Looking for something cultural to do this weekend and beyond? Our select list of recommendations includes David Mamet’s “Race” at True Colors Theatre Company. Pictured: Neal Ghant and Ric Reitz. Photo by Josh Lamkin.
RECOMMENDED
The Great Gatsby. THROUGH MARCH 16. The glamour and decadent excess of the Jazz Age fill the stage in an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel. The cast: Elizabeth Wells Berkes, Robin Bloodworth, Bryan Brendle, Rachel Garner, Vicki Gray Ellis, Steve Hudson, Jason MacDonald, Stacy Melich and David Plunkett. The critics: “Director Tess Malis Kincaid delivers a chilling, jazz-haunted treatment of a novel that feels almost preternaturally designed for the stage” (Wendell Brock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). $10-$33. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Georgia Ensemble Theatre, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. Details HERE or at 770.641.1260. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com. (Pictured: Elizabeth Wells Berkes as Daisy Buchanan and Jason MacDonald as Jay Gatsby. Photo by Dan Carmody/Studio 7)
Race. THROUGH MARCH 23. A suspense story from David Mamet called “intellectually salacious” by the Chicago Tribune. Two high-profile lawyers — one black, one white — are called to defend a wealthy white client charged with raping an African-American woman. They find themselves in the midst of a complex case where blatant prejudice is as disturbing as the evidence at hand. John Dillon directs a cast comprising Andrew Benator, Neal Ghant, Tiffany Hobbs and Ric Reitz. It’s Mamet, so expect adult language. The critics: “An intense and riveting production” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com); “An open-and-shut case of scintillating theater” (Bert Osborne, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). $15-$50. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. True Colors Theatre Company at the Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road S.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.532.1901.
The Tall Girls. PREVIEWS BEGIN FRIDAY | OPENS MARCH 12. World premiere. The Alliance Theatre’s Hertz Stage season concludes with this basketball story by Meg Miroshnik, the 2012 winner of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition (The Fairy Tale Lives of Russian Girls). It’s the 1930s, in the Dust Bowl town of Pure Prairie, where sometimes basketball is the only way out, even for a girl. When a stranger gets off the train, only a few things are clear: He’s teaching at the high school, he knows basketball and he has the only inflated ball in town. $33-$38. Through March 30. 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. Discount tickets (previews only) at PoshDealz.com. For the story behind the play, see this ENCORE FEATURE.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. FINAL WEEKEND. Based on Grace Lin’s popular 2010 Newbery Honor novel. Young Minli lives with her parents near Fruitless Mountain, surviving on the meager fare they can produce. Inspired by the rich tales her father tells (and by a magical goldfish), Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon who, it’s said, knows the secret of good fortune. Told with actors, puppetry, masks and flying kites. For ages 5 and up. A Synchronicity Theatre staging directed by Justin Anderson. The reviews: “A fantastic and magical theatrical adaptation” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com). $10-$40. 7:30 p.m. Friday; 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday; and 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday. Synchronicity at the 14th Street Playhouse (now SCAD), 173 14th St. N.E. at Juniper Street. Details, tickets HERE. (Pictured: Jelani Jones as Dragon, Yen Nguyen as Minli. Photo by KVC Photography)
THIS WEEKEND ONLY
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. TONIGHT ONLY. In a program titled “We’ll Always Have Paris,” music director Robert Spano and flutist Jeffrey Khaner unite for the ASO debut of Jonathan Leshnoff’s Flute Concerto, which they premiered in 2011 in Philadelphia. Also scheduled: Ravel’s Pavane, Debussy’s Jeux and Mozart’s Paris symphony. $24-$75. 8 p.m. Atlanta Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. FRIDAY ONLY. An abbreviated version of the “Paris” program with music director Robert Spano and flutist Jeffrey Khaner on the Leshnoff Flute Concerto plus Ravel’s Pavane and Mozart’s Paris symphony. $25. 6:30 p.m. Atlanta Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Audra McDonald With the ASO. SATURDAY ONLY. The five-time Tony Award winner joins the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for its annual fundraising gala. The good news: You can get tickets just for her concert. McDonald, a rare talent, has won Broadway’s top honors for her work in “Porgy and Bess,” “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Ragtime,” “Master Class” and “Carousel.” She’s back on Broadway in April as Billie Holiday in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” at Circle in the Square. $20 and $35. 7:30 p.m. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details HERE. Discount tickets available only at PoshDealz.com.
OPENING THIS WEEKEND
Faust. SATURDAY-MARCH 16. The Atlanta Opera presents Gounod’s retelling of the famous legend about an elderly scholar who sells his soul to the devil Méphistophélès for a chance to seduce the beautiful Marguerite. Faust’s diabolical struggle between good and evil must surely end in tragedy … or does it? With Noah Stewart as Faust. Arthur Fagen conducts. Sung in French with projected English translations. $26-$140. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 3 p.m. Sunday. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.881.8885.
CLOSING THIS WEEKEND
Once. CLOSING SUNDAY. Broadway in Atlanta presents this 2012 Tony Award-winning musical about a Dublin street musician who’s about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes an interest in his songs. $30-$75. 7:30 tonight; 8 p.m. 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 or at 1.855.285-8499. For more on the romance behind the show, see this ENCORE FEATURE.
NOW PLAYING
Red Badge of Courage. THROUGH MARCH 23. A co-production of 7 Stages and Kennesaw State University, using live actors, tabletop puppetry, projected silhouettes and animation to tell Stephen Crane’s story about the Civil War and a Union soldier named Henry Fleming. Co-created by 7 Stages’ Michael Haverty and KSU’s Jane Barnette. The critics: “Can be dense and difficult to unpack but provides a fascinatingly feverish theatrical experience that unfolds in less than an hour” (Curt Holman, Creative Loafing); “An inventive one-act production [that] manages to capture the novel’s depiction of the chaos of war and its overall haunting tone, as well as its absurdist, existentialist edge” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com). $10-$20. 8 tonight-Saturday; 5 p.m. Sunday. Also at 2 p.m. March 15 & 22. 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.523.7647. Listen to the creators discuss their show in this VIDEO. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com. (Pictured: KSU student Josh Brook as Private Fleming)
Shrek the Musical. THROUGH MARCH 16. The Alliance Theatre presents an hourlong musical version of the fractured fairy tale about a snarky ogre, a donkey and a princess. Directed by Rosemary Newcott. $20-$35. 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday (Saturday showtimes change throughout the run; Sundays remain the same). Mainstage, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Weather Rocks! THROUGH MARCH 23. Kids of all ages can discover Mother Nature’s secrets in this original musical in which rockin’ meteorologists share facts about rain, snow, hurricanes and sunshine. Written by Jon Ludwig. Five actors use hand-and-rod, rod, marionette, shadow and black-light puppets to share the story. $16.50; under 2 free. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.873.3391.
LOOKING AHEAD
Elemeno Pea. OPENS MARCH 14 | THROUGH APRIL 13. Horizon Theatre’s 30th season continues with this dark comedy by Molly Smith Metzler. It takes place at summer’s end on Martha’s Vineyard, where the haves and have-nots are all flying without a net. The cast: Cynthia D. Barker (Third Country), Adam Fristoe (Venus in Fur at Actor’s Express), Tony Guerrero, Cara Mantella and Tiffany Porter. Includes explicit language and adult situation. Recommended for ages 16 and up. $20-$30. 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. For more on the Horizon season, see this ENCORE FEATURE.
Modern Atlanta Dance Festival. MARCH 14-15. The 20th annual event presents the best of Georgia’s modern/contemporary dance. Performers include the host company, Full Radius Dance, SWADanceCollective, Project 7 Contemporary Dance, Atlanta Dance Connection and works by independent choreographers Christen S. Weimer, Emily Cargill and Anicka Austin. The critics: “Clear evidence that there is more happening on the Atlanta dance scene than many people realize” (Gillian Renault, ArtsATL.com). $20. 8 p.m. Theatrical Outfit’s Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE.
The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown. OPENS MARCH 13 | THROUGH APRIL 6. A regional premiere. Aurora Theatre stages this 2009 musical about a high school grad who has everything a teenager wants: brains, a boyfriend, functional parents and an acceptance letter to the college of her choice. Her bags are packed, and she’s ready to take off, but something is holding her back. Justin Anderson directs a cast comprising Kylie Brown, Chris Damiano, Stephanie Friedman, Jeremiah Parker Hobbs and Wendy Melkonian. $25-$35. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Also at 10 a.m. April 2 ($16; replacing evening show). 128 East Pike St., Lawrenceville. Free, attached, covered parking in city of Lawrenceville deck at 153 Crogan St. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222.
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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. Full disclosure: She’s affiliated with Synchronicity Theatre listed above. Please email: kathy@encoreatlanta.com.
