The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
**May Performance Listings**
Attractions / Tours
The Smith Center
Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.
Free to the public
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts offers free, guided walking tours of the world-class campus on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. highlighting its architectural accomplishments, artwork and historic overview. Tours last approximately 60 minutes and are limited to 20 patrons per tour. To register for a tour, please visit www.TheSmithCenter.com.
May Show Listings
As of April 1, 2013
REYNOLDS HALL
Las Vegas Philharmonic – Masterworks V– Celestial Bodies
Saturday, May 4 at 8 p.m., Pre-concert conversation at 7:15 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $46
Reynolds Hall
Boldly go with the Las Vegas Philharmonic on an otherworldly journey in this final concert of the 2012/2013 season. Gustav Holst completed his score of “The Planets” in 1916, inspired by astrolabes and 60 years before NASA would transmit the first pictures from the surface of Mars. At these performances we will hear his score and see high-definition images of our solar system that Holst could never have dreamed possible. The program begins with Hugo Alven’s invigorating Rhapsody on a Swedish folk theme, and the Prelude and Liebestod from “Tristan und Isolde,” in honor of the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
Nevada Ballet Theatre – “Romeo & Juliet”
Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 12 at 1 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $39
Reynolds Hall
Artistic Director James Canfield has an unseen talent for transforming text into dance. Now, for an unforgettable season finale, he will bring one of the bard’s most beloved tales to life just in time for Mother’s Day weekend.
“Billy Elliot The Musical”
Tuesday-Friday, May 14-17 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 18 and Sunday May 19 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $24
Reynolds Hall
Winner of ten 2009 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, Time Magazine’s “Best Musical of the Decade” is coming to Las Vegas! “Billy Elliot” is the joyous celebration of one young boy’s journey to make his dreams come true. Set in a small town, the story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class to discover a surprising passion. With its award-winning creative team and music by Elton John, “Billy Elliot” will enchant the dreamer in all of us.
Olympia Dukakis in Rose: A Concert Reading
Tuesday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $26
Reynolds Hall
A remarkable life that began in a tiny Russian village, moved on to Warsaw’s ghettos and a ship called “The Exodus,” and finally to the boardwalks of Atlantic City, the Arizona Canyons and salsa-flavored nights in Miami Beach. A portrait of a feisty Jewish woman who has survived some of the major events that shaped the 20th century with humor, guile, and spirit.
Audi Speaker Series
Frank Abagnale: Catch Me If You Can
Thursday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $24
Reynolds Hall
Frank Abagnale is the notorious imposter and trickster who inspired the award-winning movie and Broadway musical, “Catch Me If You Can.” Known as America’s most gifted con man, Abagnale takes audiences on a roller coaster ride as he tells his story of impersonating a pilot, pediatrician, stockbroker, college professor and even an assistant attorney general, all while cashing $2.5 million dollars in forged checks.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band and The Del McCoury Band
Friday, May 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $26
Reynolds Hall
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band and The Del McCoury Band bring two beloved bands and two different genres to one stage. The hot and happy music of authentic New Orleans jazz finally meets the lonesome sounds of the Appalachians, a rare meeting that has delighted audiences around the country.
CABARET JAZZ
Clint Holmes Birthday Celebration
Friday, May 3 at 8:30 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $35
Cabaret Jazz
A master entertainer, Clint Holmes never performs the same show twice. Instead, he features a constantly evolving kaleidoscope of music every single night, ranging from contemporary to jazz to Broadway. Showcasing the greatest songwriters from around the world, he creates a spellbinding evening of music that’s both live and alive. His May show celebrates his birthday featuring many special guests including his sisters.
Molly Ringwald
Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11 at 7 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $35
Cabaret Jazz
Famed actress and singer Molly Ringwald is set to bring the Great American Songbook to Cabaret Jazz. Considered a national treasure, the songs penned by these brilliant composers and lyricists have thrilled and inspired audiences for decades. Finding equal inspiration in many of the great singers who have sung these songs – including Bessie, Ella, Anita, Blossom and Susannah – Ringwald’s talents capture their musical virtuosity and tremendous gifts of interpretation.
Lisa Hilton “American Impressions & More”
Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18 at 7 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $35
Cabaret Jazz
Lisa Hilton is considered one of the most distinctive composers and pianists in jazz today. Trained as a classical pianist but with a degree in art, she creates evocative and impressionistic “sound paintings.” In the book “The New Face of Jazz,” Hilton was “compared to some of the best pianists in history,” – her imagistic compositions drawing deeply on classical traditions, twentieth century modernists, and the avant-garde as much as they reference American jazz and blues icons. The “Lioness of Jazz” regularly plays with many of this era’s jazz luminaries and has released a total of fourteen critically acclaimed albums.
A Motown Extravaganza
Friday, May 24 and Saturday, May 25 at 7 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $32
Cabaret Jazz
Award-winning vocal quartet Spectrum and their stunning sister group Radiance perform together in their unbelievable tribute to Motown and R&B music. Returning for their first Las Vegas appearance together since their sold out show during The Smith Center’s first season, the eight stellar vocalists sing and dance their way through one of the most influential American songbooks of all time. The look, class, style, choreography, harmonies and costuming are captured as only Spectrum and Radiance can. Internationally acclaimed, they will leave you wanting more, with stirring renditions of classic hits by the Temptations, Supremes, 4 Tops, Marvelettes, Vandellas, Miracles, Stylistics and Donna Summer.
Karla Bonoff
Friday, May 31 at 7 p.m. & Saturday, June 1 at 2 & 7 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $36
Cabaret Jazz
Karla Bonoff has been described as one of the finest singer/songwriters of her generation. And in her case, that description is not hyperbole. With a career spanning four decades, Bonoff has enjoyed critical acclaim, commercial success, enduring popularity and the unwavering respect of her peers. In addition to achieving chart success with her own recordings, Karla has seen her songs become hits for such stellar artists as Bonnie Raitt, Wynonna Judd and Linda Ronstadt. Many of Bonoff’s ballads are now pop classics. All the while, she has continued to tour extensively, playing sold-out shows around the world. Karla’s moving vocals on her rich, expressive songs are like standing beneath a sparkling waterfall–refreshing, exhilarating, restorative. And hearing them live can be transformative.
SYMPHONY PARK
Fabulous Thunderbirds
Friday, May 10 at 8:30 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $20
Symphony Park
For more than 30 years, the Fabulous Thunderbirds have been the quintessential American band, incorporating Cajun, Blues, Rock and R&B sounds. The Grammy nominated band was founded in 1974 in Austin, Texas by front man and internationally acclaimed harmonica player Kim Wilson and the famed guitarist Jimmie Vaughan. In the 1980’s the band had a string of hits including, “Tuff Enuff”, “Wrap it Up”, “How Do You Spell Love” and “Powerful Stuff.” They have toured with the likes of Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones. The group’s distinctive and powerful sound is influenced by a diversity of musical styles. Blues legend Muddy Waters called Wilson his favorite harmonica player and vocalist. “Muddy Waters was very good to me,” Wilson says. “He almost adopted me. I’ll never forget him.” Their critically acclaimed album “On The Verge” was released in March 2013 on Severn Records.
About The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
The hallmark of downtown Las Vegas’ 61-acre urban development known as Symphony Park, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is a public-private partnership that opened in March 2012. Heralded as the city’s Heart of the Arts®, The Smith Center is an architectural triumph and long-awaited cultural achievement that educates and entertains the citizens of Southern Nevada. The $470 million world-class performing arts center offers a blend of performances by resident companies, first-run touring attractions, lectures and internationally acclaimed performers in music, theater and dance. The five-acre campus features four performance spaces including the 2,050-seat Reynolds Hall, a 258-seat Cabaret Jazz club, the 250-seat Troesh Studio Theater and the 1.7-acre Donald W. Reynolds Symphony Park for outdoor concerts. Additionally, the campus is home to the Discovery Children’s Museum that opened in March 2013. For more information about The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, please visit www.TheSmithCenter.com. Keep up with news and events on Facebook and follow The Smith Center on Twitter at @SmithCenterLV.