Neon Mirage – Visions and Realities of Las Vegas

Take a wild ride across the desert to Las Vegas, and laugh as you experience the neon shrine from sixteen unusual points of view. This hilarious and thought-provoking show from the Tony Award-winning Actors’ Theatre of Louisville comes to New York’s Fringe Festival on:
TUE 8/22 @ 7:15 - 8:45
WED 8/23 @ 4:45 - 6:15
THUR 8/24 @ 7:15 - 8:45
FRI 8/25 @ 6 - 7:30
SAT 8/26 @ 7 - 8:30

Neon Mirage will be performed at Fringe Festival’s Venue #5: Henry Street Harry DuJur Playhouse, at: 466 Grand Street (near corner of Pitt – Subway F to Delancey, JMG to Essex; BUS: 14A).

You’ll meet the insiders, founders, and workers who give the city its unique, sparkling mystique. You’ll see a spectacular musical production number set in the MGM Grand Hotel, and strikingly different employees of that hotel, arguing about an everyday cell phone. You’ll see the concept of Las Vegas invented, as an afterthought of a desperate conversation. You’ll recall the nearby nuclear testing of the 1950’s, with a twist. You’ll think of hotel workers differently, after this encounter with two memorable housekeepers. Siegfried and Roy’s tigers discuss the tragic mauling incident – can tigers be judged morally? Six playwrights dissect and probe the collection of myths, folklore, and stereotypes that surround Las Vegas.

You’ll experience the hopes of gamblers at the endless slot machines. You’ll hear a desperate, feminist showgirl explain how she got into an absurd situation, and how all makes sense - almost. Another Las Vegas girl tells the story of her mother’s disappointment, in a gesture. A street girl explains the rules of survival on The Strip, hinting at the stark underside of the glittering culture. You’ll see a chapel wedding, presided by The King, of course. You’ll meet the guy who can’t win, the girl who can’t lose, the man bedeviled by his mediocre luck, and the poignant twist of fate when the three meet. You’ll see the girl who went to Vegas, her friend who didn’t, and the difference Vegas made when they meet later in life. Rick Hip-Flores’ high-energy musical numbers capture the spirit, the fantasy, and the personal tragedy of the Las Vegas experience. You’ll see the stark reality and the glittering mirage of America’s theme park for grownups.

Coming to the New York Fringe Festival from the Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Neon Mirage is a magical synthesis of the genius of six playwrights (Liz Duffy Adams, Dan Dietz, Julie Jensen, Lisa Kron, Tracey Scott Wilson and Chay Yew) and a composer (Rick Hip-Flores). The characters are brought to life by the 2006 Actors’ Theatre Apprentice Company. Commissioned for this Spring’s 30th Anniversary Humana Festival of New American Plays, Wendy McClellan directs this kaleidoscope of stories, forging a unified work in 16 fast-paced scenes that leave the audience both laughing and thinking. The show’s Web site is http://www.actorstheatreapprentices.org/ .

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