Investigative Reporter William Rempel’s Groundbreaking 2006 Las Vegas Justice Series Inspires “Shangri-La-La” Musical

It is the story of Joshua, who is thrilled to become the assistant to Las Vegas royalty Siegfried & Roy, only to find out that not all that glitters is gold.

ARLINGTON, VA, UNITED STATES, July 7, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A hard-hitting investigative series by William Rempel, a former long-time investigative reporter and editor for the Los Angeles Times, is now inspiring a raucous and irreverent comedy musical, “Shangri-La-La.” The musical’s inspiration stems from Rempel’s 2006 Times collaboration with Michael J. Goodman, which exposed the corrupt and often biased judicial system of Las Vegas in the landmark three-part series, “Juice vs. Justice.”

The Los Angeles Times investigation, which brought national attention to Las Vegas’ controversial "hometown justice" practices, revealed how the city’s judges were influenced by friends, business associates, and major donors, creating a stacked judicial deck. The investigation’s explosive first part, titled “In Las Vegas, They’re Playing with a Stacked Judicial Deck,” sparked outrage, ultimately making the Times series one of the most significant exposes on judicial corruption in the country.

In an unexpected turn, playwright-composer-lyricist Mike Meier, who was practicing law at the time the series ran, has transformed the investigation’s explosive findings into a comedic spectacle. Meier, who once found himself entrenched in the very Las Vegas justice system he now lampoons, drew inspiration from the investigative series in creating his new work, which culminates in the song “Hometown Justice,” performed by the judge character in the musical.

Meier humorously reflects, “You could say I ripped this tale from the front pages of the newspaper. But trust me, I learned the painful lessons of ‘hometown justice’ the hard way.” Meier’s personal experience in Las Vegas’ legal world was marked by his role as part of a legal team representing employees who sued Siegfried and Roy on charges of sexual and physical abuse. Despite the dramatic stakes of the case, the litigation was thwarted by an apparently biased judge who had ties to the Mirage Casino mogul, Steve Wynn (the “boss” of Siegfried & Roy), and the magicians themselves.

“It was one long train wreck. By the time I read the Times stories, it was too late,” said Meier. “So, I’ve turned it into comedy and satire – and we would love for you to come see it.”

Shangri-La-La will make its debut at the Arlington Drafthouse with a 3-day run from Tuesday, July 22 to Thursday, July 24, 2025. For tickets and more information, please visit https://www.arlingtondrafthouse.com/events/115748.

And here is a short trailer for that musical: https://youtube.com/shorts/dzInsbcc2RE

About William Rempel

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rempel: William Charles Rempel is an American author and investigative journalist. Rempel's reporting about Colombian drug lords for the Los Angeles Times and in his book At the Devil’s Table have led to English and Spanish language television productions. He served as a story consultant for season 3 of the Netflix TV series Narcos (2017). The 80-episode telenovela En la Boca del Lobo (Sony-Telest, 2014) was based on the Spanish version of his book. Rempel's latest book, released by Dey Street and HarperCollins in January 2018, was The Gambler: How Penniless Dropout Kirk Kerkorian Became the Greatest Deal Maker in Capitalist History. For most of his 40-year newspaper career, Rempel was an investigative reporter and editor at the Los Angeles Times. See his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/william.rempel/

About Mike Meier

Mike Meier grew up in a blue-collar housing project in Germany. His grandfather was a 1920s traveling magician and fortune-teller known as Wladi-Kami. Incidentally, Mike’s grandfather and Siegfried & Roy were members of the same Magicians’ Circle. When he is not writing books, he’s playing guitar somewhere… See https://themikemeier.com/

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Short trailer for Shangri-La-La comedy musical at the Arlington Drafthouse Theater, Arlington, Virginia.