Casino venue shines for stars
Published Tuesday August 31st, 2010
State-of-the-art theatre, new market among the draws for acts playing Casino N.B.
By Cole Hobson
TImes & Transcript Staff
There's been no shortage of star power at Casino New Brunswick since the entertainment complex opened its doors in May.
Casino NB's entertainment and production manager David Rapelje said they aren't surprised by the initial success, as he said the "world class" $2.2-million sound, lighting and stage system has a lot to offer artists.
"What the venue allows us to do is allow acts to come up to Moncton without having to bring a full-scale touring system with them," he said. "Ideally, we've made the venue as artist friendly as possibly and it allows them come in and run a regular show and not have to travel with all the equipment they normally would ... It's just a matter of transportation: they have to fly in. That's a lot easier than sending three or four trucks worth of production over to do a single show."
In only a few short months, Casino New Brunswick has firmly established itself as a solid venue option for mid-sized concerts that may be too small to fill the Moncton Coliseum, but are larger than can be handled in some of the smaller theatres. Thus far, things have all gone according to plan.
"We had an agenda that we wanted to present live entertainment for folks not only in Moncton, but the surrounding areas," Rapelje said. "It's a great place to do that. We've just been very fortunate that there's been such great acts available to come and do the shows. The response to some of our show announcements has just been amazing - Bill Cosby just put up massive amounts of sales the first day tickets went on sale, Joan Rivers did the same thing. For Howie Mandel right now the buzz is tremendous. We've been inundated with people e-mailing the casino asking if they can somehow get advanced tickets to this show ... We're just happy that there's a market out there of people that want to be entertained."
Rapelje said they haven't yet got into booking acts in conjunction with other casinos in the region, but it's something they could explore in the future if it meant they could bring in bigger and better acts.
While some may be surprised at the frequency with which the casino is getting popular performers in through the doors, Rapelje said there's more to come.
"I don't (see it dying down). The reason I say that is I think we've given people a great place, if given a choice, to see live entertainment. The sound and lighting experience in that room is nothing but world class. We're completely current with all our sound, staging and lighting and I think that it's a destination. You can go down, have a great meal; if you want to stay overnight there's a beautiful hotel," he said. "I think if anything the more people that come and see the shows there are going to feel like it's a great place to go back."
Along with lots of demand for tickets, Rapelje said the reviews coming back from concerts have also been good. Although Moncton may not be a traditional stopping place on many cross-country tours, he said that can often work as an advantage and it hasn't been difficult booking artists to perform.
"We deal with all the national agencies and everyone knows where Moncton is," he says. "It's not that far off the beaten path. For some folks the sell is to go into a market that they haven't been to. For us to go to them and offer a brand new facility and a brand new audience of people, for a lot of artists that's exciting."
Along with entertaining Monctonians and those in the Atlantic region, Rapelje said the shows have also been taken in by visitors from south of the border, with some concergoers travelling from as far as Florida or Texas for a show.
It has also meant good things for the local businesses in the area.
"It's a bit hard to tell up front because summer time typically tends to be a busier time of year anyway for us, but we're definitely seeing lots of people going to the casino and who have been here for the shows," said Sheerah Nickerson, the assistant manager of the nearby Amsterdam Inn. "It's definitely impacted us that way."
Joey Duplessis is the general manager of the newly opened Motel 6 in Moncton which is located near the casino.
"Fantastic," Duplessis said when asked how being neighbours with the facility has been. "We opened our first night on (July) 24 at 8 p.m. and we were sold out by 10 p.m. and it's been ongoing since we opened. It's been terribly good for us."
For the rest of the year and those ahead, the casino plans to offer more French-language performers, classic rock and country. Rapelje said they also have interest in hosting production shows or touring Broadway musicals, as well as circus style performance-based shows. He also said they are planning something unique for New Year's Eve, and more details will be announced as they are finalized.
The casino venue can hold over 1,800 people and can also be modified to create a smaller and more intimate setting. There have been several sold out shows thus far.
"We're really excited that the citizens of Moncton are excited about what we're doing," Rapelje says.
"It's a great opportunity when you can do something that provides people with enjoyment outside of the regular 9 to 5 world. It's a feel-good thing when I see people come in to the show and be able to enjoy an artist that they have obviously had a life-long relationship with. When I see these people singing along and clapping their hands, it makes all the effort worth it.
"We really gain a great deal by allowing people to be in a position where they can escape for 90 minutes and enjoy themselves."
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Upcoming shows at Casino New Brunswick include:
* Randy Travis Sept. 9, 10
* Bill Cosby Oct. 2
* 1755 Oct. 8
* Gord Downie & The Country of Miracles Oct. 16
* Roch Voisine Oct. 29
* Joan Rivers Nov. 13
* Howie Mandel Nov. 19.
Tickets available from Casino NB or
http://www.ticketbreak.com/casinonb
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