Play Per View
Fatigued by Clinton-Obama? Try family drama, historical trauma and a song-a-rama.
They're viable alternatives to the news-channel nattering of political theater, so swap the talk shows of Fox News, CNN and MSNBC for the stages of Las Vegas Little Theatre, Las Vegas Academy and the Summerlin Performing Arts Center this weekend.
"My father was more or less silent. My mother was more or less mad. They married because by 1960, they had reached a certain age, and they were the last ones left in the room. ... And my father became spectacularly successful. ... And my mother grew increasingly mad."
-- From "Three Days of Rain"
On the stage: One set of actors plays two sets of characters in this tale of a brother, sister and childhood buddy who reunite in 1995 to split the estate of their late fathers, who were partners in an architecture firm. When the story backtracks to 1960, the same performers portray the previous generation.
On the page: Playwright Richard Greenberg ("Take Me Out") wrote the piece critics call "a play about the mysteries of the heart that parents bequeath to their children" and "a delicately mournful parable of dashed hopes, well-intentioned legacies gone awry and pleasures barely grasped before they fade."
Where to go: Las Vegas Little Theatre, 3920 Schiff Drive (362-7996)
When to show: 8 p.m. today, Saturday, Thursday, April 4-5, 10-12; 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6, 13
What you'll pay: $19 and $22
By the way: The Broadway production marked Julia Roberts' stage debut, drawing major attention and middling reviews.
"A hundred days before you leave, you start filling in a calendar, marking off each day. I don't care how I get out of here, but somebody just get me out! I am going to start screaming and never stop! Men wanted that war! Men made that war! WOMEN NEVER MADE A WAR LIKE THAT!"
-- From "A Piece of My Heart"
On the stage: Stories of six women -- three nurses, a Red Cross worker, a Women's Army Corps member and a USO entertainer -- who served in Vietnam. The first act follows their lives on military bases, the last follows them readjusting -- or failing to -- at home.
On the page: Shirley Lauro based her play on Keith Walker's 1986 oral history in which 26 of approximately 1,500 American women dispatched to Southeast Asia recounted their experiences.
Where to go: Las Vegas Academy Black Box Theatre, corner of 10th Street and Lewis Avenue (799-7800, ext. 5103)
When to show: 7 p.m. today, Saturday, Thursday, April 4-5
What you'll pay: $12.
By the way: In many productions, one actor plays more than 15 male characters.
"Shall we dance? On a bright cloud of music shall we fly? Shall we dance? Shall we then say 'Good night' and mean 'Goodbye'? Or perchance, when the last little star has left the sky, shall we still be together with our arms around each other and shall you be my new romance?"
-- "Shall We Dance," from "A Grand Night for Singing"
On the stage: Musical theater demigods Rodgers and Hammerstein are celebrated in production numbers by a troupe of singer-dancers from Signature Productions.
On the page: The score includes tunes not only from iconic hits "Carousel," "The King and I," "Oklahoma" and "South Pacific," but the more obscure "State Fair," "Allegro," "Me and Juliet" and "Pipe Dreams."
Where to go: Summerlin Performing Arts Center, 1771 Inner Circle Drive (878-7529)
When to show: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and Mondays through April 26 with 2 p.m. shows April 12 and 19
What you'll pay: $15-$25
By the way: Pre-Broadway, "A Grand Night for Singing" was born as a cabaret-style revue at Rainbow & Stars atop Rockefeller Center.
Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0256.
