5 cultural experiences you need to have next week in Las Vegas

Shen Yun

From woman warriors to magical monkeys, memorable characters from Chinese lore and legend come to larger-than-life life as the 2016 edition of Shen Yun visits The Smith Center at 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Some 60 costumed dancers perform to the music of a 40-piece orchestra as a 30-foot interactive video screen sets the scene for tales set on mountaintops, at the seashore and everywhere in between. For tickets ($60-$300), call 800-880-0188 or visit www.shenyun.com.

'Big Noise From Winnetka'

The title refers to the one, the only Christine Ebersole — two-time Tony winner, onetime "Saturday Night Live" regular, bright spot in movies from "Tootsie" to "The Wolf of Wall Street" and all-around delight. Blending a flair for zany comedy, startling dramatic power and piercing musical clarity, Ebersole returns to The Smith Center's Cabaret Jazz at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday for another showcase of tour-de-force versatility. For tickets ($39-$59), call 702-749-2000 or click on www.thesmithcenter.com.

It's in the stars

Boy meets girl — but if you think you know the rest of the story, you don't know Nick Payne's mind-bending "Constellations." The award-winning play (which starred Jake Gyllenhaal on Broadway) offers cosmic contemplation of one relationship's infinite possibilities; Cockroach Theatre's production continues through Jan. 31 (8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays) at the Art Square Theatre. Tickets ($10-$20) are available by phone (725-222-9661), online (www.cockroachtheatre.com) or at the door.

Crazy musicians

If you translate Yiddish into English, Meshugginah Klezmorim means "crazy musicians" — and this crazy quintet (drummer Brett Barnes, tuba tooter Ginger Bruner, clarinetist D. Gause, violinist Lee Schreiber and singer-pianist D.J. Sinai) will go crazy playing swinging klezmer tunes (inspired by Jewish cantorial music and all-American jazz) at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Winchester Cultural Center. Tickets for the concert are $10 in advance ($12 the day of the show) and may be purchased at the front desk or online at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/parksregistration.

A Force for good

Now that the Force has awakened, there's more to discover about the "Star Wars" galaxy at the Discovery Children's Museum during "Star Wars" Day. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, kids can witness lightsaber battles, craft lightsaber necklaces and Yoda ears and explore the science of space travel, movie sound effects and the chemical composition of Jabba the Hutt's slime, among other activities. Admission is $14.50; call 702-382-5437 for more information. And may the Force be with you ...