Not taking in Dragon Con this weekend? Looking for something cultural to do? Here’s our select list of recommendations.
RECOMMENDED
Decatur Book Festival. SATURDAY-SUNDAY. An arts and culture showcase — dubbed artDBF — joins the annual event with stories, ideas, performances, installations, films, music, artwork and photography alongside the usual book-related hubbub. Among those scheduled: the Alliance’s Theatre for the Very Young, Atlanta Opera, choreographer Nicole Livieratos, Serenbe Playhouse, 7 Stages, Synchronicity Theatre, the French-language Théâtre du Rêve, Theatrical Outfit and Wabi Sabi (dance). Free. Locations: Decatur Square, Decatur Library (Sycamore Street) and Decatur Recreation Center Dance Studio (also Sycamore Street). Details HERE or at 404.370.4100.
Les Misérables. THROUGH SEPT. 8. Technically, this season opener at Aurora Theatre is sold out for the rest of its run, but you can get on a waiting list by calling (678.226.6222) or emailing the box office, then come to the theater the night of the show. Unused tickets (cancellations and such) will be sold, subject to availability. Justin Anderson directs a cast of 28. The critics: “A victory for the ambitious Aurora Theatre” (Wendell Brock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution); “Stunning” (Kenny Norton, AtlantaTheaterFans.com). $30-$40. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. 128 East Pike St., Lawrenceville. Free, attached parking deck at 153 Crogan St. Read more about Kevin Harry, who plays Javert, in this Encore SNAPSHOT. (Pictured: Bryant Smith as Jean Valjean and Natasha Drena as Fantine. Photo: BreeAnne Clowdus)
STILL PLAYING
Gorilla Theater. THROUGH SEPT. 20. Fast. Funny. Furry. Members of Dad’s Garage‘s improv ensemble compete head-to-head to determine the dominant director, with the audience’s help. The winner takes a snuggly stuffed gorilla home for the week. Adult content. This is the displaced company’s first show in its temporary home at 7 Stages. $13-$20. 10:30 p.m Fridays. 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. Details, tickets HERE (you save if you buy online; tickets not available at door) or at 404.523.3141.
Rumpelstiltskin. THROUGH SEPT. 8. A reprise of this Center for Puppetry Arts original based on the Grimm Brothers fairy tale about straw, spinning and a mysterious little man. Told with hand-crafted marionettes. Adapted by Bobby Box and Michael Haverty, two major names in puppetry in, and beyond, Atlanta. $16.50 non-members; $9.25 members. 10 and 11:30 a.m. Thursday-Friday; 11 a.m. 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday. 1404 Spring St. N.W. (at 18th Street). Details, tickets HERE or at 404.873.3391.
LOOKING AHEAD
Almost Heaven: John Denver’s America. SEPT. 5-22. “A winning musical revue!” So said Variety in describing this show, the season opener at Georgia Ensemble Theatre. It celebrates songs — 29 of them — written and inspired by the celebrated troubadour, including “Rocky Mountain High,” “Annie’s Song,” “Calypso” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” The cast: Dolph Amick, Mary Nye Bennett, Chris Damiano, Scott DePoy and Jeremy Wood. $15-$39. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forest St., Roswell. Details HERE or at 770.641.1260.
Harmony. SEPT. 6-OCT. 6. The writing team of Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman have found a home at the Alliance Theatre for their musical about the first sensational boy band: six talented young men in 1920s Germany. The Comedian Harmonists, as they were known, took the world by storm with their sophisticated harmonies and stage antics. They sold millions of records, starred in a dozen films and packed the houses of the most prestigious concert halls in the world — until Adolf Hitler came to power. $30-$75. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. Discounts (Sept. 6, 8, 10, 12 preview performances only) at PoshDealz.com. (Pictured, from left: Harmony creators Bruce Sussman and Barry Manilow)
Twelfth Night | Troilus and Cressida. SEPT. 6-29. The New American Shakespeare Tavern goes for laughs and the gut with this two-show repertory. The comic Twelfth Night features a shipwreck, separated identical twins, mistaken identities and romance. With the tragedy Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare tackles Homer, Virgil and Chaucer. Twelfth Night: Sept. 7, 13, 15, 19, 21, 27 and 29. Troilus and Cressida: Sept. 6-12, 14, 20, 22, 26 and 28. The Tavern has a pub menu and tasty adult beverages. $15-$32. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 6:30 p.m. Sunday. 499 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.874.5299. (Pictured: Twelfth Night’s Jennifer Lamourt, left, and Mary Russell)
Venus in Fur. SEPT. 4-OCT. 6. David Ives’ Broadway hit opens the Actor’s Express season. The sexy — at times, kinky — comedy concerns a young actress late for an audition for a play based on a classic erotic novel. A steamy study of sex and power. The cast: Veronika Duerr (AE’s Becky Shaw, Emilie in Weird Sisters’ Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight) and Out of Hand’s Adam Fristoe. David Crowe (last season’s Equus) directs. Director’s Rough Cut performance at 8 p.m. Sept. 5 (pay what you can); previews at 8 p.m. Sept. 5-6 ($15). Opens at 8 p.m. Sept. 7 ($40, includes post-show reception). Regularly $26-$45 plus fees (cheaper when purchased online). 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. 887 W. Marietta St. Note: The King Plow Arts Center parking lot is under construction. Alternate parking options HERE. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.607-SHOW. Discounts at PoshDealz.com.
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Kathy Janich, Encore Atlanta’s managing editor, has been seeing, working in or covering the performing arts for most of her life. Please email: kathy@encoreatlanta.com.
