You will be Hooked by Spiegelworld at Caesars Atlantic City

to the bank.

Now, the bad news: The Gazillionaire, the raunchy, filthy, hilarious absinthe master of ceremonies, will not be coming to atlantic City.

By Scott Cronick

So, there’s some good news and bad news about Spiegelworld coming to atlantic City summer.

First, the good news: Ross Mollison, the witty, personable aussie who is the founder and Impressario Extraordinaire of Spiegelworld, assures everyone that The Hook and its sister restaurant Superfrico will be unlike anything atlantic City has ever seen before.

If you have ever seen any of the three shows on the Las Vegas Strip that Spiegelworld produces – “absinthe” at Caesars Palace, “Opium” at The Cosmopolitan, along with the Italian american psychedelic restaurant Superfrico and speakeasy Ski Lodge, and “atomic Saloon Show” at The Venetian, you can take his word

“I know that will be a relief,” Mollison joked. “at least for me … because he’s a very exacting boss. He’s very hard to work for.”

Here’s The Hook a lot of companies and restaurants and shows say that, but Spiegelworld will actually do it … in so many ways.

Spiegelworld, which in my opinion hosts the three must-see shows in Vegas – particularly a bsinthe, my favorite, is about to change atlantic City – and Caesars - in a big way.

For starters, there has always been the question if atlantic City can sustain a year-round attraction like Vegas’ long-running shows?

Spiegelworld will put that question to the test.

No other show has even attempted to do this since “Legends in Concert” closed on the Claridge stage many moons ago … it has to be at least a decade, if not 15 or more years.

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If anyone was going to succeed, it would be Spiegelworld, and it will do so with The Hook, a dual name for both the theater and the show the Vegas-based company will debut on June 30 inside Caesars in the space that was formerly a slot hall that connected Caesars to the Wild Wild West Casino.

The company is being smart and historic about how it attempts this pretty miraculous feat, starting by paying homage to the stunning Warner Theatre, an atlantic City Boardwalk icon dubbed the “Wonder Theatre of the World.” Opening in 1929, the building became an East Coast mecca for star-studded entertainment, featuring more than 4,000 seats.

Back when Bally’s atlantic City was transforming its façade to its Wild West theme, someone was smart enough to basically save the stunning original, ocean-view façade of the Warner. Now, Spiegelworld is taking it to another level, restoring the former front of the theater – including its stained glass - to not only look better than it probably has ever looked, but it will also serve as the theater’s Boardwalk entrance.

“a s soon as I saw the façade, I thought someone was clever enough to leave this here,” Mollison said. “When the rest of this building was torn down, the façade was saved, and as part of the renovation, we are doing a lot of work. We started at the top and worked all the way down.”

Once inside, guests will be treated to Superfrico and a myriad of discoverable bars – including one on the boards – but more on that later.

The main attraction is The Hook, “a riotously funny, seductively beautiful show that completely lures you in,” according to Spiegelworld.

It is only for adults, only in atlantic City.

“Expect Spiegelworld’s signature blitz of the ridiculous, the funny, the jaw-dropping and the superhuman,” Spiegelword announced, adding it will feature an international cast directed by British comedy director, Cal McCrystal (“atomic Saloon Show,” “One Man Two Guvnors”).

Other than that – and the fact that there is no Gazillionaire - Mollison is quite tight lipped about what exactly The Hook will be. a preview video shows cirque-like acts doing crazy stunts wearing exotic costumes and interacting with the audience in The Hook as well as Superfrico.

“ you have to come see it yourself to understand,” he said of the 420-seat theater. “I would say it’s a world first. No one has seen anything like this before. The show goes into the restaurant, and the restaurant goes into the show. actors will participate in the restaurant. all I can say is I think we continue to evolve. a lot of the places do the same thing every year, but every time we try to create a new show, create a whole other experience. yes, there will be components of ‘absinthe’ and ideas from ‘Opium’ and ‘atomic Saloon’ and other things.” a s for the theater itself, it’s going to be gorgeous, featuring super high ceilings, a balcony, ornately painted proscenium and balcony border, and giant overhead catwalks with access to the roof that somehow gives Mollison pleasure, but he wouldn’t elaborate.

“It will have incredible intimacy,” he said. “For those who have seen our shows in Vegas, I would like to see this as a melding of the ‘absinthe’ theater with the ‘atomic Saloon’ theater. It has the scale that comes with ‘absinthe’ at Caesars Palace right on the strip, but it equally has the intimacy of the ‘atomic Saloon.’ We didn’t build

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