Big news this past week was the opening of Las Vegas' newest attempt to bring a Broadway show here that will last, and it looks like it may have picked a winner in "Spamalot." You don't have to be a Monty Python fan to enjoy this very funny, very entertaining show. The Review-Journal's entertainment editor, Mike Weatherford, had this to say:
"Like the villager who's not ready to be tossed on the wagon of plague victims, this show won't let the Broadway musical fail on the Strip without a stubborn, head-smacking protest. Investing unprecedented time, money and talent to create 90 minutes of in-the-moment comedy, 'Spamalot' lives up to a time-honored Las Vegas formula: top-shelf craftsmanship you struggle to remember the next day.
"Jokes are piled upon jokes, many emerging as visual punchlines in Casey Nicholaw's choreography. Consider just one bit. The cast is lampooning show business tradition by singing 'You Won't Succeed on Broadway (if you don't have any Jews).' The choreography mimicks a folk dance. And in the middle of it all, a peasant rolls by with a cart containing a bale of straw. Why? Because at that exact moment, the cast will shout, 'Hay!' "
I loved it and I think most of you will too, so if you're trying to decide which shows to see when you come to town, put this one on your list.
EASTER EGG-STRAVAGANZA
If you're looking for some fun for the whole family, you might want to take a drive out to Lake Las Vegas Lake Resort to help celebrates its Easter Egg-stravaganza on Saturday, April 7, and Sunday, April 8.
Events get under way Easter with the annual Easter Egg Hunt at MonteLago Village. With 25,000 eggs, little bunnies 12 and younger are sure to fill their baskets. The great egg hunt will be four times on Sunday at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. A $2 donation toward the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation provides admission to the Easter egg hunt.
There's even an Easter Bunny who will be hopping on by in the village on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Children may have their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny on Sunday for a fee of $10. Families can also enjoy a petting zoo and pony rides for a small fee on Saturday and Sunday from noon until 4 p.m. For more information you can call the events hotline at 702-564-4766 or visit www.montelagovillage.com.
ALL-WOMEN'S TRIATHLON
Speaking of things going on at Lake Las Vegas the 2007 All-Women's Triathlon, a unique fitness event raising money for breast cancer research, will be held on Saturday, April 28, in the MonteLago Village. Female triathletes will get the chance to swim in the lake, bike through the beautiful and quaint MonteLago Village and run throughout the picturesque landscape, all for a good cause. Fitness buffs are invited to partake in either the sprint race (a 400M swim, 10.6 mile bike and a 5K run) or the international race (a 1,500M swim, 40K bike, and 10K run). For extra motivation, athletes will be serenaded by music throughout the resort from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration is $85 and the race is limited to 500 entries. Proceeds from the registration fees will be donated to the Las Vegas chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure.
Free parking and discounted hotel rates are available for race participants at the MonteLago Village Resort, Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort and The Ritz Carlton, Lake Las Vegas Resort. For more information or to register for the 2007 All-Women's Triathlon, visit www.active.com or www.sunsetracing.com.
EXHIBITIONS EXTENDED
For all of you procrastinators who still haven't been out to see two of Las Vegas' most popular exhibits, there is still time. The Tropicana has extended both "BODIES ... The Exhibition" and "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" through Memorial Day weekend, May 28. According to resort officials, more than half a million visitors have been through the exhibits since they opened. You don't want to miss either of these exhibits.
BLUES SCHOOLHOUSE
Hey, this sounds good. You're all invited to a free Blues SchoolHouse show at the International House of Blues Foundation (IHOBF) at Mandalay Bay with entertainment by the Doolittle Senior Center's guitar class on Tuesday, April 24. The nine-member group of African-American men and women, who range in age from 55 to 75 years old, have been playing and singing together for about two years.
If you want to go, you can take advantage of a bus service from the Doolittle Senior Center located at 1950 North J St. Or if you prefer, drive your car to Mandalay Bay. There is a $2 non-refundable registration fee. Buses will depart from the center at 8 a.m. and return at approximately 2 p.m. You'll have time to stop for lunch on your own at the hotel before returning to the center and there's great places to eat in the resort. For more information on the show or any of Doolittle's activities, call (702) 229-6125.
Good luck and I'll see you on the Strip. And don't forget to check out www.valleyblogs.com.
If you have a question or a Las Vegas experience you would like to share with my readers, please e-mail me at lennylv@cox.net. Please include your full name and the city or town where you live.
