At S2Art you can watch lithographs being printed on a 100-year-old press and view the results in the gallery. D.A.M.N! Dee Dee Bridgewater Robert Schimmel Blue Man Group

Thursday, June 05, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

A/E Features

First Friday is hot!

Okay, to be fair, everywhere is hot these days, but First Friday, the monthly downtown arts thingy, has the cure. For the summer, the event starts one hour later, at 7 p.m., resulting in a markedly reduced level of brain boiling as you walk between venues. As always, the event features art openings, live music, open studios and an assortment of other cool and happening stuff. Tinoco's, the new restaurant in the Arts Factory, will be open as well. Make sure you check out the exhibition of Mercury contributor Greg Higgins' art. Things kick off at 7 p.m., and you can pick up maps and schedules at the Arts Factory at 103 E. Charleston Blvd. (676-1111) and The Funkhouse at 1228 S. Casino Center Blvd. (678-6278)

Out D.A.M.N.ed spot

D.A.M.N! Dramatists and Actors Meeting Now!, which refers to itself as Las Vegas' premier original theater company, will perform a series of short plays Friday Night at the Arts Factory. Despite the strained acronym, they are a decent pack of writers and thespians, and the show should be well worth the price of admission. Oh, it's a free show? Even better. They will gladly accept donations. Who wouldn't? The four short plays are collected under the title Bed Bound; the show is at the Arts Factory and starts at 6 p.m., or maybe 7 when the rest of First Friday gets underway. For information call 253-7131.

Ease on down to the squat pyramid

Dee Dee Bridgewater and her quartet perform at Clark County's Free Jazz in the Park concert series this weekend. Bridgewater is an accomplished jazz vocalist with a number of Grammy-nominated albums and an award-winning musical actress as well. So why does the headline reference The Wiz, for which she won a Tony award over a quarter century ago? Because we're uncultured jerks who don't know jazz as well as we know goofy Michael Jackson and Nipsy Russell vehicles. The concert starts at 8 p.m. at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater at 500 S. Grand Canyon Parkway. Admission is free, and you're encouraged to bring a picnic and a blanket as it's all lawn seating there. As an added bonus, the event is hosted by Nate Tannenbaum, so make sure you ask him to sign your bow tie.

Comedy without a net

A lot of comedians, when they play Vegas, tone down their material. For Pete's sake, don't do anything that might offend Aunt Mabel from Iowa! This isn't likely with Robert Schimmel. The veteran comic has performed in comedy clubs nationwide and even a strip club and a prison or two. He's always engaging, often controversial and damn funny even when he's talking about the "C" word. In this case, cancer. He's currently in remission and we wouldn't be surprised if he uses some squirm-worthy material about it this weekend. He plays 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday at the Monte Carlo hotel-casino. For information call 730-7160.

Damn right they got the blues

It's hard to believe that a bunch of guys painted up like smurfs and banging on junk isn't a Vegas original. Regardless, if you haven't seen them, you should. If you have seen Blue Man Group, you don't need us to tell you to go see them again. They have shows at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. with an extra show at 4 p.m. on Saturday. There is no 10 p.m. show on Sundays and Tuesdays. Curiously, they have no dark days, which supports our theory about android performers. Tickets run from $75 to $85. For information call 262-4400.