Las Vegas Spotlight: October 2009

Mr. Las Vegas is back! Yes, Wayne Newton celebrates 50 years on the strip with a brand-new show, Once Before I Go, beginning a limited engagement at the Tropicana on October 14. The show is the chance to hear the unique story of a true entertainment icon, as told by the legend himself. Backed by a full orchestra and other multimedia surprises, Newton’s latest extravaganza should be an extraordinary event.

Chazz Palminteri’s A Bronx Tale concludes its national tour in Vegas. Hot off its successful run on Broadway, the critical smash is playing at The Venetian October 7-18. Written by and starring Palminteri, and directed by four-time Tony winner Jerry Zaks, the gripping story recounts a young boy’s life on the mean streets of the Bronx during the 1960s, and the characters he encountered.

Another not-to-be missed event: Justin Timberlake and Friends Concert for Shriners Hospitals for Children, October 17 at Mandalay Bay. The pop superstar will be joined by Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, Ciara, and none other than 1990s R&B sensation TLC; the long awaited reunion will be the first time in seven years since Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozanda “Chili” Thomas have performed on-stage in the U.S.

It’s another big month for music in Sin City; Kylie Minogue (October 3), Mariah Carey (October 9), and former Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas (October 24) are playing at the Pearl at The Palms Casino. The legendary Bob Dylan will light up The Joint at Hard Rock on October 18, and keeping with the Halloween spirit for the month of October, Alice Cooper welcomes you to his nightmare at the Orleans Showroom, October 23-25.

Speaking of Halloween, it’s that time again: the Fourteenth Annual Las Vegas Fetish & Fantasy Halloween Ball at The Joint at Hard Rock (October 31, of course!). The legendary bash is described as “the largest and most exciting Adult Halloween Event in Vegas History,” and is the ultimate wild party in the ultimate wild party town. Among other things, expect to find fire performers, lasers and lights, DJs Donald Glaude, Scooter and LaVelle, and CB Shaw, performances by Girls in Rubber, and of course you, wearing the most erotic costume you can imagine. Needless to say, this event is for ages 21 and over — I guess trick or treat isn’t just for the kiddies…

And for you theater lovers… yes, they’re back, fighting crime in cha-cha heels! It’s Chico’s Angels #2: Love Boat Chicas (The Onyx Theater, October 2-4). Written by Oscar Quintero and Kurt Koehler, and directed by Koehler, the ongoing series’ latest installment has the three Latina detectives who failed the police academy going undercover on a swinging cruise ship to solve a murder mystery. The Las Vegas Little Theatre presents David Mamet’s The Shawl (October 23-November 1), directed by Ruth Palileo. The drama tells the story of an amateur psychic and his conniving student, and their attempt to defraud a woman out of her inheritance.

UNLV’s Nevada Conservatory Theatre presents the Stephen Sondheim/George Furth musical Company (October 2-11), the landmark show about a single man in his mid-30s contemplating his bachelorhood. And Signature Productions presents the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I (October 22-November 21), the story of a strong-willed schoolteacher and the King of Siam, at the Summerlin Library Performing Arts Center.