You can go see Johnny Marr because you’re nostalgic for the Smiths if you want to, but for his part, he’ll be focused on songs from his latest album, Call the Comet, which is variously a response to the election of Donald Trump, a gesture of hope for a utopian future, and a celebration of art itself: “I had to do something more esoteric, and bohemian, and artistic,” he says. But also with guitars. May 18, 7:30p, $35-$45, brooklynbowl.com
(Dance)
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Contemporary West Dance Theatre
West Las Vegas Library
For its spring concert, this high-caliber troupe will debut two new pieces by its founder, Bernard H. Gaddis: “Finn Air” and “The Art of War.” Plus other new works. If you’re not familiar with this company, there’s no better time to get acquainted. May 24-25, 7:30p; May 26, 1:30p, free, lvdance.org
(Art)
Event Horizon
UNLV location TBA
This event — weaving live music, visual art, and dance into an immersive audience-participation experience dedicated to ideas about wonder and the unexpected — is a two-hour sneak peek of a longer work coordinated by artist Aundrea Frahm, which will be presented in full this fall. But why wait until then? May 16-17, 4p, free, limited seating so RSVP to eventhorizons.lv@gmail.com
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(Theater)
Legally Blonde
UNLV’s Judy Bayley Theatre
Our plucky heroine, West Coast sorority gal Elle Woods, takes on Harvard Law in a whirl of bubbly, expectation-defying smarts, colorful L.A. fashion, murder-trial dramedy, and, of course, music, because this is a musical. A Tony-nominated one, at that. About believing in yourself even when haughty Harvard types don’t. May 3-12, various times, $28, unlv.edu/calendar
(Lecture)
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The Untold History of Neon
Neon Museum
Titled “Hidden in Bright Light,” this talk by the Neon Museum’s scholar in residence, Dydia DeLyser, delves into the early days of this garish noble gas, and its significance in the American landscape. Perhaps surprisingly, despite neon’s centrality to the Las Vegas aesthetic, this city was actually a comparative latecomer to its use. DeLyser is a historical-cultural geographer at California State University, Fullerton. May 9, 7p, free (but tickets required), neonmuseum.org
