Looking for something cultural to do this weekend and beyond? Here are Encore Atlanta’s recommendations (in alphabetical order). Pictured: Sharisa Whatley as Dorothy and Erin Meadows as Glinda the Good Witch in the Alliance Theatre’s “The Wizard of Oz.” Photo by Greg Mooney.
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Avenue Q. Still running, still worth seeing and still for adults only. Its youthful creators gobsmacked Broadway in 2003, and their wiseacre wit is just as winning today. Winner of seven 2011-12 Suzi Bass Atlanta theater awards. Through April 1. Call ahead for tickets. Horizon Theatre, 1083 Austin Ave. N.E. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 3 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. $20-$50. tickets.horizontheatre.com. 404.584.7450. (Snapshot: Meet Nick Arapoglou, who won a Suzi for his work as Princeton.)
Brilliant Traces. Synchronicity Theatre delivers a wild ride with this twisty two-actor mystery about grown-ups who run away from home. Its ups and downs will leave you gasping — and talking. Featuring Kate Graham and Chad Martin. Through March 25 at 7 Stages Backstage Theatre, 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday. Also 7 p.m. March 14 and 21. $25 adults; $18 students with ID, senior citizens and artists. Tickets: synchrotheatre.com or 404.484.8636.
The Golden Ticket. FINAL WEEKEND. Atlanta Opera presents the comic opera based on the Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Discover a landscape of chocolate rivers, inflating blueberries and magic elevators. Music by Peter Ash, libretto by Donald Sturrock (read more). Sung in English with English supertitles. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway. 8 p.m. Friday; 3 p.m. Sunday. $15-$140. www.tickets.atlantaopera.org or 404.881.8885.
I Just Stopped By to See the Man. In previews. Opens March 14. Through April 8. Three lost souls collide in a musical landscape choked with the heartache and beauty of the Delta Blues. Featuring bluesman “Mississippi” Charles Bevel. Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Opening night curtain at 8 p.m. Otherwise: 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. Preview weeknights $25; preview weekends $40. $38 and $40 beginning March 14. Tickets: alliancetheatre.org, 404.733.5000.
Red. FINAL WEEKEND. This 2010 Tony Award-winning best play journeys inside the head and claustrophobic studio of enigmatic painter Mark Rothko, a 1960s modernist. It’s Tom Key vs. Jimi Kocina is this two-man tour de force. Theatrical Outfit, 84 Luckie St. N.W. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. $15-$35. Tickets: theatricaloutfit.org or 877.725.8849. (Snapshot: Up close with Jimi Kocina.)
Petite Rouge. Synchronicity Theatre charms all ages with this zydeco retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood tale. Little Red is a duck, her best friend is a timid cat, and there’s a big, bad gator named Claude (in the wolf role) chasing them through Mardi Gras as they try to take gumbo to Petite’s ailing Grandmere. Three swift and versatile storytellers join in, playing more than 20 human and animal characters – crayfish, turtle, frog, riverboat tourists, Mardi Gras dancers, funeral-goers and more. It’s a toe-tapping 70 minutes good for ages 3+. Through March 25 at 7 Stages Backstage Theatre, 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E.. 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday; and 10:30 a.m. Wednesday-Thursday (call ahead). $15-$30. Tickets: synchrotheatre.com or 404.484.8636.
St. Matthew Passion. Bach’s masterpiece features six soloists and the incomparable ASO Chamber Chorus, with Robert Spano conducting. 8 tonight and Saturday. Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. $21-$79. www.atlantasymphony.org. 404.733.4900.
The Wizard of Oz. FINAL WEEKEND. Director Rosemary Newcott & Co. give this American classic a folksy spin and folk-art feel in a shortened version for young audiences. Good for ages 4+. Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. 1 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. $35; $25 children. Tickets: alliancetheatre.org, 404.733.5000.
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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. She spent 25 years in daily newspapers and was most recently on staff at Atlanta’s smart, bold and gutsy Synchronicity Theatre (full disclosure!). Please email: kathy@encoreatlanta.com.
