Looking for something cultural to do in the next week or so? Here’s a select list of recommendations from Encore Atlanta’s managing editor. Pictured: Bingo is a big deal in the Alliance Theatre’s “Good People,” featuring (from left) Kate Buddeke, Lala Cochran and Brenda Bynum. It runs through Feb. 10. Photo: Greg Mooney.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman joins guest conductor Kazushi Ono and the ASO for Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G minor. Also on the program: Weber’s Euryanthe Overture and Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony, the No. 3. At 8 tonight and Saturday. Ticket holders are invited to a complimentary scotch tasting at 7 p.m. (vouchers limited, must be 21 or older with valid I.D.). $23-$67. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. This sexy explosion of theater and music re-imagines our nation’s seventh president as a rock god maverick who fights for the common man and looks hot in skinny jeans. This show has plenty of buzz, pro and con. The critics: “A a lively, loud and slyly funny rock musical. … The show owes more to the theater of the absurd and “South Park” than to Oklahoma! or even Hair” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com); “Gets by on rock ‘n’ roll poses and laugh-out-loud parody without quite being one for the history books” (Curt Holman, Creative Loafing); “I can’t guarantee that you’ll love BBAJ, but the Express once again pushes the envelope. See it — or you won’t know what the fuss is all about” (Manning Harris, Atlanta INtown). $26-$47. Through Feb. 17. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Actor’s Express, 887 West Marietta St. Details, tickets HERE (buy online and save fees) or at 404.607.7469. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
Bob. Meet Bob, an unfailing optimist born on Valentine’s Day in the bathroom of a White Castle restaurant in Kentucky and left to fend for himself by his birth mother. This fast-paced comedy by San Francisco playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb evokes comparisons to The Jerk and Forrest Gump. At Aurora Theatre. Directed by Sean Daniels, formerly of Dad’s Garage and now with Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, N.Y, which co-produces. $20-$30. Through Feb. 10. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Note: 8 p.m. shows this Friday and Saturday are sold out. Discount matinee ($16) at 10 a.m. Feb. 6. 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. Free parking in attached deck at 153 Crogan St. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com. (Pictured, from left: Doyle Reynolds, Scott Warren, Dan Triandiflou as Bob, Wendy Melkonian and Veronika Duerr. Photo: Chris Bartelski)
Good People. What happens when chasing the American dream collides with doing the right thing? That’s what Pulitzer-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire explores in his comedy-tinged drama about an out-of-work cashier angling for a better life. Class and status, it seems, don’t come easy in South Boston. Artistic director Susan V. Booth directs this Alliance Theatre staging. Through Feb. 10. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Additional show at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10. $30-$60. Alliance mainstage, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com. Go behind the scenes with the playwright in this Encore FEATURE.
Petite Rouge. ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY. What Disney did for The Frog Prince, Joan Cushing (of Junie B. Jones fame) and Synchronicity Theatre (at left) do for Little Red Riding Hood. This family musical takes Little Red, aka Petite Rouge, to the bayou and Mardi Gras with a vibrant cast of cohorts — a big, bad gator in the wolf role, a timid feline best friend and a multitalented, ever-moving chorus of three. Directed by Justin Anderson. A co-production with Aurora Theatre, where more than 5,000 schoolchildren have already moved to the zydeco beat. 10 a.m. Saturday (Synchronicity moves the show intown to Horizon Theatre for a March 29-April 21 run). $7. Aurora Theatre, 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. Free parking in attached deck at 153 Crogan St. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222. Photo: Synchronicity Theatre
The Producers. OPENING FRIDAY. Theater of the Stars brings this Mel Brooks mega-hit to the Fox Theatre. The musical, which won 12 Tony Awards in 2001, is based on Brooks’ popular movie of the same name. A slick producer and nebbish accountant team up to produce the biggest flop in Broadway history, but even the best-laid plans can go goose-steppingly awry. Of note: Gary Beach (right) reprises his Tony-winning turn as director Roger De Bris. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 1:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday. (Originally scheduled for July 2012; tickets for those dates will be honored on the same day of the week.) $25-$65. 660 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com. More on Mel Brooks and the show in this ENCORE FEATURE. (Photo: Matt Polk)
Swell Party. FINAL WEEKEND. Playwright-about-town Topher Payne penned this fact-based comedy — a world premiere — about a tobacco heir, his new wife from the North, a wild wedding party and the mystery it produces. His intention: To prove that for Southerners, the truth isn’t nearly as important as a good story. The critics: “A delightful and original treatment that balances froth with gravitas while investigating the meaning of lust, greed, hypocrisy and loss” (Wendell Brock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution); “Charming, funny, lively and winningly old-fashioned. … Payne is a super-talented writer — he’s proved himself time and again — and it’s now fair for him to expect more from audiences, and for audiences to expect more from him” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com). $23-$33. 8 tonight-Friday; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Georgia Ensemble Theatre at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forest St., Roswell. Details, tickets HERE or at 770.641.1260.
The Tempest. FINAL WEEKEND. A famous shipwreck follows a violent storm, with the survivors stranded on an enchanted isle controlled by the magician Prospero. Laura Cole directs. $15-$36. 7:30 tonight-Saturday; and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Grab a pint or two at the bar and enjoy a journey back to the bard’s day. New American Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.874.5299. For a discounted gift card, visit PoshDealz.com.
24-Hour Opera Project. Atlanta Opera strikes fear in the hearts of composers, lyricists, stage directors and opera singers from all over the country with its third annual competition. It works like this: Composers and lyricists have 12 hours to write an opera of seven to 10 minutes in length. Then a stage director and singers have eight hours to rehearse. Finally, the mini-operas greet an audience in a showcase concert. It’s a good time for all: Last year’s winner, Krispy Kremes and Butter Dreams, featured a Paula Deen character. Showcase begins at 7 p.m. Saturday. Free. Atlanta Opera Center, 1575 Northside Drive, Building 300, Suite 350. Details HERE. Pictured: Last year’s Krispy Kremes winners (from left) John Elliott Yates, Christine Lyons and Sondra Collins. (Photo: Tim Wilkerson)
The Waffle Palace: Smothered, Covered & Scattered 24/7/365. Horizon Theatre gets smothered, covered and scattered all over again with an open-ended encore run of its summer hit. The script, by Larry Larson and Eddie Levi Lee, is inspired by real-life news stories about Waffle Houses everywhere. It follows a Midtown diner owner, his staff and a crazy cast of customers as they battle to save the eatery from encroaching real estate developers. Six of seven original cast members return. $20-$40. Opens Friday. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 3 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. 1083 Austin Ave. N.E. (at Euclid Avenue). Details, tickets HERE or at 404.584.7450. Meet actor Eric Mendenhall, who plays seven hard-to-forget characters, in this ENCORE SNAPSHOT.
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Kathy Janich, Encore Atlanta’s managing editor, has been seeing, covering or working in the performing arts for most of her life. Full disclosure: She’s affiliated with Synchronicity Theatre mentioned above. Please email: kathy@encoreatlanta.com.
