11 Best Live Shows in Las Vegas

Cirque du Soleil’s longest-running show, Mystère, bursts with exquisite costumes and sets. Watch this diverse cast of characters perform comedy and drama through elegantly choregraphed acrobatics and aerial stunts.

Behind the spellbinding glitz is a dramatic story: The world of Mystère and its people, and animals, must fight against agents of chaos to defeat evil. Set to a dynamic score performed with giant handmade Japanese drums and classical guitars, this interactive show is sure to leave you wanting more Cirque.

This grandiose magic show, set on a magnificent stage in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, features David Copperfield, the Houdini-like magician who once walked through the Great Wall of China.

Prepare to be amazed as you watch Copperfield shrink himself down to fit inside a small box, slice a woman in half and make objects disappear. It’s perfect for people who want to sit back and marvel, and those who try to bend their mind to work out how things work. Copperfield’s stage presence is engaging and masterful, and his act includes sentimental stories about his father and his childhood.

After 30 years, these 3 bald, blue-skinned guys are still electrifying audiences with their percussion, comedy and rock music. The blue men perform earth-shattering drum compositions accompanied by rhythmic strobe lights, vibrant confetti explosions and elaborate sound effects.

The Blue Man Group don’t speak during their show, instead relying on their expressive faces and prop work to create punchlines. The show pulses with energy as the group pokes subtle fun at technology and less subtle fun at guests who try to sneak in late.

Cirque’s burlesque show, Zumanity, explores human passions like desire, love and anger through 16 acts of sensual and playful dance and acrobatics. Male and female dancers and contortionists perform intricate displays of courtship and seduction inside a giant glass water bowl, within a fight cage and on a trapeze 20 metres above the stage.

Provocative costumes, including rhinestone-studded thongs, nude-coloured swim suits, fishnet tights and red high heels, bring fantasy scenes to life. Erotic lyrics invite the audience to get lost in the moment in the final act and to even take part in the climactic end.

Comedian Carrot Top’s sold-out shows have been rousing audiences at the Luxor Hotel since 2005. His fast-paced performance features precisely timed lighting, sound effects, fog machines and music clips. Keep your ears open because the jokes come fast, furious and funny.

Carrot Top’s material includes celebrity impersonations and prop humour, with 35 trunks of random objects serving as his jumping off point for improvisational bits. His humour verges on raunchy as he makes fun of politicians, celebrities and audience members.

Thunder from Down Under is an entourage of muscular Australian male dancers performing racy, well-choreographed dance routines with breath-taking aerial stunts. Set to country and rock music, themed dances include intriguing pirate, firemen and cowboy costumes. Then, with lightning speed, the thunderous dancers rip off their fanciful outfits to reveal neon thongs and other festive garments.

It’s a fun, irreverent night out which is sure to be a hit with hen parties and birthday groups especially. Throughout the show, Aussie blokes call up audience participants to the Excalibur Hotel stage for very public and playful lap dances.

You won’t see a Michael Jackson impersonator in this Cirque du Soleil tribute to the King of Pop, but you’ll feel his spirit when kinetic dancers perform his famous moonwalks, spins and anti-gravity leans.

Mashups of classic songs like Billie Jean and Thriller as well as Cirque’s awesome acrobatics accompany 4 main characters on their Oz-like journey to Neverland Ranch. Despite the paparazzi-villains and tabloid-splashed walls, the quartet indulges in Jackson nostalgia along the way, acquiring MJ’s traits of agility, courage, playfulness and love. In Mandalay Bay’s intimate theatre, you’ll feel a little closer to this international pop sensation.

In this blend of burlesque, post-apocalyptic thriller and sketch comedy, zombies invite human party-goers into their nightclub, Club Z, as a gesture of goodwill. What happens next is a playful variety show packed with undead jokes, sexy costumes, human-zombie flirtation and maybe even love.

Acts include a zombie-human game show, a contortionist-juggler zombie, some striptease and dances to the likes of Billie Holliday, Bjork, and, of course, the Cranberries' Zombie. The undead cast invites audience interaction in the front rows and might even pass out jelly shots.

The Encore Theater at the luxurious Wynn Casino Resort is known for hosting the biggest names in entertainment, such as Lionel Richie, Trevor Noah and John Fogerty.

If you’re looking for something shorter and more affordable, The Wynn’s signature water feature has a show of its own, Lake of Dreams, featuring massive colorful props, magical lighting, bursting fountain jets, and expert puppetry. Shows are every half hour after dusk. The best part? The show is free to the public.

After decades of perfecting their craft together, Penn and Teller are a delightful, well-oiled duo who interweave magic and comedy seamlessly. Whether Teller is breathing fire so Penn can light his cigarette or they’re levitating an unsuspecting guest together, the physical, slapstick nature of their acts amuses and amazes audiences.

Their show includes expertly scripted narratives that lead naturally from one illusion to the next hilarious bit. Old-school 3-piece suits, creative twists on cliché magic tricks and Penn’s wry humor add to the distinctive feel of their show.