Looking for something cultural to do in the next week or so? Here’s a select list of recommendations. Pictured: The cast of “Bike America,” a world premiere at the Alliance Theatre. From left: Brandon Hirsch, Jessica DiGiovanni, Tom White, Je Nie Fleming and Marilyn Torres. Photo: Greg Mooney
The Adventures of Mighty Bug. Visit Bugville, a jumpin’ little insect community that swings to the Bugville Boogie and gets its protection from the superhero Mighty Bug. What will happen when the evil arachnid Scorpiana attacks? Can Bugville be saved? Find out in this science-filled, comic book-style adventure written and directed by the adventurous Jon Ludwig. Recommended for ages 4+. $16.50. Through March 17. 10 and 11 a.m. Tuesday-Friday; noon and 2 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.873.3391. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Guitarist Milos Karadaglic (right) joins the ASO for Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture Fantasy and Symphony No. 2 (Little Russian). Guest conductor Xian Zhang leads the program, which includes Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez. $24-$75. 8 tonight-Friday; and 3 p.m. Sunday. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Bike America. WORLD PREMIERE. Juilliard grad Mike Lew won this year’s Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition with his portrayal of a young woman on a cross-country bicycle tour to find herself. It’s smart, inventive, funny and highly recommended. Note: Contains brief sexual nudity and strong language. $30-$40. Through Feb. 24. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Alliance Theatre’s Hertz Stage, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. Meet playwright Mike Lew in this Encore FEATURE.
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. This sexy explosion of theater and music re-imagines our nation’s seventh president as a rock god maverick who fights for the common man and looks hot in skinny jeans. This show has plenty of buzz, pro and con. The critics: “A lively, loud and slyly funny rock musical. … The show owes more to the theater of the absurd and “South Park” than to Oklahoma! or even Hair” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com); “Gets by on rock ‘n’ roll poses and laugh-out-loud parody without quite being one for the history books” (Curt Holman, Creative Loafing); “I can’t guarantee that you’ll love BBAJ, but the Express once again pushes the envelope. See it — or you won’t know what the fuss is all about” (Manning Harris, Atlanta INtown). $26-$47. Through Feb. 17. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Actor’s Express, 887 West Marietta St. Details, tickets HERE (buy online and save fees) or at 404.607.7469.
Bob. LAST CHANCE. Meet Bob, an unfailing optimist born on Valentine’s Day in the bathroom of a White Castle restaurant and left to make his own way in the world. By San Francisco playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb. At Aurora Theatre. The critics: “Nachtrieb’s script achieves the trick of crafting wild coincidences that feel like signs of karmic connection” (Curt Holman, Creative Loafing); “Some may enjoy this self-consciously offbeat tale of one man’s quest for greatness. … But a word of warning: If it starts to grate, you’re in for an uncomfortable, unhappy two hours of Bobness” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com). $20-$30. 8 tonight-Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. Free parking in attached deck at 153 Crogan St. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222. For discounts, visit PoshDealz.com.
Flashdance the Musical. ONE WEEK ONLY. The 1983 movie about a female welder/exotic dancer who wants to go legit gets the stage treatment from the Broadway in Atlanta series. An earlier version met a lukewarm response in London; this production, with a different cast, is Broadway bound. $42.40-$85.70. Through Feb. 10. 8 tonight-Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE. Meet leading man Matthew Hydzik in this Encore FEATURE.
Fly. Follow four courageous young African-Americans as they become part of the famous Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, fighting for a country that showed them little more than scorn on the ground. Patdro Harris directs this Theatrical Outfit staging. The cast: John E. Doyle, Fenner Eaddy, Joel Ishman, Eric J. Little, J.C. Long and Brian Kurlander. The critics: “Fly movingly and effectively brings an incredible, heroic and resonant moment of history to the stage” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com); “Theatrical Outfit has a bona-fide hit on its hands. … The actors are perfectly cast and very fine” (Manning Harris, Atlanta INtown); “In large part Fly takes wing. … stylishly directed … a sporadically soaring production” (Bert Osborne, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). $15-$33. Through Feb. 24. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Additional show at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 17. Theatrical Outfit at the Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE. (Pictured, from left, Eric J. Little, Doc Waller, John E. Doyle and Joel Ishman. Photo: BreeAnne Clowdus)
Good People. LAST CHANCE. What happens when chasing the American dream collides with doing the right thing? That’s what Pulitzer-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire explores in his comedy-tinged drama about an out-of-work cashier named Margaret angling for a better life. Artistic director Susan V. Booth directs this Alliance Theatre staging. The critics: ” … a compelling and moving story with universal issues at its heart. Good People is a weighty, funny and accessible human drama that’s not to be missed” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com); “All of Margaret’s pain and suffering shows in Kate Buddeke’s hardened, unadorned face. … The actress skillfully inhabits the character’s downtrodden, world-weary resignation” (Bert Osborne, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). 7:30 tonight; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. $30-$60. Alliance mainstage, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. Go behind the scenes with the playwright in this Encore FEATURE.
Jazz at Lincoln Center With Wynton Marsalis. ONE SHOW ONLY. This performance, part of the big band’s 25th anniversary tour, should include classic Blue Note tunes made famous by such jazz stalwarts as John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Gerry Mulligan and John Lewis. $30-$90. 8 p.m. Saturday. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. (Marsalis is pictured left.)
Jim Brickman: An Evening of Romance. ONE SHOW ONLY. Spend Valentine’s Day with the platinum-selling pianist-songwriter. He collaborates with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on such selections as “Valentine,” “The Gift,” “Love of My Life” and “Simple Things.” $25-$90. 8 p.m. Feb. 14. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Lovers & Lunatics. No French required! Théâtre du Rêve, Atlanta’s French-language theater, presents three Feydeau farces that look at childhood, affairs and love triangles. The cast: Bryan Brendle, Ariel Fristoe, Chris Kayser, Cara Mantella, Eliana Marianes and Christof Veillon. Presented in English, bilingually and in French with supertitles. The critics: “It’s great to have the opportunity to glimpse Feydeau’s work, which is so seldom produced in Atlanta. The humor and the strangeness live on” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com). Through Feb. 17. 8 p.m. Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 3 p.m. Sunday. $15-$25. Details and tickets HERE. Note: Includes mild language and sexuality. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Michael Pink’s Dracula. OPENING FRIDAY. Atlanta Ballet says it brought back this audience favorite by popular demand. The tale of seduction and surrender is choreographed by Michael Pink, with original music by Philip Feeney. $20-$120. Through Feb. 16. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Additional show at 2 p.m. Feb. 9. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.892.3303.
Tales of Edgar Allan Poe. OPENING TUESDAY. Step inside the ruins of a fallen house where spirits bedevil the living and it’s always a midnight dreary. The Center for Puppetry Arts weaves together Poe’s “The Raven,” “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Bells,” among other stories. Adapted by Bobby Box in collaboration with Jon Ludwig and directed by Michael Haverty, three big players on Atlanta’s puppetry scene. For age 12+. $25. Through March 3. 11 a.m. Tuesday-Friday; 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. 1404 Spring St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.873.3391.
The Waffle Palace: Smothered, Covered & Scattered 24/7/365. Horizon Theatre returns to the griddle with this encore run of its summer hit. The script, by Larry Larson and Eddie Levi Lee, is inspired by real-life news stories about Waffle Houses everywhere. $20-$40. Through March 17. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 3 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. 1083 Austin Ave. N.E. (at Euclid Avenue). Details, tickets HERE or at 404.584.7450. Meet actor Eric Mendenhall, who plays seven hard-to-forget characters, 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. Full disclosure: She’s affiliated with Theatrical Outfit mentioned above. Please email: kathy@encoreatlanta.com.
