Looking for something cultural to do this weekend and beyond? Here are Encore Atlanta’s recommendations (in alphabetical order). Pictured: Carolyn Cook as photojournalist Sara Goodwin in “Time Stands Still” at Horizon Theatre Company.
Apples & Oranges. WORLD PREMIERE. Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy, Return to Ballyhoo) returns to the Alliance Theatre with this piece based on Marie Brenner’s memoir of the same name. It tells the story of Marie and her brother, Carl, who are as different as a red state and a blue state. He lives in the Pacific Northwest, cultivating his apple orchards, polishing his guns and attending church. She’s a journalist and author, who leads a cosmopolitan life among New York’s liberals. A crisis eventually creates some common ground. The cast: Patricia Richardson (TV’s “Home Improvement”) and Tony Carlin. Directed by Lynne Meadow, artistic director of Manhattan Theatre Club. Previews Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. Opens Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Hertz Stage, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. $20-$39. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. Discount tickets for preview performances at PoshDealz.com. To hear some of Uhry’s insights, go HERE.
Betrayal. OPENING WEEKEND. Husband-and-wife Tess Malis Kincaid and Mark Kincaid (last season’s “Body of Water”) return to Aurora Theatre to do battle in master playwright Harold Pinter’s most famous piece. Their story is a love triangle — detailing a husband, wife, best friend and seven years of infidelity — from end to beginning. Be prepared for dark, delicious narcissism. Preview at 8 p.m. Thursday. Opens Friday and runs through Oct. 28. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday (10 a.m. show on Oct. 24; no 8 o’clock show that night). $14-$30. 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. For discounts, go to PoshDealz.com.
Dracula: The Rock Opera. Let 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.
The Ghastly Dreadfuls. Say so long and farewell to the Ghastly Dreadfuls, making a farewell run at the Center for Puppetry Arts. This is your last chance to see this cult favorite with its eerie stories, spooky songs and devilish dances, one of the best Halloween haunts this side of the astral plane. “The Ghastly Dreadfuls: The Last Ghast!” comes from the twisted minds and talented hands of the Center’s Jon Ludwig and Jason von Hinezmeyer, two names in puppetry you should know. Recommended for ages 16 and older. Preview Oct. 10. Runs Oct. 11-27. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. $25. 1404 Spring St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.873.3391. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
Kiss of the Spider Woman. FINAL WEEK. Actor’s Express wraps up its run of this musical thriller from Kander and Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago). Valentin and Molina are a Marxist revolutionary and a gay window dresser who develop an uneasy friendship rooted in survival. Express artistic director Freddie Ashley directs. The critics: “Ashley … turns Spider Woman into 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. 8 p.m. Thursday-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.
Macbeth. OPENING WEEKEND. Shakespeare’s dark tale of murderous ambition moves from Scotland to the Caribbean, where island mysticism reigns and true horror unfolds. This Georgia Shakespeare staging commemorates Orson Welles’ landmark 1936 Voodoo Macbeth and features a predominantly African-American cast led by Neal A. Ghant (Macbeth) and Cynthia Barker (Lady Macbeth). Presented in partnership with the National Black Arts Festival. Previews at 8 p.m. Thursday. Opens at 8 p.m. Friday and runs through Oct. 28. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. $13-$45. Conant Performing Arts Center at Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.504.1473. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
Midori Plays Beethoven. Music director Robert Spano opens his 12th — and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s 68th — season with Beethoven’s grand and poetic Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s fateful 4th. The concerto features renowned violinist Midori. 8 p.m. Thursday and Saturday 6; and 3 p.m. Sunday. $32-$84. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE.
Some Girls. OPENING WEEKEND. 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’s your natural reaction? If you’re male, it may be to get nervous and start calling up old girlfriends. Thus 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 playwrights. Some critics call LaBute fresh and funny, others consider him profane and misogynistic. You decide. Opens Friday 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.
Time Stands Still. If I could see one show this weekend, this would be it. Horizon Theatre Company gives us 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 who share life, love and a passion for documenting the realities of war. Their homefront may prove more threatening. 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.
What I Learned in Paris. FINAL WEEKEND. This world premiere, a 1970s-set political romance by Pearl Cleage, launches 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: “A sparkling comedy about personal relationships written between the lines of history” (Wendell Brock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution); Crystal Fox’s Evie “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. 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.
::
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.
