There’s something undeniably Vegas about a night that blends high art with high jinks, tuxedos with toon shenanigans, and a full symphony orchestra with a duck in a sailor collar. On Saturday, September 27, the Las Vegas Philharmonic brings “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony” back to Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center for two performances, 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM—and it’s shaping up to be the kind of crossover event that reminds us why this city does spectacle better than anyone.
If you’ve never experienced this concert-meets-cinema romp, imagine sixteen classic Looney Tunes shorts projected on the big screen while a powerhouse orchestra performs the original scores live, synced to every pratfall, hairpin chase, and cartoon crescendo. The result is pure, precision-timed joy: the orchestra becomes a co-star, punctuating every anvil drop and triumphantly launching every operatic wink. For longtime fans, it’s a reunion with the mischief that raised us; for newcomers, it’s a crash course in how brilliant music direction elevated animation into an art form.
The show’s pedigree is as polished as a conductor’s baton. “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony” is the brainchild of Primetime Emmy winners George Daugherty and David Ka Lik Wong. Daugherty—who also conducts these performances—has spent decades championing the marriage of symphonic music and animation, turning a clever idea into a global crowd-pleaser that fills concert halls from coast to coast. Vegas audiences know: when a production is built with this much care, timing, and verve, Reynolds Hall becomes the perfect playground.
This year comes with a cherry on top of the carrot cake: the premiere of a brand-new animated short saluting Bugs Bunny’s 85 years on the silver screen. Eighty-five and still a headliner? That’s star power. Bugs isn’t just timeless—he’s eternally now, an icon of irreverence and quick wit who’s always managed to feel one step ahead of the joke. The new short promises fresh gags with a classic heartbeat, the kind of birthday celebration that invites the whole house to sing along.
And because a Vegas party needs celebrity cameos, two superstar voice actors will join the festivities onstage. Bob Bergen, the current voice of Porky Pig, and Eric Bauza, who brings Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to life, are set to appear in person to help the birthday bunny celebrate. Their presence adds an extra dimension—the thrill of hearing those unmistakable voices live, surrounded by the lush sound of a full orchestra. It’s the difference between watching a classic at home and stepping inside it.
Part of the magic here is realizing just how musical Looney Tunes always were. Those cartoons didn’t simply use music; they were choreographed to it, wrapped around it, made unforgettable by it. Hearing the Las Vegas Philharmonic—now in its 27th season and guided by the artistic leadership of internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin as Artistic Consultant—ignite those scores in real time is like rediscovering your favorite scenes with new eyes and ears. The strings race, the brass blares, the percussion lands the punchline. You’ll never look at a timpani or a trombone glissando the same way again.
For the QVegas community, “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony” also hits that sweet spot between nostalgia and reinvention. We love a classic with a modern twist, a glam reunion that still serves something new. It’s family-friendly if you’re making it a multigenerational outing, date-night worthy if you and your plus-one crave something playful and chic, and absolutely perfect for a friends’ night out if your group’s idea of culture includes a little camp with its crescendos. Come for What’s Opera, Doc? vibes; stay for the way the orchestra turns the entire hall into an inside joke.
Of course, this is Vegas, which means the production values are pristine. Reynolds Hall’s big-screen projection makes the animation pop without losing that retro charm, and the Philharmonic’s precision keeps every frame and flourish locked in step. The result is a seamless conversation between image and sound—a reminder that animation has always been as much about rhythm and phrasing as it is about line and color.
Whether you grew up memorizing Duck Season/Rabbit Season repartee or you’re discovering these shorts for the first time, the joy is the same: laughter amplified by orchestral thunder, classic comedy reframed as living, breathing performance. It’s a little bit symphony, a little bit Saturday morning, and entirely Vegas.
Two chances to catch the carrot: Saturday, September 27 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM at The Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall. Tickets are available at lvphil.org. Bring your sense of humor, your love of live music, and your appetite for a celebration eighty-five years in the making. That’s all, folks—until the downbeat.