The Producers" at Paris Las Vegas is getting mixed reviews nationally, but I must be easy-to-please because I loved it. Sure, I regret the cuts -- especially those regarding the character of Ulla (expertly played by Leigh Zimmerman), a role now so minimized that after her introductory scene, she seems to just drift aimlessly on and off stage. But the production numbers (by Susan Stroman) are not just dazzling (which we expect in Vegas) but clever and, in their own tongue-in-cheek copycat way, originals. There's a surprisingly memorable performance by Fred Applegate as the Nazi playwright. Even David Hasselhoff -- whom I expected to detest -- makes his flaming director character his own, once he gets past his blasé opening number. Bottom line is, the show has the kind of musical-comedy fervor that musical-comedy fans find to die for. ...

Because local theater productions usually play only two or three weekends, critics usually need to review them on opening night, or at best, a day or two afterward. This is unfortunate because actors often don't find their show until they've been in front of an audience for a while. I happened to catch the final performance of Nevada Conservatory Theatre's "The Glass Menagerie," with Sandy Duncan, and admired it a lot more than my opening-night review suggested. I liked it the first time around (I gave it a "B"), but felt Duncan hadn't quite grasped the soul of the domineering Amanda, and that Steven Crandall as son Tom didn't project enough need. By closing night, though, both actors delivered superb performances (along with Brandon Burk as a neurotic gentleman caller), and the show had become a powerhouse success (though Melanie Ash as Laura, the daughter, still seemed artificial). I don't think there's a solution to this early reviewing problem, but I hope readers understand that shows do often improve after they are publicly critiqued. ...

Rainbow Company seems to be on a roll. The folks there were recently named winners of a Governors Arts Award, which the staff, under the artistic direction of Karen McKenney, will soon be heading to Reno to collect. Also on hand, thanks to funding from the Friends of Rainbow Company, will be student ensemble members presenting an excerpt from their acclaimed production of "(W)Rites of Passage." Now word comes that the group has just been awarded a $3,000 grant from Cirque du Soleil for their work in the performing arts. Vegas is lucky to have them.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.