MGM Grand (Las Vegas, USA)
MGM Grand
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM has featured restaurants from several prominent chefs, including Emeril Lagasse, Michael Mina, and Joël Robuchon. From 1997 to 2012, it also included Studio 54, a nightclub featuring memorabilia from the original Studio 54 in New York. The resort has several entertainment venues, including the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Longtime shows at the resort have included Kà and magician David Copperfield.
The resort originally included the 15,200-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena, in addition to the 1,700-seat Grand Theatre and the 630-seat Hollywood Theatre.
A production show, EFX, ran at the resort from 1995 to 2002. It was headlined by several different entertainers during its run, including Michael Crawford, David Cassidy, Tommy Tune, and Rick Springfield.
In 1999, the resort debuted a version of the American game show Wheel of Fortune. Audience members were allowed to participate and potentially win money. The show had ended by 2001. It took place in a 400-seat venue previously home to Catch a Rising Star, a chain of comedy clubs.
Magician David Copperfield has been a longtime performer at the MGM, entertaining there since 2000. Kà, a show by Cirque du Soleil, has been performed at the resort since 2005. It takes place in a custom-built theater seating nearly 2,000 people.
In 2001, the resort launched La Femme, a topless show that recreated the Parisian cabaret known as Crazy Horse.The producers chose the name La Femme as Las Vegas already had a strip club known as Crazy Horse Too, which filed a lawsuit regarding the name rights. The show eventually took on the Crazy Horse name in 2007, before closing in 2012. A year later, Jeff Beacher opened his Beacher's Madhouse show in the former Crazy Horse venue. The Jabbawockeez dance group opened in the space in 2015, and is contracted to perform there through 2025.
Brad Garrett's Comedy Club opened in March 2012, with seating for 283 people. It was originally located in the MGM Underground area.The club has hosted numerous comedians, including Garrett himself. In 2022, the club moved to a better location at The District, taking over the former China Tang restaurant space. Although the new location sat in a higher-traffic area, seating was reduced to 210.