Looking for something cultural to do this weekend and beyond? Here are Encore Atlanta’s recommendations (in alphabetical order). Pictured: Brian Clowdus as Matthew and Laura Floyd as Morgan in the new musical “Time Between Us” at Serenbe Playhouse. Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus.
The Adventures of High John the Conqueror. This family-friendly evening of stories and music celebrates one of America’s earliest and least-known folk heroes. Written and directed by Rob Cleveland. Featuring Cleveland and Eric J. Little. Through Aug. 12. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. $20; $10 students and children. Theatrical Outfit at the Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. N.W. Tickets HERE or at 877.725.9949. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
Atlanta My Atlanta. An evening of race and journalism by longtime reporter Boyd Lewis. The audio-illustrated memoir comprises photojournalism, public radio clips and stories from Lewis, the “white boy with the black press,” revisiting Atlanta in the decade after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. 8 p.m. Saturday. $15 in advance; $20 at door. Presented by 7 Stages, 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.523.7647 during normal business hours.
Bat-Hamlet. FINAL PERFORMANCE. Part of Essential Theatre‘s 2012 festival of new plays. What if Shakespeare had conceived the melancholy Dane as a costumed crimefighter? The result: A mashup of comic books and the bard, a tale of murder and revenge, poetry & BAM! SOCK! POW! 8 p.m. Saturday. $23. Actor’s Express, 887 W. Marietta St., in the King Plow Arts Center.
Evelyn in Purgatory. FINAL PERFORMANCE. Part of Essential Theatre‘s 2012 festival of new plays. This world premiere by Atlanta’s Topher Payne is about five public school teachers caught in the limbo of a disciplinary holding area. He calls it “a Breakfast Club for teachers.” Critics call it “smartly crafted,” “a very funny dramatic comedy” (with an ambiguous ending that is “problematic”) and the playwright’s “strongest work to date.” 8 p.m. Thursday. $23. At Actor’s Express, 887 W. Marietta St., in the King Plow Arts Center.
Illyria: A Twelfth Night Musical. FINAL PERFORMANCES. Shakespeare’s gender-bending love triangle (with Joe Knezevich and Courtney Patterson, left) is set to a rock ‘n’ roll, country, gospel and Andrew Lloyd Webber-ish score. Good for ages 6 and up. Picnicking before the show is encouraged. Bring a basket and a bottle of wine or pre-order from Carole Parks Catering. 8 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Sunday. $15-$45. Conant Performing Arts Center at Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E. Details, tickets: www.gashakespeare.org or 404.504.1473. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com. For an INSIDE LOOK, meet Courtney Patterson, who also plays Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and Gwendolyn in The Importance of Being Earnest in Georgia Shakespeare’s summer repertory.
The Importance of Being Earnest. FINAL SHOW. Oscar Wilde’s satirical comedy concerns a couple of pals, each with his eye on a different lady, who masquerade as a libertine named Ernest in order to close the deal. Good for ages 8 and up. Picnicking before the show is encouraged. Bring a basket and a bottle of wine or pre-order from Carole Parks Catering. 8 p.m. Friday. $15-$45. Conant Performing Arts Center at Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E. Details, tickets: www.gashakespeare.org or 404.504.1473.
The Local. FINAL PERFORMANCE. Part of Essential Theatre‘s 2012 festival of new plays. A collaborative project about the city of Atlanta created by playwrights, poets, choreographers, photographers, designers, songwriters, rappers, dancers and more. It’s about belonging (and not belonging), how you shape the place you live and how it shapes you. Actor-director Ellen McQueen directs the project she developed, funded in part through a Kickstarter campaign. 8 p.m. Friday. $23. At Actor’s Express, 887 W. Marietta St., in the King Plow Arts Center.
Much Ado About Nothing. A tale of infidelity, trickery and a faked death. Remember, all’s fair in love and war. Bring a basket and a bottle of wine or pre-order from Carole Parks Catering. 8 p.m. Thursday; and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday.$15-$45. Conant Performing Arts Center at Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E. Details, tickets: www.gashakespeare.org or 404.504.1473.
National Puppet Slam! Experience the beauty, brains and hilarity of short-form puppetry from the best in the country. The Center for Puppetry Arts welcomes slammers from New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Arizona, South Carolina and Missouri as well as Atlanta. For adult audiences. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $7 members; $12 non-members. 1404 Spring St. (at 18th Street). Details, tickets HERE or at 404.873.3391.
Peter Pan. OPENS TUESDAY. The boy who won’t grow up takes flight in this Theater of the Stars presentation with Cathy Rigby re-creating the title role. The New York Times says, “Rigby still carries off the flights, fights and acrobatics that make Peter Pan audiences mesmerized.” Broadway regular Brent Barrett is Captain Hook. 8 p.m. Aug. 7-10; 2 and 8 p.m. Aug. 11; and 1:30 and 7 p.m. Aug. 12. $23-$58. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 1.855.285.8499. For an INSIDE LOOK, meet Brent Barrett, who doubles as Mr. Darling and Captain Hook. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com. (Photo by Michael Lamont)
Sheddin’. The next chapter in the life of empty-nesters Walt and Ruthie (from 2009’s A Cool Drink a Water). They’re preparing to welcome home son Trane, a rising hip-hop artist. The critics: “familiar and refreshing … but, like water, can sometimes leave you wanting something more”; “an expertly crafted atmosphere of enormous dramatic potential … turning it into real drama proves difficult”; “extraordinary and singular in its use of language.” Through Aug. 19. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 3 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $20 HERE or at 404.584.7540. Horizon Theatre, 1083 Austin Ave. N.E.
Sweet Charity. OPENING WEEKEND. Aurora Theatre gives this show the chamber musical treatment with a cast of nine led by New York-based Rebecca Simon (as Charity) and Canton native Trent Blanton, her husband, as the many loves in Charity’s life. Directed by Sean Daniels, founder and former artistic director of Dad’s Garage Theater Company. The Cy Coleman-Dorothy Fields score includes “Big Spender” and “If My Friends Could See Me Now.” Through Sept. 2. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Discount matinee at 10 a.m. Aug. 22. $25-$35; discount matinee $16. 153 Crogan St., Lawrenceville (free parking deck attached to theater). Tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
Time Between Us. REGIONAL PREMIERE. Serenbe Playhouse wraps its third season with one of the don’t-miss events of the summer. This new musical, about best friends who plan to have it all, comes from the New York-based team of Tess Barker and Brett Schrier. It spans 30 years in the lives of Morgan and Matthew — their friendship, their sacrifices and their dreams. Justin Anderson directs. The cast: Brian Clowdus and Laura Floyd. Through Aug. 18. 8:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. $15-$25. In the Serenbe Stables. Serenbe is in Chattahoochee Hills, west of Palmetto, about 30 minutes from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Details, tickets, directions: www.serenbeplayhouse.com or 770.436.1110. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
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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. Please email: kathy@atlantametropub.com.
