The Gold side welcomes you to the Golden Nugget casino. This hidden gem in Las Vegas holds a valuable treasure that several characters want to get their mits on.
In the exciting city of Las Vegas, the Golden Nugget Casino is the crown jewel. Hidden somewhere inside is a safe that contains cash and, even more valuable, gold bars.
With the casino’s ten year anniversary quickly approaching and special guest star, singing sensation Dino Lamboni, scheduled to arrive any moment, the place is buzzing with excitement. Casino owner Jack Potts and his wife, the illustrious showgirl Violet Van Damm, say that dreams come true there, something that Wendy Wright, the new girl in town, and Joe “Bugsy” Difronzo look forward to seeing come to fruition.
Bugsy, a lowly custodian hired by Potts, finds himself wrapped up in the heist scheme of Franky “Lucky” Borelli and Vinny “Tough Guy” Polermo to steal the money and gold bars from the safe. He’s reluctant to go along with the plan at first, but then he meets Wendy Wright who changes his mind about everything.
Bugsy and Wendy’s worlds collide when the two literally run into each other in the lobby of the casino. Bugsy is almost immediately taken with the aspiring showgirl who had traveled all the way from Oklahoma to audition to be one of Violet van Damm’s world-renowned showgirls.
Violet and her showgirls are busy preparing the dance routine that they’ll perform with Dino Lamboni, but a featured showgirl has yet to be chosen. One of the lead dancers, Beverly Schmidt, thinks that she has the act in the bag. That is until Wendy auditions and proves that a little girl from Oklahoma has what it takes in the bright, sassy number “Make the Cut.”
Bugsy and Wendy meet again when he enters her room by mistake with a master key. They bond while talking about dreams, and he reassures her of her talent in the heartfelt ballad “Something Different, Something New.”
With a newfound confidence, Wendy goes to rehearse the Dino Lamboni number but is continuously shoved by Beverly. Frustrated, she storms out of the practice.
Meanwhile, Bugsy runs to meet up with Lucky and Tough Guy at their hideout. Lucky and Tough Guy sense that something is off and, in a manly number, attempt to get him to focus and keep his eyes on the prize of “Rollin’ in the Dough.”
Back at the casino, Wendy is waiting for Bugsy in his room and says that she’s ready to quit the show. Bugsy encourages her not to, saying that it’s the only way the people will be able to see how talented she is. Offended, Wendy storms out.
Despite being upset about having lost Wendy, Bugsy goes to the gangster’s hideout where everyone is meeting to discuss the final steps in the heist. He’s ready to back out, but Lucky threatens him at gunpoint to go through with the plan.
The next day the casino is abuzz with people excited for Dino Lamboni’s arrival and performance. While the show is going on, Bugsy, Lucky and Tough Guy sneak around the casino looking for the safe.
When they find it, the trio discover that it’s empty, save for a lone letter reading “I got the drop on you,” a clue to go to the drop location. When he gets there, he reaches into the trash can where the clues are usually hidden and finds another letter.
The letter is from Wendy, and she reveals that she’s the one who stole the money and gold bars from the casino’s safe. Silhouettes of other cast members play out the plan as Wendy’s voice over explains how she got away.
She says that there are bigger forces at hand that could hurt them both if she didn’t get the money and gold bars to them, and she apologizes for lying to someone that she could actually see herself being with. The show ends with Bugsy singing a small a capella “One Heck of a Show” as Wendy is seen walking away through the audience.
