Looking for something cultural to do this weekend and beyond? Here are Encore Atlanta’s recommendations (in alphabetical order). Pictured: Clifton Guterman and Kate Donadio in “Wolves” at Actor’s Express. Photo: BreeAnne Clowdus.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Soprano Jessica Rivera joins the orchestra for a program that includes Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the Sibelius tone poem “Tapiola” and songs by some of the Romantic masters. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday; and 3 p.m. Sunday. $24-$75. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Carmen. SEASON OPENER. Atlanta Opera presents Bizet’s classic, set in sultry Spain and tracing Don José’s doomed attraction to the alluring gypsy. Maria José Montiel sings the title role. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 3 p.m. Sunday. $22-$123. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.882.8885.
Fat Boy. FINAL WEEKEND. 7 Stages introduces Atlanta to Teo Castellanos (right) and his dance project in a blend of hip-hop and ritual that shines a light on the “me” era in America and contrasts it with the desperate need and necessary frugality in less materialistic nations. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. $10-$25. 7 Stages mainstage, 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.523.7647. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
The Mountaintop. True Colors Theatre Company presents the regional premiere of this Katori Hall drama directed on Broadway by Kenny Leon. Jasmine Guy directs here. The piece re-imagines events the night before the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. Danny Johnson, recently seen in the Alliance Theatre’s What I Learned in Paris, plays King. Demetria McKinney is Camae. The Broadway production received mixed reviews with (in an oversimplification) thumbs up from Newsday and The Associated Press and thumbs down from The New York Times, BackStage and AM New York (read more HERE). Go see for yourself. Through Dec. 16. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Also at 6 p.m. Nov. 25 and 11 a.m. Nov. 28. (No 8 p.m. shows Nov. 22-23). $20-$60. Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road S.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 1.877.725.8849. For discounts, see PoshDealz.com.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This Center for Puppetry Arts holiday gift is based on the classic, and I do mean CLASSIC, 1964 stop-motion animated special about Rudolph and his misfit friends. Catch up with Yukon Cornelius, Hermey the elf (and would-be dentist), Charlie-in-the-Box and the Bumble. Adapted and directed by Jon Ludwig. Various times through Jan. 6. $13.25-$20.50; age 2 and under free. 1404 Spring St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.873.3391. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
The Summer of Daisy Fay. The new Marietta Theatre company (in the former Theatre in the Square space) opens for business with this semi-autobiographical one-character comedy about a young girl coming-of-age in 1950s Mississippi. It’s based on the novel Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg and features Veronika Duerr as Daisy, a role she performed to much applause at Actor’s Express in 2011. AJC reviewer Wendell Brock calls Duerr “an irrepressible comedic wunderkind.” Through Nov. 25. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. $20. 11 Whitlock Ave., Marietta. Details HERE. Tickets at 470.255.0074.
Titus Andronicus. Shakespeare’s first and, perhaps, bloodiest tragedy, follows the ancient Roman’s descent into madness, revenge and redemption. (Grab a pint from the bar and hold onto your seats!) This New American Shakespeare Tavern staging features Maurice Ralston in the title role. Through Nov. 25. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. $15-$36. Running in conjunction with Out of Hand Theater‘s Titus Clown! 499 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
Titus Clown! TWO SHOWS LEFT. Out of Hand Theater founding artistic director Maia Knispel (right) returns after two years in London with this beautiful, horrible and terribly funny 45-minute spin on Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. She and husband Tyler Owens, a stage director and Fulbright scholar, created this three-person clown show that toured the United Kingdom; here, he directs and she’s in the cast. 11 p.m. Nov. 16-17. $8-$15. Running in conjunction with the New American Shakespeare Tavern staging of Titus Andronicus (through Nov. 25). See them both! 499 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE.
Two Drink Minimum. FINAL WEEKEND. Atlanta philanthropist-turned-playwright William Balzer details the journey of a boy and his mother through four stages of her life: the Great Depression, World War II, before his marriage and 
afterward. The Theatrical Outfit cast (pictured, from left): William S. Murphey, Wendy Melkonian and Susan Shalhoub-Larkin plus Matthew Myers. The critics: “An accomplished play … a great match for Atlanta audiences: tender, funny, nostalgic, plain-spoken and charming” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com); “That plays often serve a therapeutic purpose for their writers doesn’t always translate into a universally meaningful experience for an audience” (Bert Osborne, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. matinee ($15-$20) on Nov. 10 and 17. $15-$40, plus fees. 84 Luckie St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 1.877.725.8849.
Urban Nutcracker. ONE WEEKEND ONLY. Ballethnic Dance Company renews its holiday tradition with this high-stepping version of the famous ballet. Set on Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn Avenue in the 1940s, it’s populated by Brown Sugar and her Chocolatier, the Reggae Ragdolls, the Black Russian, and Mother Spice and her tumbling Spice Drops, among others. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. $39; $29 senior citizens, students and children; $52 VIP seats Friday only. Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech, 349 Ferst Drive N.W. Details, tickets HERE.
Wolves. WORLD PREMIERE. This savagely funny fairy tale for grown-ups tells the story of a timid young city dweller who freaks out when his roommate brings home someone, who may or may not be a wolf, for a one-night stand. Melissa Foulger directs this Actor’s Express staging. The play comes from the wild imagination of playwright Steve Yockey (Octopus), a former Atlantan now living and working in Los Angeles. The critics: “At a brisk 70 minutes, Wolves is the rare production that I wish were longer” (Curt Holman, Creative Loafing). Through Dec. 2. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. $22-$45 and least expensive when purchased online. King Plow Arts Center, 887 W. Marietta St. Details, tickets HERE or via human at 404.607.7469. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com. Hear from Clifton Guterman, who plays the ax-wielding Ben, in this ENCORE SNAPSHOT.
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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@encoreatlanta.com.
