GGRAsia – Melco confirms job cuts as Dancing Water show off until Jan

Melco confirms job cuts as Dancing Water show off until Jan

Jun 18, 2020 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck

Macau casino operator Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd has confirmed to GGRAsia that some jobs have been lost with the suspension until next January of The House of Dancing Water show at the City of Dreams Macau casino resort, but did not say how many. The show’s suspension took effect from Thursday (June 18).

“We have unfortunately had to let a number of blue cards leave as the show goes dark,” said a Melco Resorts spokesperson in response to an enquiry from GGRAsia, and referring to people on non-resident labour visas.

“We thank them for their talented contribution,” the firm’s representative added.

An earlier press release had said the show (pictured in a file photo) would be revamped by its creative director Franco Dragone and would “return in January 2021 in time for Chinese New Year to deliver an unprecedented and further-enhanced entertainment experience”.

The release quoted David Sisk, Melco Resorts’ chief operating officer, Macau resorts, as saying when it returned, the new show would “benefit from the continuous development of local talent”. In Macau, that is typically a reference to people holding Macau ID, rather than non-resident status.

The news of the show’s hiatus comes amid an ongoing slump in Macau inbound tourism during the Covid-19 crisis, with no clarity on when something resembling normal trade might resume.

The whole of May saw only 16,133 visitors to the Macau market.

Only last year, performances of The House of Dancing Water had been suspended from February 12 until April 24 inclusive, “for refurbishment and upgrade of our facilities,” the casino firm had told GGRAsia at the time.

In June last year, Melco Resorts had said the spectacle was to continue at City of Dreams Macau, beyond its original 10-year contract, under what was termed a new “management entity”.

The House of Dancing Water had its premiere in 2010 and has been the Macau gaming sector’s longest-running large-scale stage show, with more than 6 million attendees, according to Melco Resorts.