Looking for something cultural to do in the next week or so? Here’s our select list of recommendations. Pictured: The Comedian Harmonists, in the Alliance Theatre’s staging of “Harmony,” are (from left) Douglas Williams, Tony Yazbeck, Will Taylor, Chris Dwan, Will Blum and Shayne Kennon. Photo: Greg Mooney.
RECOMMENDED
Harmony. THROUGH OCT. 6. The writing team of Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman have found a home at the Alliance Theatre for their musical about the first sensational boy band: six talented young men in 1920s Germany. The Comedian Harmonists took the world by storm — until Hitler came to power. $30-$75. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Venus in Fur. THROUGH OCT. 6. David Ives’ Broadway hit opens the season at Actor’s Express. The sexy (at times, kinky) comedy concerns a young actress late for an audition. The play-within-the-play is based on a classic erotic novel. The cast: Veronika Duerr and Adam Fristoe (pictured). David Crowe (last season’s Equus) directs. The critics: “Duerr’s performance is a tour de force. … A pinwheel-eyed puzzle of a play about the eternal and irresolvable struggles between men and women that swirl around sex and power (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com); “So much is required of Veronica Duerr; that she delivers in spades does not surprise me. This is a star-making role. That Mr. Fristoe keeps up with her and even adds a few surprises of his own is a huge compliment (Manning Harris, Atlanta INtown). $26-$45 plus fees (buy online and save). 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. 887 W. Marietta St. Note: The King Plow Arts Center parking lot is under construction. Alternate parking options HERE. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.607-SHOW. Ticket discounts at PoshDealz.com. (Photo: BreeAnne Clowdus)
OPENING THIS WEEKEND
The Guys. THROUGH OCT. 6. Theatrical Outfit’s season opener is based on the experiences of playwright Anne Nelson. The plot: Joan, an editor, receives an unexpected phone call from Nick, a fire captain. He wants her help in composing eulogies he’ll deliver at memorial services for men he lost on 9/11. Together they navigate the emotional landscape of grief. Cast: Jasmine Guy and Brian Kurlander (pictured). $20-$50. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. 84 Luckie St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.528.1500. (Photo: BreeAnne Clowdus)
THIS WEEKEND ONLY
Still. 8 P.M. FRIDAY-SATURDAY. CORE Performance Company opens its 27th season with the title piece, choreographed by artistic director Sue Schroeder, plus eight other original dances. Free; VIP experience available Friday only for $20. Reservations encouraged. The Performing Arts Center at Decatur High School, 310 McDonough St. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.373.4154.
STILL PLAYING
Almost Heaven: John Denver’s America. THROUGH SEPT. 22. “A winning musical revue!” So said Variety in describing this show, the season opener at Georgia Ensemble Theatre. It celebrates songs — 29 of them — written and inspired by the upbeat troubadour, including “Rocky Mountain High,” “Annie’s Song,” “Calypso” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” The cast (pictured), from left: Scott DePoy, Dolph Amick, Mary Nye Bennett, Jeremy Wood and Chris Damiano. $15-$39. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forest St., Roswell. Details HERE or at 770.641.1260. Ticket discounts at PoshDealz.com.
Song of the Living Dead. THROUGH SEPT. 28. The we’ll-never-grow-up bunch at Dad’s Garage Theatre Company brings us another musical. This one is a classic love story, told in a horrifically gory, action-packed way. Remember, Dad’s is temporarily in residence at 7 Stages in Little Five Points. $10-$29 (buy online and save). 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. Tickets, details HERE or at 404.523.3141.
Twelfth Night | Troilus and Cressida. THROUGH SEPT. 29. The New American Shakespeare Tavern goes for laughs and the gut with this two-show repertory. The comic Twelfth Night features a shipwreck, separated identical twins, mistaken identities and romance. In Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare tackles Homer, Virgil and Chaucer. Twelfth Night: Sept. 13, 15, 19, 21, 27 and 29. Troilus and Cressida: Sept. 12, 14, 20, 22, 26 and 28. The Tavern has a pub menu and tasty adult beverages. Cheers! $15-$32. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 6:30 p.m. Sunday. 499 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.874.5299.
LOOKING AHEAD
Choir Boy. BEGINS SEPT. 20. The Alliance Theatre opens its Hertz Stage season with this coming-of-age story about a different kind of boy. Pharus’ confidence, charisma, clarity of purpose, and talent belie the struggle he endures at his all-boys prep school. His differences put off his classmates; his reactions get him in trouble with administrators. This drama with music, by award-winning playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney (In the Red and Brown Water) is fresh from London and New York’s Manhattan Theatre Club. It begins a season-long run of new shows by past winners of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition. Recommended for age 14 and older. Through Oct. 13. $33-$38. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. Ticket discounts at PoshDealz.com. For more on McCraney, one of America’s best young playwrights, read this Encore FEATURE. (Pictured: Jeremy Pope as Pharus)
Four Days of Fury: Atlanta 1906. SEPT. 20-23. The Atlanta History Center reprises its interactive dramatization of events surrounding the Atlanta Race Riots. Trailblazing African-American journalist J. Max Barber will guide you through a gallery-based theater experience that explores the headlines of a seminal episode in the city’s history. The piece was created by playwright-in-residence Addae Moon. The cast: Tim Batten, Brian Harrison, Masoud Olufani, Dajuan Paxton and Mary Saville. The critics: “An effort at a truthful retelling of a painful past can, as Four Days of Fury shows, weave a fascinatingly intricate web all its own (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com). Recommended for ages 16 and up. $20; $15 members. 5, 6:30 and 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday; 2, 3:30 and 5 p.m. Sunday. 130 West Paces Ferry Road N.W. Details HERE. Tickets at 404.814.4150.
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Kathy Janich, Encore Atlanta’s managing editor, has been seeing, working in or covering the performing arts for most of her life. Please email: kathy@encoreatlanta.com.
