19 Best Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada

The three bald, blue, and silent characters in utilitarian uniforms have become part of the Las Vegas landscape. The satire of technology and information-overload merges with classic physical comedy and the Blue Man's unique brand of interstellar rock and roll. The group's latest home, a cozy theater at Luxor, brings the Blue dudes closer to their off-Broadway origins: paint splattering, mouth-catching marshmallows, and rollicking percussion jam sessions on PVC pipe contraptions.

KÀ, Cirque du Soleil's biggest Las Vegas production, opened in 2006 and still stands as an amazing monument to the sky's-the-limit mentality that fueled Vegas in the go-go 2000s. The $165-million opus frees the stage itself from gravity, replacing a fixed stage with an 80,000-pound deck, maneuvered by a giant gantry arm into a near-vertical position for the climactic battle. Giant puppets also factor into the bold interpretation of live martial-arts period fantasies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in the adventures of two separated twins. Though no other Cirque in Las Vegas rivals it for sheer spectacle, those not sitting close enough to see faces can be confused by the story, which is told without dialogue.

The reigning king of Las Vegas afternoons has reached his two-decade tenure on the Strip, now ensconced at medieval-themed Excalibur. (This being Vegas though, he shares a theater with the nighttime male revue Thunder from Down Under). These days, he greets the children of those who remember seeing his show when they were kids themselves. Onstage, King is ageless in his plaid suit and folksy "Howdy!" He's the perennial court jester rooted in vaudeville traditions of show business. A one-man hour of low-key, self-deprecating humor features the kind of close-up magic that's baffling but doesn't take the focus away from the running banter and audience participation.

More than $70 million was spent on Cirque du Soleil's theater at Bellagio back in 1998, and its liquid stage is the centerpiece of a one-of-a-kind show. It was money well spent: O remains one of the best-attended shows on the Strip. The title is taken from the French word for water (eau), and water is everywhere—1.5 million gallons of it, 12 million pounds of it, contained by a "stage" that, thanks to hydraulic lifts, can change shape and turn into dry land in no time. The intense and nonstop action by the show's acrobats, aerial gymnasts, trapeze artists, synchronized swimmers, divers, and contortionists make for a stylish spectacle that manages to fashion dreamlike imagery from its acrobatics, with a vague theme about the wellspring of theater and imagination.

"What took them so long?" you might ask. A live version of America's Got Talent was a no-brainer once you go down the list of the former winners and contestants—from Terry Fator to Piff the Magic Dragon—many of whom ended up with ongoing residencies on the Strip. An attractively packaged variety show finally came to roost at Luxor in early 2022. The lineup packs as many as nine acts into 90 minutes, reflecting the NBC show's wide net: knife-throwing, magic, ventriloquists, you name it. The acts rotate; some are more or less permanent, while others come in for short stints. The winners who may not have a lot of stage experience are buffered by those who do, and ensembles such as Light Balance get an extra visual boost from the enhanced production elements of a stationary year-round revue.

The master magician has made Las Vegas a part of his career since the 1980s and now roosts at the MGM Grand for more than 40 weeks per year. At this point in his mid-60s, Copperfield is sort of the Rolling Stones of magic; you sense his authority and submit to it from the minute the show opens and trust him to wow you with illusions, such as the one involving a T. rex, which take years to perfect. He varies the pace with illusions that can be touching or funny, but most of all they still genuinely fool you.

No one should question either Donny Osmond's work ethic or his showmanship. What began as a "late career" reunion with sister Marie turned into an 11-year run at the Flamingo. Now, he's going solo next door at Harrah's Las Vegas, with momentum from The Masked Singer (he was the Peacock, you know) and a pop album of new music, Start Again. He's a "down front" entertainer drawing from his six decades in show business, displaying a congenial self-awareness in a showcase that covers everything from his child star days in the 1960s to his credible attempts to keep up with current musical trends. This old-school Vegas showcase also includes dancers and production visuals, but it's really all about the stage presence of a perennial who grew up in front of America and wears his variety training with pride.

The only Las Vegas performers who don't show their faces speak with their feet in a show that appeals to the younger nightclub demographic. The masked hip-hop dance collective has steadily improved its showmanship since it settled on the Strip in 2010. There's plenty of break dancing but also a contagious sense of fun, as comedy and warm-hearted themes of brotherhood and inclusiveness emerge from those blank masks. The troupe's latest home in a 300-seat theater allows only four to six of the dancers onstage at the same time, but video projections expand the sense of space.

A winning smile (and winning America's Got Talent) turned out to be a formidable combination for a young magician who settled on the Strip after the TV talent show fast-tracked his fame in 2014. Franco's charm and likable attitude compensates for a streamlined production, on a mostly bare stage augmented by video screens. But he makes the classics seem new to a younger audience, and the show builds to a big finale in two bits of trickery that both involve the wider audience.

After traveling the world as The Immortal, Cirque du Soleil's salute to Michael Jackson took on its second iteration in a remodeled Mandalay Bay theater. A partnership with Jackson's estate, it helps everyone remember why he became a worldwide phenomenon. Amid the bombardment of video imagery, Jackson pops up now and then as the spirit guide to a quartet of misfit fans, who gain powers to defeat robotic paparazzi (don't ask) by harnessing the King of Pop's "agility, courage, playfulness, and love." Instead of a live band, the acrobatics and dance numbers unfold to remixes of Jackson's actual recordings in earth-shaking sound delivered by more than 7,000 speakers.

A knack for self-promotion—and an unimaginable outlay for hair products—made this comedy-magician instantly identifiable by his black-framed glasses and an exploding shock of vertical blonde hair. Murray (Sawchuck) has become a Las Vegas mainstay with a relaxed, slow-burn stage presence and a solid showcase of classic magic heavy on audience banter.

The Strip's first permanent Cirque du Soleil show celebrated its 25th anniversary in late 2018 by completing a gradual overhaul that includes several new acts. It's still the town's most consistent family show, and the Las Vegas Cirque show that most purely preserves the Montreal company's innovative reinvention of the circus. Mystère has held up to the increased spectacle of its sister shows by keeping the spectators close to the action and the human acrobatics in the spotlight. You're intimately involved with this surreal wonderland and the comic characters, who interact with the audience. If you're not careful, you could even end up onstage.

The likable magician had the good fortune to be on the very first, highly watched season of America's Got Talent in 2006, parlaying that national exposure into a durable career on the Strip. Burton puts a fun spin on familiar illusions and is family-friendly for those with older children. Mom and Dad will smile because the tickets are routinely discounted.

The city's longest-running fine-arts organization (this being Las Vegas, it only dates from 1973) stages four or five productions each year, anchored by an annual December presentation of The Nutcracker (and making an October tradition of its Dracula every other year). Performing at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts Downtown, the dance company also runs classes from its studio in Summerlin.

Billing himself as "The Loser of America's Got Talent" fits the droll humor of the British comedy-magician, whose goal of competing on the TV show was to get a berth in Las Vegas. It worked. The magician who stands out for his satin dragon suit, bad attitude, and stoic chihuahua sidekick, Mr. Piffles, keeps the jokes coming as fast as the card tricks, and pulls plenty of recruits from the audience. It's a testament to Piff's popularity that he's moved from the Flamingo's smaller cabaret to its main showroom.

Tape Face joins the long line of America's Got Talent variety performers to move in on the Strip—near fellow contestants Shin Lim, Mat Franco, and Piff the Magic Dragon—after mainstream exposure from the TV competition. Tape Face hearkens back to a simpler era of show business, with his silent mime and prop comedy based on the signature gimmick of gaffer's tape plastered over his mouth. He uses his eyes, gestures, and quite a few recruits from the audience to propel the charmingly low-fi shenanigans. (Sam Wills, the creator of Tape Face, generated some controversy when he decided to treat his character more like a Blue Man and less like a Piff. In other words, when Wills is out on tour, another performer he trained to do the act steps in at Harrah's.)

Las Vegas welcomed its first independent film house and performance venue when this state-of-the-art facility opened in the spring of 2023. Today "The Bev" hosts everything from art-house movies to live performances and literary events in association with The Writer's Block next door. There's also an open-air (but covered, thankfully) balcony, where guests can sip wine and listen to live music. The theater is the brainchild of The Rogers Foundation, which supports several different arts initiatives Downtown. Take note: the facility is not set up to accept cash.

A rare survivor of Las Vegas's mostly forgotten "family" phase is this Arthurian stunt show, which has lasted more than 25 years in a dirt-floor arena in the basement of Excalibur. The audience dines on a Cornish hen dinner (warning: no utensils) and cheers on fast horses, jousting, and swordplay. Those familiar with Medieval Times around the country will know the drill. The show remains a great family gathering—especially for preadolescents, who get to make a lot of noise—and the realistic stunts speak to the commitment of the cast.

This mid-price (and frequently discounted) variety show has held its own against the splashier Cirque-type productions for more than 20 years. The lineup varies, but it usually has magic, juggling, and acrobatics such as hand balancing. Perhaps the real secret is the “front of curtain” atmosphere with likable performers making direct contact with the audience in an intimate setting.