LAS VEGAS - John Stagliano told AVN that tonight would be the last time the stage version of his landmark film The Fashionistas goes on for the foreseeable future.
The dance revue had a three-year run at Krave Nightclub next to the Aladdin Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, receiving raves from critics and media. And its cast performed two of the most spectacular acts ever to grace the stage of the AVN Awards at the 2007 and 2008 ceremonies. But producing "The Fashionistas" has been a costly endeavor, and Stagliano finally decided he had to close its curtains.
"I thought that the show was a very good artistic experience, but from a financial point of view, I lost a lot of money," Stagliano said. "It's possible that I will be able to do this show again somewhere, but probably I'll have to do something different to make money in Las Vegas."
Stagliano, the founder of Evil Angel Productions and a Hall of Fame adult movie director, said he's full of ideas for what he might tackle next. "A whole bunch of ideas, lots of ideas," he said. "Big shows, little shows. Big shows based on the fact that my AVN numbers from the last two years have been very successful, and I feel like I can do a show as good or better than any Cirque du Soleil show. But whether or not I will get an opportunity to do that, I'm not sure, because I cannot lose money like I did on this 'Fashionistas' show."
There will be a "farewell" party after tonight's performance of "The Fashionistas," Stagliano said. And one of the show's stars, Marcia Moreno, is going on to lead the cast of "La Rêve" at the Wynn Hotel.
In fact, Steve Wynn himself came and saw "The Fashionistas" after hearing Moreno's glowing praises of it, and complimented Stagliano highly on the show's choreography.
Meanwhile, though "The Fashionistas" may be taking its final bow, Stagliano has no intent of bidding live theater goodbye forever.
"I'm going to stay in the market somehow, and do some interesting stuff in the future," he said. "It's not going to be 'The Fashionistas,' probably, but it might be. I love the show. I'm amazed that the show became as good as it became. It was a much better show at the end than I ever expected.
"The dancers became more sexual than I ever expected they would, because they came from this straight Las Vegas dance environment, and I did not ask them to be real sexual," he concluded. "And yet, they were willing to do that anyway as we developed a trust and understanding of what the show was. So I'm real happy about that. But the bottom line is, we were not in a place where we could make money, and I've got to stop the show."
