their creative collaboration with Spiegelworld on the other side of the world. So, it made perfect sense for him to take the evening’s dance party to the hilt once more.
DISCOSHOW skaters Alina Carson and Hirari Watanabe (photo by Pari Dukovic)
Meanwhile, downstairs on the subway-platform-styled 99 Prince, local DJ Night Weapons provided dirty grooves while guests kicked back with cocktails and took selfies in the vintage phone booth. And while I admit to never having been in a New York Subway, the experience of partying in this small club set the festive mood for the rest of the nigh t… lots of happy people enjoying each other’s company while drinking and dancing to the greatest dance music.
Ross and Brittany making pancakes (photo by Brenton Ho)
As he had promised weeks ago, at around 4am, Spiegelworld’s party chief Ross Mollison was on hand to cook breakfast pancakes with Diner Ross Executive Chef Brittany Snyder for the ravenous revelers. The whole experience reminded me of attending all the new discos in Los Angeles as they opened, dancing with friends almost every Friday night until the discos closed (usually 2am in L.A.), and then going out for breakfast in a diner before finally getting home around 6am! Ah, those were the days. And now is your chance to go back in time and experience those wondrous disco party nights for yourself!
“Freak Out” dancers get the DISCOSHOW party started (photo by Gaby Duong)
Saturday’s opening night party officially adds a third Las Vegas resident show to Spiegelworld’s line up, joining the smash-hits Absinthe and Atomic Saloon Show, and its second restaurant following Superfrico. But DISCOSHOW itself is a show and a party all in one. The 70-minute entertainment experience puts the audience in the center of a disco club celebration, wrapped in pulsing action and infectious music, guaranteed to get you on your feet. Trust me, you can’t go wrong by attending any and all of these shows and restaurants on your next night out in Las Vegas.
Lighting design by Olivier Award-winner Natasha Chivers (photo by Pari Dukovic)
Technical magic was brought together by some of the greatest shape-makers of the stage, led by director Steven Hoggett and choreographer / associate director Yasmine Lee, who have previously teamed on movement direction or choreography for Broadway and London West End productions, including Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Once, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and A Beautiful Noise. DISCOSHOW is written by Olivier Award-winner Michael Wynne (The Priory) with set and costume design by Tony Award-winner David Zinn (Stereophonic, Spongebob Squarepants), music production by Jamie Siegel (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill), lighting design by Olivier Award-winner Natasha Chivers (Sunday in the Park with George), sound design by Colle Bustin (Melissa Etheridge: My Window), custom soundscapes by sound associate and Olivier Award-winner Tom Gibbons (Ivo van Hove’s West Side Story, Broadway), projection & video design by Darrel Maloney (American Idiot) and hair and wig design by Brittany Hartman (Saturday Night Live).
DISCOSHOW
3535 Las Vegas Boulevard at The LINQ Hotel in Las Vegas
Wed-Sunday at 7 & 9:30
Diner Ross (Wed-Sun 5pm to late)
no ticket needed for bars and restaurant
for tickets and table reservations go to DISCOSHOW
for more info, visit Spiegelworld
Ross Mollison celebrates DISCOSHOW’s opening night with invited guests
(photo by Gaby Duong)