Las Vegas Spotlight: January 2010

It’s a new year, a new decade, and a new Garth Brooks. After retiring in 2001, Garth Brooks makes his triumphant return to the stage, and Vegas has got him! The country music superstar, said to be the best-selling artist in America, continues his potential five-year run at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas (which officially kicked off at the end of December) with weekend performances on January 1-3, and on January 22-24. Fans familiar with Brooks’ showmanship and theatrical arena concerts will be surprised to learn that this time around, it’s just a man and his acoustic guitar, playing a set comprised of both his own music, as well as covers.

Rick Faugno — who currently stars as Frankie Valli in the Vegas production of Jersey Boys — reprises his one-man song and dance show to celebrate the release his first CD, Songs My Idols Sang (And Danced!) at the South Point Casino Showroom on January 24. The 80-minute musical showcase features a seven-piece band and includes Faugno’s performances of “Embraceable You,” “Fly Me To The Moon,” “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” “Cheek To Cheek,” and “Our Love Is Here To Stay,” as well as the tap number, “Mr. Bojangles” as a tribute to one of the great many icons of song and dance, Sammy Davis, Jr.

Looking to begin the New Year with even more unforgettable concerts? Five Finger Death Punch brings their heavy metal sound to The House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on January 23 while the legendary Heart will be performing at the Las Vegas Hilton on January 29-30, playing their unforgettable hits. At The Orleans, get ready for The Temptations on January 22-24. And all you fans of 1970s soft rock, fear not! You’ll be lost in love when Air Supply plays at the Star of the Desert Arena at Primm Valley Resorts, on January 30.

And for all you theater lovers out there, the Las Vegas Little Theatre presents Marc Carmoletti’s Don’t Dress for Dinner, adapted by Robin Hawdon, and directed by Jay Joseph (January 8-24). Set in a French farmhouse, hijinks ensue when Bernard ships his wife Jacqueline off to her mother’s, in order to plan a weekend rendezvous with his mistress Suzanne. Bernard thinks he’s got the perfect weekend planned, hiring a cook to prepare dinner, and inviting his best friend Robert over as an alibi. What could go wrong? In a French farce, plenty!

Fans of thought-provoking theater won’t want to miss The Nevada Conservatory Theatre’s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons (January 29-February 7). Taking place during the war, the play is one of Miller’s most highly acclaimed works, a searing drama about one man’s responsibility, and the American Dream gone awry.