3570 Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
United States
This performance space was an original feature of the Caesar's Palace Casino when it was first built in 1966. First listed as "Nero's Nook", and marketed as a show lounge, it had a seating capacity in a lounge setting of a little over 200. In Jun of 1969 it was reconfigured with a 400 seat capacity as the first "legitimate" theater of Las Vegas, producing Broadway plays rather than musicals or acts. It was renamed the Roman Theater. The legitimate stage struggled to compete with the larger spectacles and the first production, a controversial play about 8 gay men at a birthday party, did not do well among the largely conservative audiences despite being highly popular elsewhere in the country. Roman Theatre was briefly converted back to Nero's Nook but after the more popular new Cleopatra's Barge opened, the Nook was converted into a keno parlor in Oct 1970.
1966
1970
401 seats
Burt Franklin
Newspaper clippings about productions at this stage, or about the stage in general. More source types can be added later.
| Type | Date | Title | Production | Stage | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newspaper Clipping | 7 Oct 1970 | Las Vegas - by Forrest Duke (Needles Desert Star) | General Stage Source - no production | Roman Theatre | |
| Newspaper Clipping | 21 Jun 1969 | 'Boys in Band' at Caesars Palace (Los Angeles Times) | The Boys in the Band | Roman Theatre | |
| Newspaper Clipping | 18 Jun 1969 | Desert Spa Goes Legit With 'Boys in the Band' Bow (Los Angeles Herald Examiner) | The Boys in the Band | Roman Theatre |