Even the most hardened moral crusader has to grant, however grudgingly, that Las Vegas is one of the more unique American cities. It stands apart from pretty much any of the others, in that it was essentially carved out of sand for the intentional purpose of amusement, rather than just springing up near a major waterway, like – ah, every other city in America, I think. Most of them, anyway. (Is Dallas on a river?) But – for all the glitz and all the trappings of VEGAS! – they’ve never really had a place for theater and classical music and opera, unless you count like Cirque du Soleil at the Bellagio or whatever as theater. That changes Saturday, when the curtain finally goes up on the long-awaited Smith Center for the Performing Arts. (Jay Jones, Los Angeles Times)