 bviously, there is no lack of entertainment in Las Vegas. All of the major hotel/casinos have some sort of entertainment in their show rooms. Most of the shows are lavish, spectacular productions with equally lavish prices. Tickets for "O", for instance, at The Bellagio are $121. Gone are the days of "name" stars like Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, jr, etc., for which one could have dinner and see the show for $34.95! Rarely, a well know star will have a two or three week appearance at one of the casinos. Ricky Martin, "The Three Tenors," and Liza Minelli come to mind. A few of the casinos still have lounge shows which are complimentary. urrent casino entertainment guides can be found at Neon Showguide or Access Las Vegas.
 he University of Nevada at Las Vegas Performing Arts Center (702/895-2787) consists of two theatres on the UNLV campus (4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas NV 89154). The Artemis Ham Concert Hall seats about 1800, and the Judy Bayley Theatre seats about 600. The presentations here range from concerts, ballet, and symphonies to Broadway productions. The season runs from September through May.  nother popular theatre group in the area is Actors Repertory Theatre (702/647-7469). Many of the performers are members of Actors Equity. Five shows per year are produced, and presented at the Summerlin Library Theatre in the center of Village Circle. This is a new, modern facility with the theatre seating about 450 in some 15 rows. To the best of my knowledge this group does not present "new" works, but rather well established shows.
he regional ballet group is Nevada Ballet Theatre. Their season consists of four productions from October through April. Performances are at the UNLV Performing Arts Center theatres (702/895-2787). Not having personally seen any of their performances yet, I can't attest to the quality of the productions. However, the Las Vegas Review Journal rates the group highly.
 nfortunately, my favorite type of venue, the piano bar, is essentially non-existent in this city. There is one gay bar, Keys (1000 E. Sahara Avenue; 702/731-2200), which has piano entertainment. There is also a handful of restaurants (see below) with piano entertainment. But don't ask the performers to sing (or play) any Broadway music. They won't know it! word or two about the gay aspect of Las Vegas might be appropriate. Surprisingly, while not exactly covert, the gay scene in the city is certainly not nearly as open as in other large cities. There are a number of gay bars, most of which look like they're left over from the 70's and 80's! Keys, mentioned above, is the only one to offer any semblence of decor. There are no upscale bars or restaurants for the "discerning" gay man or woman. Country and Western is an apt description of most of the bars. Some additional comments can be found at Gay Vegas.  arious museums and art galleries are scattered throughout the city. Noteworthy is the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art (3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109). Featured here are original paintings by van Gogh, Monet, Matisse, and other noted artists. The Las Vegas Art Museum (9600 W. Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89117) features paintings and sculptures, with occasional special exhibitions. The Liberace Museum displays almost 20 of his pianos, his autos, costumes, and furnishings. Highly recommended!
dditional museums and galleries can be found at Art in Las Vegas.
Above photo courtesy UNLV Performing Arts Center
Arial fonts courtesy IconBAZAAR
|
