Looking for something cultural to do this weekend and beyond? Here are Encore Atlanta’s recommendations (in alphabetical order). Pictured, from left, Bryan Brendle, Wendy Melkonian and Eliana Marianes.
The Addams Family. CLOSING SUNDAY. Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley and Lurch snap to life in this stage musical, retooled since its lukewarm New York reception. Broadway regulars Douglas Sills and Sara Gettelfinger lead the cast. Come see ’em, they’ll leave the lights off for you. A Theater of the Stars production. 8 p.m. Aug. 14-19; 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 1:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday. $23-$58. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 1.855.285.8499. Meet Douglas Sills (Gomez) HERE. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
Anton in Show Business. ONLY TWO SHOWS LEFT. World-of-mouth has been ecstatic about this comedy from Weird Sisters theater project, a relative newcomer on the Atlanta scene, run by several familiar faces. The comedy follows three actresses across the footlights, down the rabbit hole and into a strangely familiar wonderland that looks a lot like American theater. It has to do with Texas and Chekhov and a lot of other stuff. Directed by Veronika Duerr, with a cast that includes Taylor M. Dooley, Kelly Criss and Jaclyn Hofmann. 7:30 p.m. Aug. 20-21. $15. At the New American Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree St. N.E. Tickets, details HERE or at 404.874.5299. Meet director Veronika Duerr HERE.
I Ought to Be in Pictures. FINAL WEEKEND. One of two Neil Simon shows you can see in Atlanta right now (the other, Sweet Charity, is at Aurora Theatre). This 1980 comedy tells the story of Herb Tucker, a Hollywood screenwriter with writer’s block; his girlfriend, Steffy; and the daughter he abandoned 16 years earlier in New York, who shows up on his doorstep. The cast: Eliana Marianes, Bryan Brendle and Wendy Melkonian. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 3 p.m. Sunday. $15-$25. ART Station, 5384 Manor Drive, Stone Mountain. Tickets, details HERE or at 770.469.1105.
Kiss of the Spider Woman. OPENING NEXT WEEK. Actor’s Express begins its 2012-13 season with this Kander and Ebb musical, based on the Manuel Puig novel and the 1985 movie of the same name. It tells the story of Valentin, a Marxist revolutionary, and Molina, a gay window dresser, who develop an uneasy friendship rooted in surviving life in a Latin American prison. As the bond between them deepens, the line between reality and fantasy blurs. Winner of seven 1993 Tony Awards including best musical and one for leading lady Chita Rivera. Through Oct. 7. Director’s rough cut performance at 8 p.m. Wednesday (pay what you can); previews at 8 p.m. Aug. 23-24 ($15); opening night with reception at 8 p.m. Aug. 25 ($40). Regular performances 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. $26-$47 plus tax (tickets are $2 cheaper when purchased online). 887 W. Marietta St. in the King Plow Arts Center. Tickets, details HERE or at 404.607.7469. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
Sheddin’. FINAL WEEKEND. 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.” 8 p.m. Thursday-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. Aurora Theatre‘s nine-actor staging of the 1960s musical has earned mixed reviews, including this one from Curt Holman in Creative Loafing: “Aurora Theatre brings an enormous level of energy and invention to its production without resolving some of its internal contradictions and dated qualities.” Musical theater fans still will be happy to see this seldom-staged Neil Simon-Cy Coleman-Dorothy Fields effort, with its brassy score — “Big Spender,” “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “The Rhythm of Life,” “I Love to Cry at Weddings,” among others. 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 ($16). Regularly $25-$35. 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. CLOSES SATURDAY. Serenbe Playhouse wraps its third season with this don’t-miss event. This new musical, about best friends who plan to have it all, comes from the New York 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 (at right) Laura Floyd and Brian Clowdus. 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.
