Summer Stages: Las Vegas May Be Hot, But It's Also A Summer Entertainment Festival

Even though the weather can be beastly in the summer, Las Vegas and environs still offer entertainment and entertaining things to do.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival (http://www.bard.org) in Cedar City and Tuachan (http://www.tuachan.org) in St. George, Utah both offer terrific summer schedules. The Utah Shakespeare Festival is doing several Shakespeare plays and some more modern ones, including the first regional production of multi-Tony Award-winning play, Peter and the Starcatcher.

On the Strip you'll want to be sure you see Human Nature (http://www.humannaturelive.com) a must- must-see. Moved to The Venetian earlier this year, the four white guys from Sydney do Motown as it should be done. You don't want to miss it.

Vegas! The Show (http://www.vegastheshow.com) won BroadwayWorld's 2011 award for the Best Resident Show on The Strip and it is - a wonderful retelling of the history of this Entertainment Capital of the World that is, in itself, very entertaining. Eric Jordan Young heads cast of very accomplished pros who make the evening a joy.

The Smith Center for the Arts (http://www.thesmithcenter.com) has a terrific menu of offerings all year round. This summer, they'll have several musicals, including Cameron Mackintosh's 25th anniversary staging of LES MISERABLES. The Cabaret Jazz space at the Smth Center - intimate and always just right - will feature, among others, Billy Stritch, Clint Holmes and Weird Al. Also this summer, you can catch the likes of Willie Nelson, Jewel and lots more. The Smith Center is an addition to the local entertainment landscape that is to be treasured.

Downtown Las Vegas is alive again. There's the nightly (free) Fremont Street Experience. In the Plaza Hotel you can see the Phat Pack, a group of singers formerly in Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular, who perform songs from Broadway and other standards at downtown's Plaza Hotel. http://www.phatpackshow.com.

Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, David Copperfield, Jersey Boys and, from Cirque du Soleil: Michael Jackson's One, The Beatles Love, Ka and five more shows. All of these and lots more can be seen in Las Vegas over the summer. This really is the place for great entertainment. To see what's on when, go to Vegas.com: http://www.vegas.com

And, if you're looking for more to do, check out the Mob Museum http://www.themobmuseum.com for a really fun trip into Las Vegas' storied past.