‘Listen to Our Song’ performance to benefit Golden Rainbow

One of the things that makes Vegas community theater different from most others is that it intertwines so frequently with local and visiting professionals.

For example, William Waldrop recently did the musical directing chores for Insurgo Theater's "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." He's also the assistant conductor for The Venetian's "Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular." And now he's gearing up, along with local lyricist Robert Williamson, to produce a benefit for Golden Rainbow at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Clark County Library called "Listen to Our Song."

About 18 performers from "Phantom" will be on hand -- including John Paul Almon, Courtney Combs, Sarah Elizabeth Combs, Bruce Ewing, Benjamin Hale, Kristen Hertzenberg, Patrick Leveque, Greg Sample, Tina Walsh and Danielle White -- bringing to life mostly original musical-theater works. The songwriters claim the evening will "veer toward the edge of the outrageous." Golden Rainbow supports locals HIV/AIDS services. Tickets can be reserved for $20 at waldripandwilliamson.com. ...

A good-size house turned out Saturday night at the Las Vegas Little Theatre Black Box for the "bon voyage" performance of Butcher Block's "Morphotic."

Director/writer Shawn Hackler was giving his production -- which played last season at the Onyx -- one last brush-up before heading for Kansas City, Mo., for a fringe festival (KCfrine.org). Hackler describes the absurdist script as "based on Franz Kafka's life and works, set entirely at the very moment of Kafka's death, when multiple hallucinations bloom, man becomes bug, nurse becomes whore, consumptive disease becomes jazz dance and Kafka's personal misery becomes art." That description would make better sense if you'd seen the show.

LVLT's board president is encouraging Hackler to steal as many ideas as he can in Kansas City to help with the festival here next summer. ...

Local director/entrepreneur Terrence Williams doesn't seem to stay idle very long.

You might recall he tried to bring plays and improv comedy to the Stagedoor Theatre in the heavily trafficked Town Square, but failed after nine months of touch-and-go.

He's back.

His critically acclaimed production of "Ain't Misbehavin' " closed last weekend at Super Summer Theatre. And now, on Friday and Saturday nights, he's sponsoring his "Free Beer" improv at the Excalibur lounge.

Williams explains the show as "two fraternities battling for beer, bragging rights and bubonic plague." Eh, whatever. I wonder, though, when he'll get respectable and open a play there. ...

In a recent review of the Utah Shakespearean Festival's "The Merchant of Venice" -- which runs through Sept. 3 in Cedar City, Utah -- I wrote, "(The director) gives the story an unusual and vastly entertaining ominous spin. It has the feel of a thriller. She's greatly helped by Gerald Rheault's creepy underscoring." I guess I got so carried away by the excitement of the music that I failed to notice its correct source: Lindsay Jones. This master of music and design has myriad credits and awards (check out his website lindsayjones.com) and certainly deserves to be recognized for his contribution to "The Merchant of Venice."

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas NV 89125.