Arts briefs: Theater, art and opera
Theater
GO 'BAREFOOT IN THE PARK' AT TOWN SQUARE
It's tough to go barefoot anywhere now that Southern Nevada has crossed the triple-digit threshold.
But "Barefoot in the Park"? That's another story.
Playwright Neil Simon's celebrated comedy - about total-opposite newlyweds trying to adjust to married life - begins a five-performance run tonight at Town Square.
SRO Productions' local debut, "Barefoot in the Park" focuses on Paul and Corie Bratter (played by Shane Scott Sather and Ashley Bunch). He's a buttoned-down lawyer; she's a sprightly free spirit. And their future together may be on trial as a result of their differences.
Adding to the comedy is their zany neighbor, Victor Velasco (Rory Johnston), and his opposite number, Corie's opinionated mother Ethel (Cat Johnston).
Mike Nichols won a Tony Award for directing the Broadway original, which starred Elizabeth Ashley and a promising young actor named Robert Redford as Paul. Redford went on to star in the 1967 movie version, with Jane Fonda as Corie.
"Barefoot in the Park" will be staged at 8 p.m. today and Saturday; additional performances are scheduled at 8 p.m. June 15 and 16 and 2 p.m. June 17 in the theater at Town Square, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South. (The theater is at the western end of Town Square, across from the Yard House restaurant.) Tickets are $20 and are available by phone at 885-8650 or online at http://www.srolv.com/tickets/online/.
Art
'CELEBRATING LIFE' AT CHARLESTON HEIGHTS
Celebrating life by celebrating art, the Charleston Heights Arts Center salutes the winners, and other entrants, of the city of Las Vegas' 12th annual "Celebrating Life" juried competition.
Winning entries from the competition, open to local artists 50 or older, will be exhibited at the center through July 11; additional entries will be on display through June 20 in the Salon de Refuses , inside the Charleston Heights gallery.
Judges Bill Leaf, Jim Pink and Mary Warner chose 67 artworks from 231 entries for this year's exhibit, choosing Jeffrey Oldham's "Boys of Summer" as the Best in Show winner.
Joani "Koelsch" Zingale's painting "Forgotten" won the Golden Brush Award.
Other winners include Rhoda Pidgeon's "Wild Things" in the drawing and pastel category, Lincoln Maynard's "Mojave Sequence" in the oil/acrylic paintings category, JoAnn Stransky's "On the Job Site" in mixed media, Robert Oberman's "Republican Debate" in photography, Gail Seidner's "Cake Walk" in sculpture and David Mazur's "Burros Gone Wild" in watercolor.
After "Celebrating Life" closes at Charleston Heights, the award-winning pieces will travel to the Las Vegas City Hall Chamber Gallery to be displayed July 26 through Sept. 6.
More information on the exhibit is available by calling 229-1012; for more information on the Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St., call 229-6383.
Opera
SIN CITY OPERA PRESENTS 'INCOMPLETE EDUCATION'
Two scholars who have mastered every subject - except the birds and the bees - form the heart of "An Incomplete Education."
Sin City Opera's updated production of Emmanuel Chabrier's comic opera begins a three-performance run Thursday at the Onyx Theater.
Presented in English, "An Incomplete Education" follows two young lovers (played by David Casey and Marisa Johnson), educated in everything from French to mathematics, who delicately inquire of their tutor, and their relatives, about what they should expect on their wedding night. Ultimately, a convenient thunderstorm provides the spark they need to triumph over their fears.
Director Skip Galla and musical director Karalyn Clark adapted Chabrier's 1879 opera, which was written for an evening entertainment, with piano accompaniment by the composer. It was first presented by the Paris Opera-Comique in 1934 and hit the 50th performance mark in 1946.
"An Incomplete Education" will be performed at 8 p.m. June 14-16 at the Onyx Theatre , 953 E. Sahara Ave., in Commercial Center. Tickets are $15 and are available by phone at 732-7225 or online at www.onyxtheatre.com.
-- Carol Cling
