1. Track #1: Mucho Loco @Summerlin
Imagine bacon-wrapped shrimp served on a mini clothesline and attached with clothespins (yes, you read that right). If you order churros or ice cream, both are brought to your table in miniature carts, along with multiple sweet sauces.
This is culinary burlesque. Exotic cocktails are also poured into mini bathtubs and glasses adorned with replica skulls.
Nothing is ordinary at Mucho Loco. Having opened in September 2023 in the Fort Apache Commons, it’s a sprawling and eye-poppingly colorful Mexican cantina that delivers “crazy” at every turn.
It’s not easy to catch your breath in between bites here, thanks to a live mariachi band, non-stop loud birthday celebrations, and piped-in, high-energy dance music that’s turned up. No worries, then, about having to engage in any intimate conversation.
It turns out that the food is excellent, starting with the complimentary oversized taco chips, green salsa, and an addictive bean dip. The flavors in the queso fundido—a shareable appetizer with melted cheese, poblano chiles, corn, and chorizo—were satisfying.
For my entrée, I chose the outstanding grilled swordfish with a tequila butter sauce, plated with asparagus and (surprise) purple mashed potato.
I heartily applaud all the experimentation going on in the kitchen here. Perhaps next time, I’ll try the “Pulpo Asado.” It’s octopus “slow braised in orange-pineapple and spices marinade, served with “pasta pearls, salsa verde, and micro cilantro.” Now that sounds positively “loco.”
2. Track #2: “Funny Girl” @Reynolds Hall, Smith Center
Some Broadway shows truly have “legs,” and “Funny Girl” is one of them. Amazingly, it first opened 60 years ago in 1964, with Barbra Streisand in the lead role of Fanny Brice, the strong-willed comedian and Broadway/”Ziegfeld Follies” star.
Primarily set in NYC right before and after World War I, the musical recently had another Broadway run (2022-2023) and is now a national touring production with a memorable cast.
At the neo-art deco palace The Smith Center, the love-and-heartbreak story that’s semi-based on the life and career of Brice dazzled with its multiple charms: one show-stopping song-and-dance number after another; convincing period sets and costumes; and compelling dialog.
Ultimately, “Funny Girl” is all about female strength and boldness during a time when women were especially held back. Katerina McCrimmon shines as Brice, as does Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester in the role of Fanny’s mom: “I love playing Rose Brice,” Manchester told me. “She’s the spirit of all the women who helped my mother raise me, aunts and neighbors, plus my experience of raising my own two kids. It’s a fascinating and heartfelt journey.”
Meanwhile, look for more Broadway shows coming this year to The Smith Center, including “The Wiz,” “Hamilton,” and “The Cher Show.”
3. Track #3: Charleston Antique Mall @Charleston Heights
When you want to get out of your head for a few hours, wandering around Charleston Antique Mall on S. Decatur Blvd is a good choice. Plus, you might even feel the presence of some ghosts hanging around—the ones who didn’t want to part with their earthly belongings.
Inside the mall’s 18,000 square feet, 75 price-friendly dealers operate booths filled with antique jewelry, vintage clothing, hats, and bags, along with yesterday’s home furnishings, houseware, and more. On the day I was there, I spotted a life-size Elvis statue for $1,500, proving that the man never really “left the building.” I happily left the mall with two mint-condition blazers from the ‘70s.
The aisles here are comfortably wide, and the booths are not overly stuffed with merchandise. The roaming staff is accommodating, which is essential since most dealers are not stationed at their booths.
The mall’s history stretches back to 1987 and has been in this location since 2006. To satisfy vintage-aholics, it’s open seven days a week from 10 AM to 6 PM, and there’s endless free parking.
4. Track #4: “After Hours” @Beverly Theater, Downtown
So many Vegas locals I’ve spoken to still haven’t discovered The Beverly Theater— a newly built arthouse cinema housed in a modern mid-century building on 6th St. With that in mind, I held my roving “People Need People” mixer there on a recent Saturday night in late March when Martin Scorsese’s 1985 dark comedy classic “After Hours” was playing.
Newly radiant on-screen with its 4K restoration, the film is set in the early days of NYC’s Soho district and follows a bored computer programmer (Griffin Dunne) who suffers through a high-anxiety night while trapped in the city. He’s unable to get home and collides with an assortment of beautiful oddballs, including Rosanna Arquette, Teri Garr, Catherine O’Hara, and Linda Fiorentino. If you pay attention, you can spot playful references to “The Wizard of Oz.”
After the movie, my guests and I headed upstairs to The Beverly’s gorgeous outdoor terrace (Segue) for drinks and the views. Alas, the weather was too cold to linger for more than 30 minutes (so much for the mid-March launch of Vegas’ “pool season”).
Throughout April, music and film aficionados can enjoy the theater’s “movies that rock” programming, cheekily billed as “Showchella.” There’s still time left this month to see two landmark films: Cameron Crowe’s ‘70s rock & roll opus “Almost Famous” (April 22, 24, 26) and the disco-era “Saturday Night Fever” (April 26, 27, 29).
5. Track #5: Ron Keel Band, Count’s Vamp’d on W Sahara Ave
With his bands, Steeler and then Keel, Ron Keel helped popularize the up-from-the-streets hard rock sound of Los Angeles in the early to late ‘80s. He later moved to Las Vegas for many years, performing regularly at Count’s Vamp’d.
Now a Sioux Falls, SD resident, Ron fittingly chose Vamp’d for his Vegas farewell show with the Ron Keel Band (they played their final Los Angeles gig the next night in LA at the Whisky a Go-Go). “I had all my dreams come true in both towns, and I’m excited to return one last time with RKB,” Ron posted on socials ahead of these gigs.
In his lengthy Veags set, Ron strongly underlined what has made him a substantial artist. He writes anthemic songs about pride and possesses a gutsy voice that (still) slips easily into the high register. As a frontman, his charisma is infectious.
Among the set’s highlights were “American Thunder,” “Wild Forever,” and his latest single, “Hard On The Outside (Heart On The Inside).” Of course, the night would not have been complete without fiery performances of Steeler’s “Backseat Driver” and Keel’s fist-in-the-air metal manifesto, “The Right To Rock.”
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