Top 10 things to do in Las Vegas this week
PERFORMANCE
1. Garrison Keillor
Essayist/humorist/storyteller Garrison Keillor will tell a few stories, dabble in a bit of poetry and even lead an audience singalong or two during “Garrison Keillor: Stories from Lake Wobegon,” Friday, Jan. 21 at The Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall. Keillor hosted “A Prairie Home Companion” for more than 40 years, so guests also are likely to hear an update about what’s been going in that small Minnesota town where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking and all the children are above average. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. and tickets start at $29. thesmithcenter.com
— John Przybys
MUSIC
2. Wayne Newton
It had gotten easy to take Wayne Newton for granted. You just expected him to be on the Strip, like the Fountains of Bellagio or those feathered women who vaguely resemble showgirls and want to take photos with you. He was always there — until he wasn’t. The nearly two years since the start of the pandemic may be the longest Newton has been away from a Las Vegas stage since he first performed at the Fremont in 1958, but Mr. Las Vegas is back. “Wayne: Up Close and Personal” is set for 8 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Flamingo starting Monday, Jan. 24. Tickets start at $82.
— Christopher Lawrence
EXHIBIT
3. ‘Local Explorations’
You know Omega Mart as the kaleidoscopic freak-out psychedelic immersive installation at Area15. It’s also the work of many artists, plenty of them local. Work by 13 of them comprise “Local Explorations,” a peppy new exhibit at Core Contemporary. Like who, you ask? Clarice Tara, Jerry Misko, Heather Hermann, Valentin Yordanov, Brent Sommerhauser, to name a few. That’s some rock ‘n’ roll, people. Opens Saturday, Jan. 22, with a 6 p.m. reception, and runs through Feb. 26; 900 E. Karen Ave., corecontemporary.com
— Scott Dickensheets
HISTORY
4. ‘Surviving the Holocaust’
As the number of living Holocaust survivors dwindles, it’s vital to keep the stories alive. In honor of International holocaust Remembrance Day, the Clark County Library will host “Surviving the Holocaust,” stories of how people survived the Nazi’s beauracratized slaughter. Thursday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m., 1401 E. Flamingo Road, free, lvccld.org
— Scott Dickensheets
HEAVY
5. Tool
Go ask your doctor, she’ll tell you: What you need in your life to enhance your physical and mental well-being are more 15-minute prog-metal opuses that unfold like the “Illiad” with gnarled riffs and a spiky-haired fellow bellowing about the apocalypse. Thankfully, this prescription can be filled by Tool, a band that waylays eyes and ears with an onslaught of light and sound like few others. See why they remain one of the best live acts around — and get there early for co-ed indie rockers Blonde Redhead — at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, at T-Mobile Arena. Tickets start at $55; axs.com.
— Jason Bracelin
MUSICAL THEATER
6. ‘My Fair Lady’
If you can’t trust musical theater, who can you turn to? It turns out we’ve been lied to all these decades with the idea that the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain. Apparently, the rain there is largely contained to the mountains and the northwestern corner of the country. Anyway, that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying “The Rain in Spain” and other earworms, including “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” and “Get Me to the Church on Time,” when the Lincoln Center Theater production of “My Fair Lady” rolls into Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. See it at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25-30, with 2 p.m. matinees on Jan. 29-30. Tickets start at $30.
— Christopher Lawrence
MUSIC
7. David Foster
“I got mad hits like I was Rod Carew,” Beastie Boy Mike D once boasted in song. So what does that make David Foster? Music’s Tony Gwynn? The songwriter/producer is like a well-coiffed jukebox, penning and producing signature tunes for a galaxy of stars. Among them: Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me,” Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing,” Chicago’s “You’re The Inspiration,” Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable,” to name but a few. Now, Foster is taking center stage and performing and telling the stories behind some of his most well-known songs on his current “Hit Man Tour.” See him at 8 p.m. Friday at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. The show is sold-out, but resale tickets are available at ticketmaster.com. (Foster just announced a return to the venue on April 20 and 22-23).
— Jason Bracelin
THEATER
8. “Everything’s Coming Up Barbara”
Leah Sprecher brings her parody of musical theater’s grand dames to the Majestic Repertory Theater for one night only after successful runs in Los Angeles and New York City. The show satirizes, the synopsis says, “the autobiographical cabaret shows of song-and-dance broads like Elaine Stritch, Liza Minelli and Barbara Cook” in the form of the fictional and oversharing “Barbara Dixon.” Shows will be at 8 and 11:45 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, and tickets start at $35. The Majestic Repertory Theater is at 1217 S. Main St. majesticrepertory.com
— John Przybys
READING
9. ‘Sex Cult Nun’ by Faith Jones
The Children of God was a religious cult that believed it was girding itself for the End Times, and became notorious for its, ahem, “alarming sex practices.” Jones was raised in the cult — her grandfather founded it — and “Sex Cult Nun” is her memoir of survival and escape. Friday, Jan. 21, 7 p.m., free, at the Writer’s Block, 519 S. Sixth St., thewritersblock.org
— Scott Dickensheets
CLASSICAL
10. Las Vegas Sinfonietta
The Las Vegas Sinfonietta will perform Mozart’s last three symphonies (Nos. 39-41) Sunday, Jan. 23, at the Clark County Library Theater. The concert begins at 3 p.m. and tickets are $28 for adults and $14 for students (children under 12 free). eventbrite.com/e/219452577567
— John Przybys
Looking for more things to do? Check out our searchable database of events, exhibits and restaurants around the Las Vegas Valley.
