Las Vegas Weekly

December 9, 2008 · 6:18 PM

Deals aplenty on Strip shows for locals in the know

By Jennifer Grafiada

Zumanity offers a sweet bargain for the 18+ crowd.

As our Christmas/Chanukah/holiday gift to you, we’d like to let you in on one of the best kept secrets in Vegas: During the next couple months, shows on the Strip from Ka to Zumanity to Phantom are slashing their ticket prices and offering two-for-one deals for anyone with a local drivers license.

There is a catch: You won’t see anything advertised on a billboard or even on the shows’ Web sites. If you want to get a deal, you have to know the deal.

Which is why we’ve created this guide to the Strip shows offering holiday specials. To cash in on these deals, you’ll need to call the respective box offices, ask for the local special and then upon ticket retrieval, show your Nevada ID at the box office. No secret handshake needed. Yet.

Two shows, Mamma Mia! and Stomp Out Loud will go dark for good on January 4th, so this may be your last chance to see them in action.

Note: La Reve will be dark until December 24th, with two-for-one tickets for locals resuming January 4th.

Mamma Mia!

The Strip’s longest running Broadway musical will drop its curtain for the final time on January 4th. Anyone with a taste for ABBA’s sunshine-y ‘70s music or sentimental love stories involving multiple weddings will eat up this estrogen-rich production.

Two-for-one tickets for locals on $110 and $82.50 tickets until Dec 21.

The Improv at Harrah’s

Laugh your ass off in an intimate venue reminiscent of a Bronx basement with its brick wall scrawled with handwritten jokes and pictures of comics who have made a name for themselves after making ‘em laugh at The Improv. The Improv at Harrah’s showcases a different marquee of acts each week, every one of them blessed with comedic genius.

Two-for-one tickets for locals ($31.95, $44.95)

Penn & Teller

“I am never bored,” Teller once remarked, and you certainly won’t be as you watch him and his gregarious partner, Penn Jillette, execute a series of cunning tricks involving everything from simple threads, balls, cups and needles to more intense props like fire, broken beer bottles, knives and bullets.

Two-for-one tickets for locals until December 31. Must call with the “secret code” you can find in Neon Newspaper or (sometimes) the Review-Journal.

Lance Burton

Lance, a master magician in a tux, is a Vegas icon up there with Siegfried and Roy in terms of tenure and natural showmanship. He performs classics like levitation, disappearing acts and transforming shreds of paper into doves with flair, flanked by the expected eye candy showgirls. The show is family friendly, and Burton makes a point of plucking children from the audience to help him with his acts—the same way he caught the magic itch back in the day.

There will be one show nightly at 7 p.m. from Dec. 2-13 during locals appreciation weeks. The full ticket price will be $35 at the Lance Burton Theatre Box-Office or $38 via montecarlo.com or the reservation hotline 730-7160. Nevada ID is required for purchase.

Blue Man Group

Who would have thought that three men smeared in blue paint mutely playing with marshmallows, PVC pipe and toilet paper could be so undeniably brilliant and entertaining? Blue Man Group’s otherworldly awesomeness can’t be accurately described; it has to be experienced. Wild and spontaneous enough to earn rave reviews from children, but with avant-garde artistry and a social message for adults, Blue Man Group is a total crowd pleaser. Be prepared for in-depth audience involvement.

Two-for-one tickets for locals until February 28.

Zumanity

Billed as “The Sensual Side of Cirque de Soleil,” this is not the show to see with your mother. Zumanity is, however, an excellent show to see with your lover. An exploration of the aesthetics and various facets of eroticism, Zumanity is meant to be a celebration of our physical bodies, the pleasure they provide and the passions and emotions they can share and express. The performances are a visual treat and a physical tease. A definite highlight is the irreverent humor of the drag queen host, who encourages us to appreciate our fascinating innate sexuality.

$49 tickets for locals (plus $3.50 service fee and live entertainment tax of 10%, making it $57.40) Only for category 2 or 3 tickets. Must present ID when picking up tickets and be at least 18 years old. Applicable to all shows except those on Friday and Saturday and New Years Eve. Now until Feb 28.

KA

Think Lord of the Rings meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as channeled through Cirque de Soleil. Ka takes audiences on a fantastical journey through tropical jungles, stormy seas and snowy mountains where rages an epic war between good and evil. “Imperial Twins”—boy-girl siblings—are overthrown by evil warriors and must travel over wild terrain and battle adversaries before they can reunite and reclaim their Far Eastern Palace. The revolving stage and special effects are mesmerizing (and cost millions of dollars to produce), and the acrobatics are more stylistic and gravity defying than those of Jackie Chan or a Russian gymnast.

$49 for locals now until Feb 28, except for the week of Christmas and New Years (Dec. 20 - Jan 5).

Mystere

The show begins with a giant “baby” chasing a big, bouncing ball across the stage. The rest of the show unfolds like a dream, or rather an opiate-induced vision, a circus fit for kings. Mystere was the first Cirque du Soleil show to debut on the Strip – at the Treasure Island in 1993 – and even 15 years later its stunning acrobatics and gorgeous costumes and choreography make for a show not to be missed. Look out for the playful clown-usher, who likes to throw popcorn at unsuspecting audience members and even shoo them out of their seats.

$49 for locals until Feb 28, except for the week of Christmas and New Years (Dec. 20 – Jan. 5).

Phantom—The Las Vegas Spectacular

This Venetian production keeps intact Andrew Lloyd Webber’s timeless music, the romantic plot and the elaborate stage sets involving chandeliers, boats and candle-covered underground lairs, and even throws in a few only-in-Vegas twists. Phantom transports with such éclat you won’t lament the ticket price or the fact that you’re not in London or on Broadway.

$50 off for locals on Golden Circle and orchestra seating until March 31.

Stomp Out Loud

This vibrantly colorful and raucous combination of dance, music and comedy will end its run at Planet Hollywood on January 4. We recommend catching the world-famous show before then. The cast flaunts casual urban garb (i.e. denim, sneakers and tank-tops), dances in an electric fusion of ballet, jazz, African dance and hip-hop and creates funky music with garbage cans, broomsticks, cardboard boxes and pots and dishes.

Two-for-one for locals.

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