The show is a mixture of various magic acts and comedy with magic. The before show activity on the…read morestage was avant garde. With a series of fans in a circle, the air is circulated such that two large pieces of silk like cloths float up and down on the currents. Whoever thought this up was quite creative. It is mesmerizing and difficult not to watch them as they float. Tonight, the show consisted of four main acts interspersed with comedy and magic from the MC, Michael Finney. Finney was a little lethargic at the beginning of the show and the audience didn't warm up to him. He quickly introduced Ed Alonzo, a comic magician who is billed as "The Misfit of Magic." Alonzo was quite funny and was a treat. The brick part was indeed very funny! Second came Juliana Chen. She had a different beginning to her set, but it became tedious after awhile when she kept making more and more playing cards appear. I was sitting in the front row on the side and I figured out how she was doing her trick. It did grow old quickly. Third segment was the shadow figures by Sonny Fontana made with his hands and with the help of an assistant. Some are very clever when he imitates famous people. At the start, however, the animal he was making was shown on a video display. If you have to show us what you're making, you're not confident of how well we'll know what you're making. The last segment was magician Kevin James who was on Season 2 of America's Got Talent. I saw AGT probably three times in the years it's been on and I saw one of the nights when he performed. This is a very entertaining and funny segment of the show. James is very good. Given my seating, I did see something that helped explain one part to me. In between the acts, Finney did some magic and card tricks with audience members. He was OK but there was nothing that was new here. I simply was to give the crew time to ready the stage for the next segment. Summary: The show is new and it needs to pick up the pace a bit. Chen needs to vary her routine more. The stars are Alonzo and James. The show started with a bang and ended the same way. It is misnamed because there's no cutting edge, avant garde routines with the show, but it's worth seeing. Get discounted tickets at Tix4Tonite or something like that.

The only way this could possibly be a 4 star show is if it were your first show ever to see in…read morelife. It was like every act here originally auditioned for "The V Ultimate Variety Show" and didn't make it so they just banded together to create this. There is nothing "Avant Garde" about this. Shadow puppets, disappear/reappear, bad jokes and tricks you've probably seen elsewhere. A couple of the tricks were ok which saved it from being a 1 star rating but this was a pretty boring show. I actually checked my clock multiple times to see how much longer we had to sit there. Juliana Chen who apparently is a "world champion of magic" had cards shooting out of her arms for basically 15 minutes with a little variation. Imagine seeing her do it: First time she does it during her entrance (semi enthusiastic applause) Second time (below average applause) Third time (3 claps) Fourth time (no applause) Fifth time (is anyone alive out there?) Their website says "If you see one Las Vegas show in your lifetime make it Avant-Garde!". Are you fucking KIDDING ME??? Can you imagine someone at their box office saying "Yeah! Forget 'O'! It's all about Avant-Garde, baby!". Sheesh. Obviously there are some pretty bad shows in town but how can they get away with saying something like THAT?? I think this may be the only suitable show for families with young kids staying downtown so distracting kids for an hour might be the best reason to go. That's about it though. Stay away otherwise!

Disclaimer: I attended the World Food Championship (WFC) as a judge and media member. I also won…read morefree admission to the Burger Extravaganza event, courtesy of Yelp. When I first heard about the inaugural WFC, I was immediately intrigued. It's a food competition featuring the best of the best. Categories like chili, burgers, sandwiches, and BBQ are represented. It's all American food, so it doesn't exactly represent the "world." Adam Richman was the perfect host for this event, as everyone knows him from Man vs. Food. I had a great time judging food. For categories like sandwiches and burgers, the competition went through several rounds of judging. The finalists would then have their food judged by a panel of celebrities and chefs, most notably Adam Richman. As for the BBQ, I thought the samples I had were very good -- all of the BBQ teams are previous grand champions, so they brought their game. From my point of view, I thought that the event was reasonably organized. Something of this size with so many people and logistics involved, I'm sure this took a lot of work to set up. There were a lot of booths from sponsors set up at the front of Bally's right by the Strip, and that attracted the majority of the crowd. The stage up front was perfect to show off demos, music, and announcements. The sandwich and burger competitions were also held at the front of the hotel. However, the energy at the back of the Bally's hotel was dead. It was the area for the BBQ and chili competition. Maybe because it covered so much ground, but most of the time it seemed really quiet. If I was a casual foodie or passer-by, I wouldn't have known about the area, so they probably could've done a better job with putting up signs. Many of the eating and VIP experiences were very expensive -- something that the casual foodie would probably not fork over the money. Personally, I had a great time. At the Burger Extravaganza, I got to sample multiple gourmet burgers (slider sized), along with drinks and dessert. I even got to chat with Adam for a few minutes. He's just a normal, cool guy who loves his food and BBQ. Safe to say, his shows on Travel Channel has skyrocketed him to celebrity status. It remains to be seen if they will organize this event next year. If they do, you know where I'll be!

I returned to the World Food Championships in downtown Las Vegas, this time with Diane in tow. At…read morethe 3rd Street Stage we saw a mouthwatering demonstration by Heather Walker on behalf of The Happy Egg Co. of how to make a Lemon Praline Genoise, the Lemon Curd of which she reported had some of its origins dating back as far as the reign of France's Louis XIV. When I heard this I could just picture the monarch on his throne gaining more weight from indulging in a single slice of this carb--, cholesterol-, and sugar-laden cake. When done it held in its gooey goodness 6 sticks of butter, 20 eggs, and who knows how many cups of sugar? Sounds more like a food bomb! But, when completed, with its lovely White Buttercream Frosting and pool of bright yellow Lemon Curd mounted on top, the dazzling dessert looked like a truly luxurious treat. Alas, spectators did not get an opportunity to taste this sweet confection. But for just watching the event we did receive nice-looking and useful spatulas, and plush chickens for our two granddaughters, courtesy of The Happy Egg Co. We also sampled a cooked pork belly from another demonstration, and walked to the DLV Center where we unfortunately saw little of interest. We probably arrived at a lull in the action. Had we been hungry at the time we could have availed ourselves of the tempting-sounding offerings of Baby's Badass Burgers Food Truck. But, for me, the Kenmore Kitchen Coliseum was the most happening place. Here we watched--more like smelled--much of the culinary action occurring during the Preliminary Round of the World Seafood Championship. The scent of chowders mixed in the air with the briny freshness of crab legs being spread like spokes on the edges of a Seafood Salad, while lovely orange slabs of salmon could be observed being cut with chef's knives prior to grilling. And gas grills were present in abundance--all Bull outdoor grills, like the one we have in our California home, which I consider to be one of the best purchases we ever made. We didn't get to sample any seafood either, sad to say. But when we went directly from Fremont Street to the D Grill for dinner, we were certainly ready to dine. Unfortunately, after a multi-year Vegas run, the World Food Championships is moving on to Florida next year. But hopefully this culinary competition will return to Sin City soon. And when it does, I will definitely be back to watch some of it, and smell more fresh food cooking on grills!

This is a very small circus with about 7 multi-hatted performers that was worth the small ticket…read moreprice. There were acrobats, clowns and an adorable dog show. It is great to bring kids to!! Seats are big enough for people bigger than average, and it was not full, so it was comfortable. The snack bar items are not too high of prices. You can get water and soda for $2 and bottle beer for $5. This is no Barnum and Bailey, but it's a perfect little laugh and entertainment for a family afternoon. I am giving it a 4 since it is really nice for families and kids.

WHAT A SPECIAL PLACE!…read more Inside Sam's Town Casino, just on the other side of the front desk, you can't miss the beautiful Mystic Falls Atrium! It is mystical as the name states. Real waterfalls with lights, thunder, nature sounds and nature trail all indoors---perfect for any day of the week just to get away for a few minutes or sit on a park bench and relax. There are showtimes listed on the Sam's Town website. But, the waterfalls are ongoing. Great for a picture taking, enjoy refreshing water and gazing into the sky... the casino rooms facing the atrium look down on the waterfalls, as well. It's a pretty cool setting in this western town themed casino. Always fun passing through here. It's been here for years. Mystic Falls Park is located inside Sam's Town casino off of Boulder Highway and the Flamingo / Nellis intersection. https://samstownlv.boydgaming.com/things-to-do/mystic-falls-park

Not so sure I would call this place a park... The "Park" is…read morelocated inside Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall. Nevertheless, it's impressive. The falls are definitely there, coming down a nice boulder display that gives a very outdoor mountainous feel. There is a little bridge you can walk over, flanked with a Bar to quench your thirst. Fake wildlife adorns the stream area, it even moves around. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me at night, when I saw a big beaver with something it its mouth from far... lol. There is even a light show with scheduled times. "Take a leisurely stroll in the park day or night in Mystic Falls Park® at Sam's Town. Relax to the sound of a rolling waterfall, complemented by the soft chirping of birds in live trees reaching up toward the skylight 10 stories above. Enjoy a cocktail at The Ram's Head Bar while enjoying the famous Mystic Falls Laser Light Show." - https://samstownlv.boydgaming.com/things-to-do/mystic-falls-park I absolutely commend the amount of effort that went into putting this together... Impressive.

Mr Bizarro's Big Top Boo Bash is a nice family circus show that is very affordable for any family…read more Located at Cornerstone Park of off Wigwam Parkway Henderson, you can't miss the tent that is situated just across the bridge. The show consists of acrobatics, dance routines, and funny comedic skits which has a theme that is Halloween based. I brought my teenage kids and their friend on a sunday for the 6 pm show. Was not really expecting anything amazing but was pleasantly surprised at how the acts were actually well organized and how each act transitioned into the next seamlessly. If you are planning on watching this, they have limited performances so go see them. Not sure if they will be doing it again next year. Sow dates are 10/18 through the 20th and 25th to the 27th. To purchase tix go to www.mrbizarros.com Yelp 2019 Review #40 782 overall

Went to the Big Top Boo Bash with the kids and it was such a great time! Affordable, but packed…read morewith laughs and oohs and ahhs. Each kid had a favorite act so there really was something for everyone. Also the child dancers were great! Would definitely recommend and if they have other events like this I would definitely go. I only wish they had advertized it better. We only stumbled on it by chance while visiting the park.

How many stars? Well, it depends on your expectations…read more Since we didn't pay for the show because we had a courtesy pass, we didn't expect any special from this show that's why I gave it 4 stars. It is a very small theater, so you'll have a good view from any seat. They offer drinks on sale. The concept of this show is 3 stars on stage (it may vary according the day). In our case: Micahel Jackson, Whitney Houston and Billy Idol. All of them did a good job. Definitely MJ was the best because he changes his outfit several times. The show is brief and they made us laugh and dance. They made a good effort to put something good together (but they still have room for improvement opportunities)

Come to the show about 20 minutes early. We saw this a few days ago on vacation and added a few…read morepictures. Outstanding performances by the singers and dancers. They can hit all of the notes and the live band is fantastic. I highly recommend going to this and it's great for the entire family. Make sure you order your tickets in advance and get the front row seating as well. Support the cast. It's well worth the price.

OPM is such a fun show that will be missed! The Spiegelworld show is closing after this December…read moreand my friend and I had to go see it before it closed! The theater is smaller, but it's so much fun. It's a sexy, raunchy variety act show with a ton of laughs and space themed humor. I have seen many iterations over the years but I truly feel the show I saw just a few nights ago was the best one yet. The environment for the show is cool and futuristic. The drinks are creative and aesthetically pleasing, and the ushering team and cocktail staff is top-notch. Bravo, OPM! Las Vegas will miss you. Definitely go see OPM before it blasts off and leaves Las Vegas for another galaxy!

Exhilarating ride to another world! 5-6 acts with crowd work in between to never have a dull…read moremoment, OPM showcased acts great for men & women and everyone in between. Just buy a ticket and take flight! Like other reviews, there really ain't a bad seat in the house. I sat in the Outer Rim, Row H seats 31/32. Though it was a little tucked in the end of the aisle it was great angle (about 5 o'clock position from the stage). The room is glowy and neon and you'll feel like you really entered the extraterrestrial limits. Get ready for dance, acrobatics and maybe even some titties.

This was my first show in Las Vegas and I can save without a doubt this was the most ridiculous…read morething I've ever seen along with spectacular, find boggling and beautiful at the same time. From the get-go we were held breathless by the initial acrobat and jogged along the show with a very engaging MC. Full disclosure this is an adult's only thing and should be treated as such. The humor, the content and the feats of acrobatics had my jaw dropped for about 15 minutes until I realized I was sitting there like an idiot. If you have the opportunity to go catch a show I would highly recommend it