Adam Jackson/Spiegelworld
Shania Twain at “Opium.”
Monday, Oct. 14, 2019 | 3:30 p.m.
What an incredible weekend for artistic collaboration between the resident companies of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts and many of the Strip’s most talented entertainers. Nevada Ballet Theatre’s annual team-up with Cirque du Soleil for the dynamic Choreographer’s Showcase production wrapped up with more than a dozen original pieces performed Saturday and Sunday at Treasure Island’s Mystére Theater, and on Saturday night, the Las Vegas Philharmonic put on a concert to remember with the Very Vegas Showcase at Reynolds Hall.
With conductor Donato Cabrera and host and curator Keith Thompson at the helm, the orchestra thrilled with a collection of Vegas-themed pieces and original compositions from local artists, a bigger version of Thompson’s monthly showcase at Myron’s Cabaret Jazz. Standout guest performers included Eric Jordan Young doing Sammy Davis Jr., Travis Cloer doing Frank Sinatra, Michelle Johnson doing Ella Fitzgerald and Clint Holmes bringing the house down. Extended pieces from Las Vegas native and member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Kenny Rampton and Cirque du Soleil conductor Richard Oberacker were simply astounding. This concert will easily be one of the most memorable nights of music in Las Vegas this year or any other.
Danica Patrick at Marche Bacchus.
Former and future Las Vegas Strip headliner Shania Twain was at the Cosmopolitan Saturday night to take in the comedic space odyssey “Opium” and stuck around to take a few photos with members of the cast. The pop country queen’s presence comes as no surprise; I recently interviewed Twain for Las Vegas Magazine and she can’t get enough Vegas. She told me she fell in love with the city during her residency at the Colosseum from 2012 to 2014 and she currently enjoys going to shows, eating at different restaurants and going to Vegas Golden Knights hockey games. You can listen to my interview on an upcoming episode of the Sun on the Strip podcast and you can see Twain in her new residency, “Let’s Go!” opening Dec. 6 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood.
WWE superstar Alexa Bliss, in town for Friday night’s supercard at T-Mobile Arena, was spotted attending “Magic Mike Live” at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Saturday night. The six-time champ posed with the cast for photos after the show.
Somnium Wine proprietor and retired professional racing driver Danica Patrick hosted a wine dinner at beloved neighborhood gem Marche Bacchus French bistro and wine shop on Saturday. Guests enjoyed tastings from Patrick’s Somnium Vineyards near Howell Mountain in Napa, Calif., before and during a four-course dinner including strawberry pistachio salad and pan-seared Arctic char.
“Vanderpump Rules” and “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” reality star Lisa Vanderpump served as the grand marshal in the weekend’s downtown Pride parade Friday and also appeared at the official Pride Poolside Afterparty at Venus Pool & Lounge at Caesars Palace on Sunday. She partnered with Caesars to open Vanderpump Cocktail Garden earlier this year, a swanky bar that feels like an extension of her successful L.A. restaurants Sur and Pump.
