People are always asking “Which show should I see?” The answer to that depends on your tastes and budget, of course. There are glitzy production shows, magicians, comedians, and singers; there are headliners and lesser-known acts that nobody knows outside of Vegas. And there are five or six Cirque du Soleil shows. That doesn’t even take into consideration concert acts that visit Vegas while on tour.
Not the real Blue Men, but statues of them
There are a number of Vegas websites out there (such as Vegas.com) with exhaustive lists of all Las Vegas shows–so I won’t reinvent the wheel. I will give you a crucial piece of advice: If there is show you really want to see, book your ticket well before your trip. Popular shows sell out fast here. However, if you’re looking for a last-minute deal and don’t care too much which show you see, half price tickets for mid-tier shows are often available at Tix4Tonight, which has several locations on the Strip. As a solo traveler, you may have better luck scoring a last minute seat, but again, if you really want to see the show, book in advance.
Here is a small sampling of the kinds of shows available to you in Las Vegas:
Blue Man Group at the Venetian: This was the first show I saw in Vegas, and it’s still one of my favorites. It has terrific rock music with lots of drums and guitar (it is loud, though). Despite the fact that the performers never speak, it’s very funny. It’s hard to describe–and I wouldn’t want to give too much away, anyway. Suffice it to say, it’s different from anything else I’ve ever seen and loads of fun. At the end of the show, you feel you’ve just arrived at a rowdy party. I saw BMG when it was at Luxor, and it has now moved to the Venetian. But it’s still theater-style seating. I think this is a great show for solos. You can support this website by purchasing your Blue Man Group show ticket using one of the links on this site.
Caesar’s Palace Colosseum : The Colosseum has hosted Las Vegas headliners such as Celine Dion, Elton John, Cher, Jerry Seinfeld, and Bette Midler. It is a 4,100-seat theater and is monstrously huge. If you go for the cheap seats, be sure to bring binoculars. (Seriously.) On the plus side, because of the size of the theater, the shows featured here have the ability to be really big-scale production shows. They also have the ability to project the performer up on video screens.
Cirque du Soleil, multiple locations: Pick a Cirque show, any Cirque show. I’m surprised they haven’t renamed the town Cirque du Vegas. There are a number of Cirque du Soleil shows around the Strip for you to choose from, and they all have theater-style seating. These shows tend to be visually stunning spectacles filled with physical feats that boggle the mind. (How flexible the human body can be!) Yet they’re all different. There’s O at Bellagio, Mystere at Treasure Island, Love at Mirage, Zumanity at New York New York, Criss Angel’s Believe at Luxor (don’t go to this one, I’ve heard nothing but terrible reviews), Ka at MGM Grand, and Viva Elvis at the Aria resort. Mystere was not my cup of tea, but I loved Ka. I’ve also heard great things about the Beatles’ Love show. Your mileage may vary.
La Reve at the Wynn: This show was created by Franco Dragone, former creative director for Cirque du Soleil, so it bears much in common with the Cirque shows. For more details, Joanna Haugen has written a thorough review of the show at her website, KaleidoscopicWandering.com.
Carrot Top, The Luxor: “Carrot Top” is of course that wacky comedian with the Bozo the Clown hair who uses props liberally in his act. Performances take place in the Atrium Showroom, which has theater-style seating. I haven’t had the privilege of seeing him in person, but the videos I’ve seen are hilarious, and he consistently gets rave reviews. Apparently, he’s a lot funnier than anyone thought. Ticket prices here are pretty reasonable, too.
Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular, The Venetian: The Las Vegas Review Journal named this the Best Show of 2006, and I can see why. The Venetian custom-built the theater for this show, and it is spectacular. This is an abbreviated version of the Broadway musical, which works in the show’s favor, in my opinion. I loved it. See my full review here.
Disney’s The Lion King at Mandalay Bay: If you’ve never seen this musical in any of its incarnations (on Broadway, at Disney World, in Vegas), you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s wonderful–the music, the story, the performances, everything. If you have seen it before, you know what I’m talking about. Obviously, this is family-friendly, so if you’re in town to enjoy the “Sin” part of “Sin City” this may not be the show for you. Then again, none of the other shows on this page will probably fit the bill, either. But if you just want to see a good show, this is a good choice. Just be sure to see it before December 30, 2011, when it ends its run to make way for a new Michael Jackson tribute show.
Terry Fator at the Mirage: Terry, a celebrity impersonator/ventriloquist, is the latest and greatest sensation on the Strip. Winner of “America’s Got Talent,” Terry is the headliner at the Mirage. His “co-stars” (puppets) include Winston the Impersonating Turtle, Emma Taylor, and Vikki “the Cougar”. Impersonations include Cher, Elvis Presley, Justin Timberlake, Garth Brooks, and more. I’ve heard this is a very funny show.
Menopause, the Musical: A musical dedicated to women who have gone through menopause. I know, it sounds bizarre, but I have heard nothing but rave reviews about how funny this is (especially from women who have some experience with menopause). It includes musical parodies from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s such as “Puff, My God I’m Draggin” and the disco favorite “Stayin’ Awake, Stayin’ Awake.”
If you’re hoping for a more adult revue, you might try:
Zumanity at New York, New York (see Cirque du Soleil, above).
MGM Grand’s Crazy Horse Paris: This show comes direct from the original Crazy Horse in–you guessed it–Paris. According to MGM Grand’s website, “Since 1951, Crazy Horse has been famous for its productions celebrating beautiful women and the art of the nude. All 13 dancers in MGM Grand’s Crazy Horse Paris are members of the original Paris dance troupe. Trained in ballet, the dancers perfectly integrate the sensuous, provocative choreography of their performances as their bodies are bathed in richly colored and textured lighting designs.”
Fantasy at the Luxor: This show is a contemporary version of the classic Las Vegas showgirl show. Fantasy is brought to you by award-winning choreographer Cris Judd (otherwise known as the former Mr. J. Lo) and currently stars Angelica Bridges (of Playboy magazine and Baywatch fame).
If the art of the nude male form is more to your tastes, there’s
Thunder from Down Under at the Excalibur (voted best Male Strip Show in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s 2009 Readers Choice awards) and Chippendales at the Rio (which I believe needs no introduction).
Las Vegas Concert venues: If a traditional Las Vegas show isn’t your thing, and you’d rather catch your favorite musical act in concert, check upcoming concert listings and plan your vacation around that. Chances are, you’ll be here over a weekend, because that’s when most of them come to town. Las Vegas has a number of great concert venues, including the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mandalay Bay Events Center, The House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, the Planet Hollywood Theater, the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, the Las Vegas Hilton, and the Palms. Boulder Station often offers some good blues acts. The Cannery and the Orleans Showroom get a lot of older acts. For a thorough listing of upcoming concerts, see LVOL and the Las Vegas Review Journal website.
