The Broadway style comedy PAWN SHOP LIVE!, a parody of the

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - The Broadway style comedy PAWN SHOP LIVE!, a parody of the story
behind The History Channel's reality show smash Pawn Stars, opens at the Golden Nugget’s Gordie Brown
Showroom in downtown Las Vegas on January 21.
Created by Emmy© award winning Producer Derek Stonebarger, the production is based on the story of the
world's most famous and much beloved pawn shop the Gold and Silver Pawn. PAWN SHOP LIVE! is fully
approved with story contributions from Rick Harrison and will run Tuesday through Saturday at 4 p.m.
“With everything happening downtown, and the line that circles the pawn shop, we believe it's going to be
good for the downtown economy and the tourists looking for a bargain afternoon show,” said Stonebarger,
the owner of theatre7 and co-owner of Atomic Liquors. “We think it’s going to be the biggest 4 p.m. show
in town.”
With seven live actors and dancers, as well as a puppet, and video clips with around 20 actors, PAWN
SHOP LIVE! will feature celebrity appearances and surprises. But the stars will be lampooned versions of
Rick Harrison, Austin “Chumlee” Russell, Corey "Big Hoss" Harrison, and Richard “The Old Man”
Harrison - better known as Slick, Chump, Lil Boss and Old Fart.
Directed and co-written by Troy Heard, the show begins with a young Slick Garrison struggling through a
debilitating illness, which forces him out of school and into a world of self learning through books. Slick
grows into a book and street smart genius that uses his experiences and life lessons, often taught from his
father - A puppet named Old Fart - to influence the world with his knowledge and art of the deal.
Slick is joined by his son and his son's dim witted friend Chump, working the family business and
becoming international superstars in the process.
Stonebarger came up with the concept of the show in May 2011. At the time he was starring in a play at
theatre7 that he created about Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman called Oscar: A Good Man.
“We had a pretty good crowd for Oscar, but driving in I always saw the line of people in front of the pawn
shop and I thought there was some potential there,” Stonebarger said. “Then I read a little bit about Rick
Harrison's life and I was hooked!”
Co-founder and co-owner of the only family-owned pawn shop in Las Vegas, Rick Harrison has been in the
pawn business since he was 13. The son of The Old Man (Richard) and father of Big Hoss (Corey), he has
earned the nickname of "The Spotter" due to his sharp eye for valuable items. A high school drop out in
tenth grade, he co-founded Gold & Silver Pawn at 23 with his father. The shop is now visited by as many
as 5,000 people a day and was recently voted number one sight to see in Las Vegas in a USA Today
reader’s poll.
Rick pitched the concept of a television show centered around his pawn shop for four years before it
became a reality. Pawn Stars is now The History Channel's highest rated program. It has seen as many as
7.6 million viewers and has been described by TV Guide as "one part Antiques Roadshow, a pinch of LA
Ink and a dash of COPS." The successful series, which debuted in 2009, has even had spinoff programs by
experts that have appeared on the show with American Restoration and Counting Cars.
"I'm still amazed how cool these guys (Harrisons) are," Stonebarger continued. "You have to be cool to
laugh at a parody of yourself. They're on the level of late night talk show hosts. They get it."
Stonebarger is an award-winning filmmaker, Emmy-winning television producer and theater owner.
Heard is a top stage director in Las Vegas. A multi-winner of director of the year, as well as production of
the year, and the recipient of the Gregory Hines Memorial Fellowship.
“Troy and I have just been so honored and humbled by the sense of family the Pawn Stars have shown us,”
Stonebarger said. “They've had us come hang out during filming of episodes and behind the scenes to truly
grasp their personalities and help us write jokes and scenes for the live show”
PAWN SHOP LIVE! has committed to six months at the Golden Nugget, but all involved believe it will
run much longer.
“The Golden Nugget is the premiere downtown casino, and the Gordie Brown Showroom is not only the
classiest, but it's also the largest,” Stonebarger said.
The Gordie Brown Showroom is an intimate, 600-seat theater on the third level of the hotel’s Spa Tower. It
features plush seats and an advanced, state-of-the-art digital audio and visual system. Past headliners have
included Frank Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, Paul Anka, Tony Bennett, Don Rickles, Randy Travis and Regis
Philbin.
Tickets for PAWN SHOP LIVE!, which opens January 21, go on sale December 6 and are priced at $24.95,
$29.95 and $39.95 by calling the Golden Nugget Box Office at 866-946-5336, visiting goldennugget.com
or PawnShopShow.com.
For press inquiries contact Derek Stonebarger at (702) 349-2283 or [email protected].
ABOUT GOLDEN NUGGET LAS VEGAS
Winner of the AAA Four Diamond Award consecutively since 1977, the Golden Nugget Las Vegas is the
most luxurious resort on the Fremont Street Experience, and consistently receives critical acclaim for
exceeding customer expectations. The Golden Nugget now offers more than 2,400 deluxe guestrooms and
suites; a high-energy casino featuring the most popular slot and video poker machines, table games, race
and sports book, and poker room; nightly entertainment with master impressionist and comedian Gordie
Brown; world-class restaurants such as Grotto Italian Ristorante and Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse; a luxury
spa and salon; and The Tank, a year-round outdoor swimming pool complete with a 200,000-gallon, live
shark aquarium and the new H20 poolside lounge. Since 2005, the Golden Nugget Las Vegas has made
more than $300 million in upgrades, renovations and expansions under Landry’s, Inc, introducing firstclass accommodations, exquisite dining options and fun-filled entertainment venues. In late 2009, the
Golden Nugget Las Vegas unveiled its newest addition, Rush Tower. This $150-million hotel tower added
nearly 500 new guestrooms and suites to the property, brought Las Vegas its first Chart House Restaurant
and introduced a beautiful new pool, The Hideout, as well as expanded the gaming, entertainment and retail
options at the luxury resort. Hotel reservations and additional information are available by calling 800-6343454 or by visiting online at www.goldennugget.com.