The Smith Center for the Performing Arts (Las Vegas, NV) has announced that it will launch the national tour and world premiere of new musical An Officer And A Gentleman, opening October 26 with performances through October 31.

At a press conference on July 14, Smith Center president and CEO Myron Martin made the announcement alongside members of the show’s creative team and cast, who delivered an exclusive world premiere performance of the production. This followed with remarks by Martin and Patricia Wilcox, choreographer of An Officer And A Gentleman. Prior to the tour’s launch, the show will conduct technical rehearsals at Paducah’s Carson Center.

In addition to the official announcement of the national launch for An Officer And A Gentleman, The Smith Center also announced that tickets are now on sale for a variety of featured headliners, as well as select shows of the 2021-2022 season for its highly popular Broadway Las Vegas® Series. Tickets for the Tony Award-winning comedy The Play That Goes Wrong, which returns to The Smith Center this November, have also just been made available for sale to the public. The show had previously cancelled its tour prematurely due to concerns related to the pandemic.

Based on the Oscar-winning film starring Richard Gere and Debra Winger, the live stage production of An Officer And A Gentleman is a new adaptation by multiple Tony Award® nominee Dick Scanlan (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Everyday Rapture). Celebrating triumph over adversity with the same iconic and romantic ending as originally portrayed on screen, An Officer And A Gentleman features the Grammy Award-winning, No. 1 hit single “Up Where We Belong,” and a score based on the 1980s catalogue of music that gave voice to a generation.

“We have been waiting a long time to present shows again to our Southern Nevada community, and hosting the world premiere of An Officer And A Gentleman means that Southern Nevadans will be the very first to ever see this incredible production,” said Martin. “With our world-class venue and our welcoming community that is eager to see quality shows, we know that The Smith Center will be the perfect launching pad for this exciting national tour.”

Wilcox emphasized the significance of launching a national tour during such challenging times for the country.

“It is no small feat to assemble and launch a national tour of a stage production during a pandemic,” Wilcox said. “The Smith Center’s state-of-the-art infrastructure and stunning design make it an ideal venue for presenting this uplifting production to the world.”

The Smith Center’s announcement of the wide variety of tickets on sale to the public represents the largest number of tickets put on sale in more than 15 months.

“It’s time to celebrate – intermission is over and The Smith Center’s second act is about to begin,” Martin said. “We invite everyone to take their seats and join us as we reopen The Heart of the Arts® this fall.”

Broadway shows now on sale at The Smith Center include Cats (October 12-17), the record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber, An Officer And A Gentleman (October 26-31)and A Christmas Carol (November 23-28), Dickens’ timeless tale of redemption featuring 12 cherished Christmas carols.

The Tony Award-winning hit comedy and one of the longest-running plays in Broadway history The Play That Goes Wrong returns to The Smith Center November 9-14. Combining the humor of Monty Python with a Sherlock Holmes mystery, the Olivier Award-winning production introduces the “Cornley University Drama Society,” who are attempting to put on a 1920’s murder mystery except, as the title suggests, everything goes wrong.

In addition to these, upcoming performances at The Smith Center include Broadway icons such as Kristin Chenoweth and Patti Lupone; music legends such as Paul Anka and Johnny Mathis; acclaimed jazz performers such as Wynton Marsalis and Boney James; internationally renowned dance groups such as Ballet Folklorico and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo; and notable speakers such as Neil deGrasse Tyson and Garrison Keillor.

Tickets for all of these shows can be purchased HERE.

Due to public health and safety requirements during the pandemic, The Smith Center shuttered its theaters in March 2020. During its extended closure, the venue hosted a variety of virtual programming to engage patrons. The first live performance following the center’s reopening is scheduled for September 14, when Las Vegas favorite Frankie Moreno takes the stage again at Myron’s Cabaret Jazz.

For the latest details about The Smith Center’s health and safety protocols, please visit thesmithcenter.com/safety.