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Get there while you can: The Mirage in Las Vegas will be closing its doors in 1 day

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

This happens from time to time in Las Vegas - one of the big names on the Strip is closing down tomorrow.

SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

It's the Mirage hotel and casino. It's closing after nearly 35 years. It was best known for its golden mirrored windows, a dolphin habitat and an artificial volcano that erupted nightly.

(SOUNDBITE OF VOLCANO ERUPTING)

INSKEEP: The Mirage was also known for its shows. Siegfried and Roy made white tigers appear out of nowhere.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Sarmoti.

(SOUNDBITE OF TIGER ROARING)

PFEIFFER: That show ended after a tiger injured one of the magicians. Later shows included Cirque du Soleil's "LOVE," based on the Beatles, and a singing ventriloquist who came to fame on "America's Got Talent.".

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED)

TERRY FATOR: So Winston, what are you planning on doing for us?

(As Winston) Well, I could do my theme song.

(LAUGHTER)

FATOR: Since when have you had your own theme song?

(As Winston) Ever since I won "America's Got Talent."

(CHEERING)

FATOR: Oh, you won "America's Got Talent"?

(As Winston) Well, duh.

(LAUGHTER)

INSKEEP: Terry Fator signed a $100 million contract with the Mirage and performed there for 11 years.

FATOR: The Mirage was the very first of that whole new era of Las Vegas, where the Las Vegas Strip became much more than just a place to go gamble and get $1.99 steak and eggs.

INSKEEP: Fator says the Mirage cemented its place in the new Vegas in 2000, when it signed the singing impressionist Danny Gans.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DANNY GANS: Frank Sinatra had such a distinctive style. I really think he could sing any song and make it sound terrific. (As Frank Sinatra, singing) Hakuna Matata - what a marvelous phrase. Like a tune from Sinatra...

FATOR: Danny Gans sold everything out, night after night after night. Plus, the Mirage also was some of the first to bring celebrity chefs, and it just became more of a high-class destination where there was so much more to do than just go there to gamble.

PFEIFFER: Again, that's Terry Fator. He now performs at the STRAT Hotel, Casino, and says he's going to miss the Mirage.

FATOR: You know, 11 years is not a small amount of time to be a headliner at the Mirage, and what an incredible honor and just - I just feel very humbled to have been able to play a part in that amazing legacy.

INSKEEP: So the Mirage disappears, but will reopen in 2027 as a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. From the ashes of its volcano will rise a 700-foot hotel tower in the shape of a guitar.

PFEIFFER: There's nothing like Vegas.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "VIVA LAS VEGAS")

ELVIS PRESLEY: (Singing) So Viva Las Vegas.

INSKEEP: (Singing) Viva Las Vegas.

PFEIFFER: (Laughter).

INSKEEP: Sacha, I've got this idea.

PFEIFFER: Yes, Steve.

INSKEEP: A MORNING EDITION residency in Las Vegas.

PFEIFFER: Oh, boy, that's not for me. I do not like betting, don't like losing money. I've never been able to think of betting as my entertainment budget for the night.

INSKEEP: OK, but we're just going to be up there on stage.

PFEIFFER: (Laughter).

INSKEEP: With the time difference, people will still be up, and they can come over and get the news.

PFEIFFER: I do like flying into Vegas. You see the Eiffel Tower...

INSKEEP: Oh, that's true.

PFEIFFER: ...The Sphinx, the pyramid. It's an amazing United States thing.

INSKEEP: OK, so you're getting enthused about this idea.

PFEIFFER: All right, you could talk to me into it.

INSKEEP: The next thing is, we need matching Elvis jumpsuits.

PFEIFFER: (Laughter).

INSKEEP: Can we do it? Anyway... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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