Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Curtain Up: Cirque artists unite for Ignite, the Comedy Cellar returns and more Vegas showbiz news

Brandon Pereyda

Courtesy

Former “Zumanity” artist Brandon Pereyda is the co-artistic director for the upcoming Ignite event.

A brand-new, two-night, outdoor festival-style experience created by former Cirque du Soleil artists Sandi Croft (artistic director of “Mystére,” “O” and “Zumanity”) and Brandon Pereyda (aerialist and emcee of “Zumanity”) is coming to Sandy Valley Ranch in the desert just across the Nevada-California border and tickets are on sale now. Ignite is set for May 7 and 8 and will feature music, food trucks and more than two dozen circus artists who have performed in Cirque productions and other shows on the Las Vegas Strip and around the world. The roster includes singer Corrine Zarzour from “Zumanity,” dancers Alison Burke, Taylor Bradley and Tiffany DeAlba from “The Beatles LOVE,” acrobats Adam Michael Denny and Wyatt Hopkins from “Le Réve,” fire artist Antonio Restivo, acrobat Holland Lohse from “The Beatles LOVE” and “Michael Jackson ONE,” and master clown RJ Owens from “Mystére,” to name just a few. For more information, visit ignitenv.com.

The Comedy Cellar at the Rio is coming back to life next week. Reopening night on April 17 features emcee Mark Cohen with Rick Delia, Brian McKim and Kathleen Dunbar in 7 and 9:30 p.m. shows, with the same lineup on April 18. After that, stand-up shows ramp up Thursday through Sunday. Tickets are on sale today.

Fresh off a captivating performance as part of last weekend’s gospel brunch concert at DW Bistro, Skye Dee Miles will take over for Sunday brunch at Jing at Downtown Summerlin this weekend. Other acts start at 11 a.m. while Miles starts at 4 p.m. If you can’t wait to see her, check out the new Netflix series “Worn Stories,” where she and her wardrobe appear along with longtime local business Tiffany Cleaners.

Cirque Mechanics, a local circus arts learning hub founded by Chris and Aida Lashua, is set to bring its first event in more than a year to Bears Best Golf Course on April 15-17. The golf cart-based “Drive-N-Dine Circus” is a family-friendly version of the popular cycling-inspired show “Pedal Punk” that will present a circus-on-the-green at the Summerlin-area course with a circus-themed meal package option on every ticket. A portion of proceeds will benefit Social Cirkish, a performing arts program for at-risk youth. Ticket info can be found at cirquemechanics.com.

The Nevada Room, the piano bar bistro and supper club showroom expansion of the Vegas Room at Commercial Center, is set to host its first show on April 25 with “Ella: The Early Years,” a jazz tribute to the great Ella Fitzgerald created by vocalist Amanda King. It’s not an official grand opening but it will be a fundraiser for the Forgotten Song Foundation. Stay tuned for more info at thenevadaroom.com.

Comedian Bill Burr has rescheduled his 2020 dates at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan for July 2 and 3, and those gigs will serve as the kickoff for a two-year residency for Burr at the venue. Those shows round out a Chelsea slate that’s getting busy with the recently announced Billy Idol concerts in October and rescheduled performances from John Legend on September 18 and Sech on August 28.

Big country music concerts are coming back to the Strip, and we’re not just talking about the impending Garth Brooks show at Allegiant Stadium on July 10. Multiplatinum star Kane Brown will wrap his recently announced, 35-city Blessed & Free Tour with a show at T-Mobile Arena on February 4, 2022. And CMA Entertainer of the Year Eric Church touches down at the same spot during his The Gather Again Tour on May 13, 2022.