This week’s 5 best bets for arts & culture in Las Vegas
Branford Marsalis
Grammy-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis’ quartet always has been a tight-knit bunch. But jazz vocalist Kurt Elling — the first guest artist to work with the quartet — expands their musical horizons, as all five will demonstrate at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in The Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall. For tickets ($29-$125), call 702-749-2000 or visit www.thesmithcenter.com.
“Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean”
James Dean’s visit to West Texas to film the 1956 epic “Giant” inspires four former teenage fans to reunite and reminisce, 20 years later, in “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean,” which launches Las Vegas Little Theatre’s mainstage season at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at 3920 Schiff Drive. Performances continue at 8 p.m. Sept. 15-17 and 22-24 and 2 p.m. Sept. 17, 18 and 25. For tickets ($21-$24), call 702-362-7996 or visit www.LVLT.org.
Pacific Islands Festival
It’s aloha time at the Henderson Events Plaza, 200 S. Water St., as the 26th annual Prince Jonah Kuhio Ho’olaule’a and Pacific Islands Festival celebrates Polynesian culture with traditional dances, food, folk art performances, craft booths, children’s activities and more. The fun runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; call 702-267-4050 or visit cityofhenderson.com for more details.
Susan Anton
Longtime Las Vegan Susan Anton returns to The Smith Center’s Cabaret Jazz to reprise her show “Already Home,” a musical journey that makes room for tunes by everyone from the Beatles to India Arie. Catch Anton’s act at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; for tickets ($35-$59), call 702-749-2000 or visit www.thesmithcenter.com.
‘Both Eyes Open’
The five-day NEON (Nevada Encounters of New Music) festival begins with “Both Eyes Open” — an experimental, multidisciplinary chamber opera about the psychological impact of Japanese-American internment during World War II — at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. For tickets ($10 in advance, $12 on concert day), call 702-455-7340 or visit www.clarkcountynv.gov.
