Dancing Water to run beyond 10-year deal: Melco Resorts

Jun 11, 2019 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck  

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“The House of Dancing Water”, the Macau casino sector’s longest-running stage show and that premiered in 2010, is to continue beyond its original 10-year contract, under what is being termed a new “management entity”.

So said a Monday press release issued on behalf of Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd, the Macau casino operator that runs City of Dreams, a Macau casino resort that hosts the show.

The press release did not clarify when the new deal would start or how long it would run; nor did the announcement detail the money side of the arrangement.

It stated merely: “A newly-established show management entity owned by Melco Resorts will manage daily operations and Mr Franco Dragone remains artistic director.”

The latter reference was to the Belgian theatre director who conceived and originally directed the House of Dancing Water show, purposely developed for the Macau market.

In prepared remarks in the press release, Lawrence Ho Yau Lung, chairman and chief executive of Melco Resorts, stated: “I feel privileged that Melco Resorts has had the opportunity to work with Dragone’s talented team for the last decade and I believe we will continue to deliver even more exhilarating performances for years to come.”

Mr Ho added: “Our announcement… further demonstrates our commitment to entertainment offerings and our intention to deliver an amazing artistic and cultural experience to our guests.”

The House of Dancing Water has been the standout hit in non-gaming entertainment in the Macau market as a whole. But Melco Resorts – in common with other operators – has had mixed success with other non-gaming entertainment at its Macau casino resorts.

“Elēkrŏn”, a variety entertainment show with car stunts staged at the Studio City casino resort on Cotai, will have its last performance on July 21, the venue’s promoter Melco Resorts previously confirmed to GGRAsia. The show launched in January.

“The House of Magic” show, one of the non-gaming features at Melco Resorts’ majority-owned Studio City from the gaming venue’s launch, closed in October 2017. “‘The House of Magic’ has not been a successful venue,” said brokerage Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd in a note at the time.

From February 12 until April 24 inclusive this year, performances of The House of Dancing Water had been suspended “for refurbishment and upgrade of our facilities,” the casino firm had told us at the start of the temporary closure.

In Monday’s press release, it was stated the show had been “presented to almost 6 million guests from around the world since its debut in 2010”.

In February, the firm had told GGRAsia in a statement that more than 5 million people had seen The House of Dancing Water up to that month.

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