Arts briefs: Music and theater

Opera
UNLV OPERA THEATER
PRESENTS FIERY ‘CARMEN’
Your operatic knowledge may not extend much beyond “What’s Opera, Doc?” But chances are you know “Carmen.”
After all, naive soldier Don Jose isn’t the only one the fiery, flirtatious title gypsy has captivated in the 137 years since Georges Bizet’s opera made its debut at Paris’ Opera Comique. (Ironically, that production was a flop; “Carmen” didn’t catch on until another production, a few months later, in Vienna.)
“Carmen” has everything, from a colorful Spanish setting to a fatal love triangle. Not to mention two of the most famous melodies in musical history: Carmen’s own aria, the habanera, about love’s untamed nature, and the stirring “Toreador Song.”
This weekend, the UNLV Opera Theater brings “Carmen’s” pageantry, tempestuous romance and memorable melodies, to Artemus Ham Concert Hall on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. LaToya Lain sings the title role at 7:30 tonight and 3 p.m. Sunday, while Kathleen McVicker sings the role at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Linda Lister directs; Taras Krysa conducts the UNLV Symphony Orchestra.
Tickets are $25 general admission, $15 for faculty, staff, military and seniors, and $5 for students with ID and are available at the UNLV Performing Arts Center box office, by telephone at 895-2787 or online at http://pac.unlv.edu.

Music
IT’S THE WONDER YEAR
FOR SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE
Cabaret Jazz, the intimate bilevel club at the new Smith Center for the Performing Arts, launches the jazz side of its lineup this weekend with the SFJAZZ Collective’s salute to Stevie Wonder.
For its ninth-season tour, the ensemble looks beyond jazz masters to explore Wonder favorites from “Superstition” to “Sir Duke.” (Although, come to think of it, “Sir Duke” pays tribute to jazz legends from Duke Ellington to Ella Fitzgerald.)
The collective’s eight members also will perform original tunes during their Smith Center debut, which is part of a 21-city tour that’s taken them everywhere from New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center to the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, Ark.
The musical lineup includes saxophonists Antonio Hart and Mark Turner, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, trombonist Robin Eubanks, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, pianist Edward Simon, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland.
They’ll perform at 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Cabaret Jazz, The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park. Tickets are $39, $49 and $69 and are available by phone at 749-2000 or online at www.TheSmithCenter.com.

Theater
DOG’S LIFE INSPIRES
‘SYLVIA’ AT UNLV
The eternal triangle takes on a different angle in “Sylvia,” which focuses on a married couple — and the dog that comes between them.
The Nevada Conservatory Theatre production of A.R. Gurney’s comedy, recommended for adult audiences, opens a seven-performance run tonight in the Black Box Theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The play focuses on husband Greg (played by Alan Dronek ) and wife Kate (Dhyana Dahl ), who move to Manhattan after 22 years of child-raising in the suburbs. But when Greg brings home a dog he’s found in the park (or, perhaps, a dog that’s found him), the street-smart Labrador-poodle mix, bearing the name “Sylvia” on her name tag, becomes a major bone of contention for the couple.
Paris McCarthy plays the title role, stepping into a part that was created onstage by Sarah Jessica Parker.
Director Doug Hill, who holds a master’s degree in theater arts from UNLV, returns to Las Vegas following two years with Tucson’s Arizona Theatre Company.
“Sylvia” will be presented at 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Black Box Theatre; additional performances are scheduled at 8 p.m. March 22-24 and 2 p.m. March 25. Tickets are $15 and are available at the UNLV Performing Arts Center box office, by telephone at 895-2787 or online at http://pac.unlv.edu.