Looking for something cultural to do this weekend and beyond? Our select list of recommendations include “Maurice Hines Is Tappin’ Thru Life” (pictured) at the Alliance Theatre. Photo by Jeff Roffman.
RECOMMENDED
Mariela in the Desert. FINAL WEEKEND. It’s 1950 and artists Mariela and José are living an isolated life in the Mexican desert, haunted by the ghost of their young son. Where once the walls were beautifully decorated, now only one painting remains, and it’s shrouded in mystery. In Spanish with English supertitles. Part of Aurora Theatre’s Teatro del Sol series. $15. 8 tonight-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. Free, covered, attached parking in city lot at 153 E. Crogan St., Lawrenceville. Details HERE or at 678.226.6222. See this ENCORE FEATURE for more on Aurora’s Teatro del Sol.
Maurice Hines Is Tappin’ Thru Life. THROUGH MAY 4. The lifelong performer and Tony Award nominee (Sophisticated Ladies, Uptown … It’s Hot!) narrates his own story in this musical, which also pays tribute to his Tony Award-winning brother, Gregory, and singers from Frank Sinatra to Judy Garland to Lena Horne. Also featuring the all-female, nine-piece Diva Orchestra and the tap-dancing Manzari brothers. A co-production of the Alliance Theatre, Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and the Cleveland Play House. The critics: “A class act. … Elegant, timeless and possessing the seasoned showman’s ability to step onstage and create an environment that’s simultaneously intimate and communal” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL.com); “Makes the case that he’s the last of the great vaudevillains … sassy, charismatic and ever upbeat” (Wendell Brock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). $30-$75. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 & 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 & 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Alliance Theatre mainstage, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
THIS WEEKEND ONLY
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. TONIGHT & SATURDAY. Maestro Robert Spano leads the orchestra and chorus in Britten’s War Requiem, written more than 50 years ago to honor Britain’s fallen soldiers. $24-$75. 8 tonight; 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Atlanta Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
OPENING THIS WEEKEND
The Barber of Seville. OPENS SATURDAY | THROUGH MAY 4. Atlanta Opera presents the Rossini comedy about a wily barber named Figaro who helps the Count Almaviva woo the radiant maiden Rosina. Sung in Italian with projected English translations. With Sidney Outlaw as Figaro, Javier Abreu as the Count and Irene Roberts as Rosina. $26-$140. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 3 p.m. Sunday. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.881.8885.
Letters to Sala. THROUGH SUNDAY. The story of a young girl’s survival in wartime Germany, adapted from the book Sala’s Gift and based on a true account. Sala Garncarz was 16 when she was sent to a German forced labor camp in 1940. After liberation five years later, she moved to America as a war bride and never spoke of her wartime experience. In 1991, on the eve of major surgery, the 67-year-old grandmother revealed more than 300 letters and photos collected and hidden away in a “Spill and Spell” game box. They chronicled her time in seven camps. Featuring Susan Shalhoub Larkin, Rachel Garner and Rachel Frawley. $27. 8 tonight; noon Friday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Presented by Company J and Stage Door Players at the MJCCA’s Morris and Rae Frank Theatre, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Details HERE or at 678.812.4002. (Pictured: Susan Shalhoub Larkin as the adult Sala.)
Topdog/Underdog. THROUGH SUNDAY. Suzan-Lori Parks’ 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama chronicles the adult lives of brothers Lincoln and Booth as they cope with women, work, poverty, gambling, racism and their troubled upbringings. $15 advance; $18 at door (plus fees). 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Staged by Songs of Karibu, a relatively new Atlanta company founded by Mia Kristin Smith and Amina S. McIntyre and “dedicated to healing society through the arts.” At the Alchemy of Acting Studios, 115 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive S.W., Suite 275 (parking is $3 in the smaller Underground Atlanta deck at MLK and Pryor Street). Details HERE. Tickets HERE or at the door.
Willy Wonka the Musical. PREVIEWS TONIGHT | OPENS FRIDAY | THROUGH MAY 11. The story of the famous candy man and his quest to find an heir. Willy Wonka, based on the Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, features a score by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley plus songs from the fairly famous movie. Craig Waldrip plays Willie Wonka. This is the first show produced under Fabrefaction Theatre’s new name and conservatory model. $15-$30. 99 Brady Ave. Details, tickets HERE or 404.876.9468. See this ENCORE VIDEO CHAT with artistic director Christina Hoff to learn more about the cool new model.
CLOSING THIS WEEKEND
Camelot. THROUGH SUNDAY. Georgia Ensemble Theatre stages the lush Lerner and Loewe musical about King Arthur, his queen and the Knights of the Round Table. Bryant Smith (Valjean in Aurora Theatre’s once and future Les Miserables) is Arthur, Jennifer Acker is Guenevere, Jeremy Wood is Lancelot, and Chris Kayser doubles as King Pellinore and Merlyn. $15-$39. 8 tonight-Friday; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Georgia Ensemble Theatre at Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. Details, tickets HERE or at 770.641.1260.
NOW PLAYING
Macbeth. THROUGH MAY 4. Witches. Prophecy. Greed. Power. Lust. Which one seals the fate of Macbeth and his country? Journey to Scotland via the New American Shakespeare Tavern, with Jacob York as the tragic hero and Veronika Duerr as his diabolical Lady. $15-$36. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 6:30 p.m. Sunday. 499 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.874.5299. Half-price gift cards at PoshDealz.com.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Wonder Years. MAY 8 ONLY. World premiere. The young movers and shakers of Moving in the Spirit dance to the music of Stevie Wonder, from his first hit at age 12 to his present-day work . The show reminds audiences that regardless of age or the challenges they face, everyone has the power to change the world. Moving in the Spirit is a nationally recognized youth development program that uses the art of dance to positively transform the lives of Atlanta children and teens. It’s led by the wonderful Dana Lupton. $12. 7 p.m. Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth St. N.W. Details HERE. Tickets HERE or at the door.
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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.
