Don’t expect to see your favorite semi-famous couple kicking up their heels quite like this on Dancing with the Stars. Not unless ABC green-lights a spinoff called Kabuki with the Stars. That, for the uninitiated, is the colorful Japanese art of dance drama, and until that spinoff comes along, you can find it at MGM Grand with Kabuki Lion Shi-Shi-O: The Adventures of the Mythical Lion.
Kabuki Lion, presented in Vegas to celebrate Japan’s Golden Week, is a four-course feast of visual stimulation, owing to vivid fight scenes, intricate choreography, colorful makeup and “onnagata”—male actors who impersonate women. Expect a battle with a mythical creature, a search for a sacred sword, immersion in a strange netherworld and the imparting of spiritual wisdom. The show stars renowned Japanese kabuki artist Somegorê Ichikawa. Don’t look for him on Dancing with the Stars … just yet.
MGM Grand, 8 p.m. May 3-6, 7 & 10 p.m. May 7, starting at $65 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
