Looking for something cultural to do this weekend and beyond? Here are Encore Atlanta’s recommendations (in alphabetical order). Pictured: Chris Love as Jonathan Harker in “Dracula: The Rock Opera” at 7 Stages.
Dracula: The Rock Opera. 7 Stages and Atlanta’s L5P Rock Star Orchestra transport you to Transylvania, bringing Bram Stoker’s chilling 1897 novel to life with sex, blood, rock ‘n’ roll and a 16-performer ensemble. The creators promise a theatrical concert event with stunning visual effects, sultry choreography and a live band. The critics: It’s “a great fit for 7 Stages, never afraid to be experimental” (Jim Farmer, ArtsATL.com); “Rob Thompson’s Dracula is brilliant; he is riveting — it’s a totally committed performance” (Manning Harris, Atlanta INtown). Bonus: The theater is attached to Java Lords, a coffeehouse and bar.) Through Oct. 14. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 7 p.m. Sunday. $30. 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.523.7647. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
Kiss of the Spider Woman. Actor’s Express stages this musical thriller from Kander and Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago) based on the Manuel Puig novel and the 1985 movie. It features Valentin and Molina, a Marxist revolutionary and a gay window dresser, respectively, who develop an uneasy friendship rooted in surviving a Latin American prison. Express artistic director Freddie Ashley directs. The critics: “Ashley … turns Spider Womaninto an exotic, ultimately moving evening of musical theater” (Atlanta INtown); “One of the theater’s strongest productions in recent history” (AtlantaTheaterFans.com). The show won seven 1993 Tony Awards including best musical. Through Oct. 7. 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. Photo:
Measure for Measure AND All’s Well That Ends Well. FINAL WEEKEND. Atlanta Shakespeare Company calls this comedic two-pack its September Repertory, aka “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” Both shows include the return of Tavern favorite Maurice Ralston, who relocated several years ago. He’s Vincentio, the Duke in Measure, and the King of France in All’s Well. $15-$36. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. See Measure on Sept. 27 and 29; All’s Well on Sept. 28 and 30. 499 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.874.5299, Ext. 0.
Some Girls. Your career as a writer is blossoming and your beautiful fiancee is waiting to get married and rush off to Cancun by your side. So what is your natural reaction? Well, if you’re a man, it’s probably to get nervous and start calling up old girlfriends. And so begins a single man’s odyssey through four hotel rooms as he flies across the country in search of the perfect woman … with whom he’s already broken up. Pinch ‘n’ Ouch Theatre stages this comedy by Neil LaBute, one of its favorite playwright. Previews Friday, Saturday and Thursday ($15). Opens Oct. 5 and runs through Oct. 21. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday (additional show at 8 p.m. Oct. 15). $25. 1085 Ponce De Leon Ave. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 1.800.838.3006.
Tigers Be Still. FINAL WEEKEND. Call ahead; tickets are at a premium. A cast of four — Sarah Elizabeth Wallis, Barrett Doyle, Jayson Smith and Abby Parker — create a comic world of suburban dysfunction centered around an overly eager young woman (Wallis) with a master’s degree in art therapy who finally gets a job. Now if only her the rest of her life had some order — and someone would catch the tiger that escaped from the local zoo. Note: Includes adult content. The critics: “As the sparkling young co-stars, Wallis and Doyle truly come into their own…. They make an irresistible pair of characters” (Bert Osborne, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). The script is by Kim Rosenstock, direction by Justin Anderson. In Aurora Theatre‘s black-box Harvel Lab. $15. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. 128 Pike St., Lawrenceville. To reach the free parking deck attached to the theater, go to 153 W. Crogan St. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222. From February: A SNAPSHOT of up-and-comer Sarah Elizabeth Wallis.
Time Stands Still. Horizon Theatre Company stages the Southeastern premiere of this New York hit by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies (Dinner With Friends, 2000). It tells the story of Sarah and James (Carolyn Cook and Robin Bloodworth), a photojournalist and foreign correspondent, respectively, who’ve been together for years and share a passion for documenting the realities of war. The homefront may prove more threatening, however. The critics: “It is the gifted Carolyn Cook’s star turn that simultaneously elevates and grounds the drama” (Bert Osborne, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution); “An unforgettable theatrical experience” (Andrew Wesley, AtlantaTheaterFans.com). Through Oct. 14. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 3 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. $20-$25. Horizon Theatre Company, 1083 Austin Ave. N.E. (at Euclid Avenue). Details, tickets HERE or at 404.584.7450.
War Horse. LIMITED RUN. It’s a big deal that Broadway in Atlanta has brought to town this epic — which gives us an equine’s-eye view of World War I — so early in its first national tour. War Horse, which won the 2011 Tony Award for best play, is a remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship between a young boy named Albert and his beloved horse named Joey. Joey and the other real-looking horses come from South Africa’s amazing Handspring Puppet Company. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. $30-$70. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 1.800.278.4447. ARTICLE on the actors and puppeteers who give Joey his gallop.
What I Learned in Paris. WORLD PREMIERE. Extended through Oct. 6. This 1970s-set political romance by Pearl Cleage begins the Alliance Theatre‘s 2012-13 season in a big way. The story, a tale of passion and politics that could only happen in Atlanta, begins the night Maynard Jackson is elected mayor. The critics: “Pearl Cleage delivers a sparkling comedy about personal relationships written between the lines of history” (Wendell Brock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution); as Evie, Crystal Fox is a “woman who knows how to make an entrance…. She has the confidence, charisma and wit of Dolly Levi, as well as Dolly’s tendency to, shall we say, benevolently meddle” (Manning Harris, Atlanta INtown). 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. On the Alliance mainstage, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. $30-$50. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com. Read more about the show and the playwright HERE.
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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.
