Decisions, decisions … ‘The Lyons,’ a jazz combo and lots more
Theater
COCKROACH ENDS
SEASON WITH ‘LYONS’
“The Lyons” roar as Cockroach Theatre concludes its season with playwright Nicky Silver’s dark family farce.
Father Ben’s on his deathbed and mother Rita’s flipping through magazines, seeking inspiration for the redecoration she plans after he goes. But Ben’s not gone yet, as his candid comments demonstrate. And the conversation only gets more caustic after the arrival of their children reopens old wounds.
“Silver never met a pain he couldn’t laugh at,” wrote New York critic Lloyd Rose, and “The Lyons” demonstrates the playwright’s witty take on anguish — and the loneliness of life, even in the bosom of one’s own family.
Taliesin McEnaney directs a cast that includes Nick Batton, Lee Ludwig Myers, Aaron Oetting, Dale Parry, Ela Rose and Anita Bean Sande.
“The Lyons” is presented at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Art Square Theatre, 1025 S. First St. The play wraps up its run at 8 p.m. May 22-25 and 2 p.m. May 26. Tickets ($20 general, $16 for students, seniors and military) are available online at www.cockroachtheatre.com or at the door.
Jazz
CONCERTS SHOWCASE
COBB, ROSE ENSEMBLES
Jazz fans can celebrate their favorite music at two separate concerts this weekend.
The Jimmy Cobb Trio will perform Saturday at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater as part of the county’s 25th annual Jazz in the Park series; they’ll be joined by the Las Vegas Academy Jazz Combo.
Cobb’s drumming has played a vital role in recordings from jazz legends such as John Coltrane and Miles Davis, whose 1958 classic “Kind of Blue” features (among others) Cobb, Coltrane and fellow legends Cannonball Adderley and Bill Evans.
The free concert begins at 7 p.m. Saturday at the amphitheater, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. (Seating for those with picnic baskets, blankets and low-back chairs starts at 6 p.m.; food vendors will be on site.) For more information, call 702-455-8200.
And Sunday afternoon, Ronnie Rose and his ensemble headline the Las Vegas Jazz Society’s ongoing series at the Bootlegger Bistro, 7700 Las Vegas Blvd. South.
Rose and his ensemble — Gary Anderson on sax, Dave Perrico on trumpet, Steve Meyer on trombone, Chris Gordan on bass, Ryan Rose on drums and Mike Clark on keyboards — will perform at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance (or for jazz society members), $12 at the door and $5 for students. For reservations, call 702-313-6778.
Music and dance
ASIAN, LATIN TROUPES
SHARE TRADITIONS
The celebrations continue this weekend during Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, with events at the Discovery Children’s Museum and Clark County Library, while the Mexican folkloric troupe Xochipilli Macuilxochitl shares the Winchester Cultural Center stage with Peruvian counterparts.
The Discovery Museum’s focus shifts to China Saturday with a celebration of its culture, art and traditions, featuring the Shirley Chen Dancers and the Las Vegas Kung Fu Academy.
Opportunities for artistic expression keyed to the Chinese celebration are featured through May 23 at the museum, 360 Promenade Place, which is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $12; call 702-382-5437 for more information.
Two Japanese musical styles, meanwhile, unite in one free concert Sunday, as the Clark County Library hosts “Music of Japan: Best of Both Words — Taiko and J-rock.”
Las Vegas Kaminari Taiko will evoke traditional folk culture with thunderous taiko drumming, while the Japanese American band Ichigo Crush will perform J-pop and J-rock anthems from favorite anime shows and videogames.
The free concert begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Additional information is available at 702-507-3459 or www.lvccld.org.
Meanwhile, Saturday at the Winchester center, Xochipilli Macuilxochitl will dance to the music of Mariachi Mexico Antiguo, while the dance troupe La Asociacion Cultural Peruvana will present Peruvian dances.
The performance begins at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Winchester center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. For information and tickets ($10 in advance, $12 on show day), call 702-455-7340 or visit http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/parksregistration.
Local history
PANEL EXPLORES
TOURISM’S IMPACT
Long before casino moguls turned Las Vegas into a tourist mecca, another hospitality empire lured travelers to the Southwest: Fred Harvey, whose Harvey House restaurants and hotels pioneered service for rail and road travelers from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries.
Harvey’s influence inspires Wednesday’s free program “Tourism, Hospitality and the Lure of the West: How the Harvey Houses Heralded Las Vegas,” which explores how travel became an American pastime and how the Harvey House business model influenced Las Vegas — and other Western cities.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday, a reception at the Nevada Humanities Program Gallery, 1017 S. First St., will feature Harvey House-inspired finger foods and a book signing with Stephen Fried, author of “Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the West — One Meal at a Time.”
At 7 p.m., Fried will join other panelists — including David Schwarz, director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research, and former Las Vegas mayor Jan Jones Blackhurst, a Caesars Entertainment vice president — for a discussion at the adjacent Art Square Theatre, 1025 S. First St.
The program will “provide a lively and informative experience for Las Vegas locals and city visitors to explore, and more deeply understand, the roots of this city,” says Christina Barr, Nevada Humanities’ executive director.
For more information, call 702-592-2164.
Music
AUSTRALIA’S BONHAM
SAYS ‘G’DAY’ AT CABARET
It’s hard to sing and play the trumpet, although a few artists — notably jazz legend Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong — have managed success at both.
Add Greg Bonham to that list. The Australian entertainer — who’s sold more than 14 million records in Europe — will say “G’Day, Las Vegas” with a Friday night show at The Smith Center’s Cabaret Jazz.
Backed by a 10-piece band, Bonham will deliver his versions of hits by artists such as U2 and Bruno Mars to Michael Buble and Maynard Ferguson.
He’ll perform at 7 p.m. Friday in Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave. For tickets ($42-$48), call 702-749-2000 or visit www.thesmithcenter.com.
— By CAROL CLING
