Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

2011 Fall A+E Guide: Culture from Beethoven to banned comics

Banned Comics

Critic’s Pick

Vespers Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater (November 4-6) Formed in 2007 by Cirque dancer Bernard H. Gaddis and Charmaine Hunter, this company merges contemporary and classical dance to present a wide variety of style and programming. Gaddis, a former principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, built the Las Vegas company with dancers from varying cultural, racial and social backgrounds (ranging in age from teens to 50s), making it his mission to reflect the diversity of the local community. See what makes LVCDT—set to become residents at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts—the hottest company in town when it performs Ulysses Dove’s Vespers at the West Las Vegas Library Theater. lvcontemporarydancetheater.com. –KRISTEN PETERSON

Locals Only CENTERpiece Gallery (Through November 13) The Strip gallery’s locals exhibition series continues with the art of Erik Beehn, who focuses on the mundane and overlooked, creating private moments in urban spaces. Opening reception September 8, 6-8 p.m. centerpiecelv.com.

Waiting for Godot Insurgo Theater Movement (Begins September 8) Samuel Beckett lands in the most unlikely place this month—the Plaza Hotel, Insurgo’s new home. The lineup for the great absurdist tragicomedy includes Ernie Curcio as Vladimir, John Beane as Estragon, Brandon McClenahan as Pozzo, Oliver Jones as Lucky and Carissa Berge-Sisneros as the Boy. insurgotheater.org.

Masterworks I Las Vegas Philharmonic (September 10) The Phil launches its Masterworks series at Ham Hall with a bang: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and guest artist Miles Hoffman performing William Walton’s “Viola Concerto.” It’s a hard-to-resist concert, even for those who’ve graduated beyond the familiar “da-da-da-dum!” lvphil.com.

Beneath the Surface & Site Conditioned Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery (September 16-October 22 and November 7-December 17) The UNLV gallery brings a double dose of artistic depth to its fall exhibition season. Surface features the ethereal photography of Linda Altweritz. Conditioned presents drawings by Siah Armajani, Richard Fleischner, Robert Irwin and George Trakas. donnabeamgallery.unlv.edu.

Onyx Theatre Fall Lineup (September 9-October 31) Picking among Onyx’s diverse schedule can be an arduous task. A few musts: Naked Boys Singing (Fridays and Sundays, through September 30), Michael O’Neal’s Nuthouse (September 9, 10, 23 and 24), Miss Coco Peru Does Vegas (September 23-25) andEvil Dead: The Musical (Thursdays and Saturdays, October 13-31). onyxtheatre.com.

Seduction of the Innocent: A visual exploration of banned comics Barrick Museum (September 30-October 28) While you’re there, check out We Will Survive (September 23-November 9), a fundraising exhibit of works donated by Las Vegas artists to keep the museum open in the wake of budget cuts. barrickmuseum.unlv.edu.

Death Valley Luau: Albert’s Tarantella IV Goldwell Open Air Museum (October 1) Fall’s a lovely time to head to the outskirts for this ghost-town hoedown, featuring art, music and theater in Rhyolite’s Red Barn Art Center. goldwellmuseum.org.

Dance Dance Dance! Nevada Ballet Theatre (October 29) For its 40th season, NBT teams up with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for a production that mixes contemporary with classical at Paris Las Vegas. nevadaballet.com.

Vegas Valley Book Festival (November 3-6) The book fest celebrates its 10th anniversary with a schedule that promises to draw 100 authors and 10,000 readers. Pre-festival events are already underway, including “Flash! The Short, Short Fiction-Writing Contest,” September 10 (2:30-4:30 p.m.) at the Clark County Library on East Flamingo. vegasvalleybookfestival.org.

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