Briefs: Music and theater
Theater
‘GLASS MENAGERIE’
OPENS AT ONYX
Tennessee Williams’ timeless memory play “The Glass Menagerie” — which marked his breakthrough as one of America’s greatest dramatists — opens a three-weekend run Friday night at the Onyx Theatre.
Off-Strip Productions revives the poignant drama of a Depression-era family, headed by an all-too-loving mother — a faded Southern belle who urges her son, an aspiring poet, to bring home a “gentleman caller” for his handicapped sister.
Ernie Curcio directs the production, which features Valerie Carpenter Bernstein, Brandon McClenahan, Jessica Afton and Aaron Oetting.
“The Glass Menagerie” will be staged at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Onyx Theatre, 953 E. Sahara Ave., with additional performances at 8 p.m. July 19-20 and July 26-27, with a 2 p.m. matinee July 21.
For tickets ($20), call 702-732-7225 or go online to www.onyxtheatre.com.
Music
LATIN JAZZ PIONEER
PLAYS WINCHESTER
Percussionist Joe Torres, who helped pioneer the Latin Jazz movement in the 1960s, is still going strong — and proves it with a 2 p.m. Sunday concert at the Winchester Cultural Center featuring Torres’ sextet.
Torres’ 1967 recording “Latino Con Soul” featured the vibraphone master on selections ranging from mambos to Latin-flavored versions of such pop hits as the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.”
During his career, Torres’ collaborators have included Charlie and Eddie Palmieri, salsa queen Celia Cruz and jazz great Dizzy Gillespie.
At Sunday’s concert, Torres will play vibes and percussion, joined by new band members Rocco Barbado on tenor sax, pianist Cocho Arbe, bassist Jiovanni Cofino, drummer Leandro Mena and singer Noybel.
The concert will take place at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 McLeod Drive. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 on the day of the concert; call 702-455-7340 for more information.
Theater
IRISH COMEDY MARKS
LAS VEGAS PREMIERE
It’s played all over the world — from Dublin to London to New York to the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City.
And this week, the award-winning comedy “Stones in His Pockets” makes its Las Vegas debut, as the British National Theatre of America brings the production to Shenanigans inside McMullen’s Irish Pub for a 16-performance run.
Directed by Troy Heard, Marie Jones’ comedy focuses on an Irish village turned topsy-turvy by the arrival of an American movie crew. Hired as extras, Charlie and Jake (played by Miles Coleman and Jeff Tribbitt) discover that Hollywood’s romanticized idea of Ireland stands in stark contrast to their daily reality.
In the play, Coleman and Tribbitt portray more than a dozen characters, from a spoiled American starlet to various star-struck locals.
“Stones in His Pockets” continues at 8 p.m. Friday, Wednesday and Thursday at Shenanigans in McMullen’s Irish Pub, 4650 W. Tropicana Ave. Additional shows are 1:30 p.m. July 21; 8 p.m. July 25-26; 1:30 p.m. July 28; 8 p.m. July 31 and Aug. 1-2; 1:30 p.m. Aug. 4; and 8 p.m. Aug. 7-9.
For tickets ($20) or more information, visit www.BNTofA.com.
Puppet show
‘20,000 LEAGUES’
SAILS INTO TOWN
It’s not your father’s — or your grandfather’s — “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”
Jules Verne’s 1870 adventure classic comes to life in a steampunk puppet show adaptation playing two local arts centers next week, courtesy of Portland-based Tears of Joy Theatre.
In the production, two steampunk enthusiasts recount their version of their favorite science fiction work, getting caught up in the wonder of the tale — and discussions of technology, science fiction and fact.
Portraying “20,000 Leagues’ ” central characters — Professor Pierre Arronax and the mysterious Captain Nemo — are jointed, hand-carved puppets manipulated by a pair of narrators. Other puppets also play major roles, including one depicting a giant squid that menaces Captain Nemo’s submarine, the Nautilus.
Performances of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St., and 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St.
Tickets are $3 and may be purchased online at www.artslasvegas.org or by calling 702-229-3515 or 702-229-6383.
— By CAROL CLING
