Looking for something cultural to do this weekend and beyond? Our recommendations are many and include the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning “Clybourne Park” at Aurora Theatre with (from left) Danielle Deadwyler, Tess Malis Kincaid and Robin Bloodworth. Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus.
RECOMMENDED
Detroit. THROUGH OCT. 19. This Pulitzer Prize finalist was named one of The New York Times’ Top 10 plays of 2012. Playwright Lisa D’Amour takes us to a suburb of a midsized American city, where two couples bond over backyard barbecues, and more than the food gets skewered. At Horizon Theatre. For ages 18 and up. The critics: “Grade A. … A terrific night of theater” (Wendell Brock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution); “Detroit’s best moments emulate [Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?‘s] radioactive, unsettled bondings, alliances, flirtations and sparrings” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL). $20-$40. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 3 & 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. Horizon Theatre, 1083 Austin Ave. N.E. at Euclid Avenue. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.584.7450. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
Driving Miss Daisy. THROUGH OCT. 19. The Alfred Uhry masterwork comes to Aurora Theatre with Jill Jane Clements as Daisy and Geoffrey Williams as Hoke. Set in 1948 Atlanta, this simple, profound and much-honored drama details the growing friendship between a Jewish widow and her African-American chauffeur. The critics: “About as fine a reading as you’ll ever see” (Wendell Brock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). $20. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 2:30 & 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Harvel Lab, 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. Free, covered, attached parking in city of Lawrenceville deck at 153 E. Crogan St. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222.
Lasso of Truth. THROUGH OCT. 19. Put Wonder Woman, film noir, Gloria Steinem and Gen X comic-book lovers in the blender that is playwright Carson Kreitzer’s imagination, and what you get is a smart, seductive and wild romp through generations of sexual politics. This story of Wonder Woman’s origin is told with actors, voiceovers and comic-book-style video. Synchronicity Theatre presents this National New Play Network rolling world premiere, rescheduled from last season, at its new home at Peachtree Pointe in Midtown. Adult content. The critics: “The new space is slick and intimate; Synchronicity has assembled a fine cast” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL); “A bold undertaking. … The actors are definitely up for the sillier challenges of the piece and they bravely tackle its shadier scenes, too” (Bert Osborne, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). $25-$35. 1545 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.484.8636. (Pictured: Bryn Striepe as the Amazon. Photo illustration by BreeAnne Clowdus)
Philadelphia, Here I Come. THROUGH SUNDAY. Arís Theatre celebrates the 50th anniversary of this well-loved Brian Friel piece. It takes place the night before Gar O’Donnell is to leave Ireland for America, and his life flashes before him as he contemplates what he’ll miss — his friends; his lost love, Katie; his housekeeper; and his aging father. The critics: “A jewel — quiet and observant and character-driven” (Jim Farmer, ArtsATL). $15-$25. Georgia Public Broadcasting, Studio B, 260 14th St. N.E. Free, covered parking. Details, tickets HERE. Directions HERE. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com. (Pictured, from left, Benjamin Davis and Kyle Brumley, both of whom play Gar.)
White Rabbit Red Rabbit. THROUGH NOV. 23. Out of Hand Theater brings us another out-of-the-box experience. This one-actor piece is done with no rehearsal, no director, no set and by a different actor each time (who does a cold reading). It’s being done in a dozen private homes and at least that many theaters. Upcoming performances: 8 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Inman Park home of Pam Hughes (actor Eliana Marianes); 8 p.m. Oct. 6 at Horizon Theatre (actor Carolyn Cook); 8 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Inman Park home of Charlie & Anne Henn (actor Bryan Mercer); 8 p.m. Oct. 19 at OnStage Atlanta (actor Googie Uterhardt); 8 p.m. Oct. 25 in the Marietta Historic District (actor Mary Lynn Owen) and at the Marcus Jewish Community Center (actor John Lemley); and 8 p.m. Oct. 27 at Theatrical Outfit (actor Tom Key). $20-$25 plus fees. Details, tickets and a complete schedule HERE. For more, see this ENCORE FEATURE.
OPENING THIS WEEKEND
Clybourne Park. TONIGHT-OCT. 26. A brutally funny and fiercely provocative play about race, real estate and the volatile values of each. The script is Bruce Norris’ reaction to events real and fictional before and after Lorraine Hansberry’s landmark A Raisin in the Sun. It won nearly every honor a play can win. It takes place in two acts 50 years apart — in 1959 and 2009 — when the residents of the same Chicago neighborhood have a decidedly different racial and ethnic mix and widely divergent agendas. At Aurora Theatre. $20-$40. For adult audiences. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 & 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday (no evening show Oct. 22). 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. Free, attached, lighted parking in city of Lawrenceville deck at 153 E. Crogan St., Lawrenceville. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222.
The Doctor, the Devil & My Dad. PREVIEWS TONIGHT-FRIDAY | OPENS SATURDAY. World premiere. Atlanta playwright Suehyla El-Attar (A Perfect Prayer, Third Country) melds memories of her late father with her love of science fiction and fantasy tales for this otherworldly adventure through time and space. At 7 Stages. Cast: Stacy Melich, Topher Payne, Gina Rickicki and Nicholas Tecosky (pictured). Through Oct. 26. Previews are $18, $20 at the door. Regularly $22.50, $25 at the door. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 5 p.m. Sunday (except Oct. 5). Additional shows at 8 p.m. Oct. 22 and 2 p.m. Oct. 25. Thursday talkbacks on Oct. 9, 16 & 23. 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.523.7647. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com. Read more in this ENCORE FEATURE.
CLOSING THIS WEEKEND
Bull Durham. THROUGH SUNDAY. It’s not perfect, but this world premiere musical at the Alliance Theatre scores often enough to make things interesting. The show moves the story of the Durham Bulls minor-league baseball team from screen to stage, following the exploits of aging catcher “Crash” Davis, rookie phenom “Nuke” LaLoosh, and Durham’s high priestess of baseball, Annie Savoy. For ages 16 and up. The critics: “Brilliantly reimagined as a song-and-dance spectacle” (Wendell Brock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution); “A solid double … the musical feels more formulaic than inspired” (Charles Isherwood, The New York Times); “A pleasurable but uneven new tuner” (Frank Rizzo, Variety). $30-$75. 7:30 tonight; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Alliance mainstage, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
Les Liaisons Dangereuses. THROUGH SUNDAY. Two rivals and ex-lovers play a dangerous game of sexual conquest in pre-revolutionary France. This season opener at Actor’s Express is based on a scandalous 1782 novel and is familiar, perhaps, from the Oscar-winning movie. The critics: “Salacious fun — the plot and characters feel compellingly alive and contemporary, even zeitgeisty” (Andrew Alexander, ArtsATL). $26-$45 (buying online saves $2). 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. 887 W. Marietta St. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.607.SHOW. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com. (Pictured: Park Krausen and Paul Hester. Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus.)
The Old Man and the Monkeys and Other Chinese Tales. THROUGH SUNDAY. Dragon Art Studio of Portland, Ore., weaves together five traditional and not-so-traditional tales from ancient China and tells them with glove and rod puppets. For ages 4 and up. $16.50. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. N.W. Tickets, details HERE or at 404.873.3391.
NOW PLAYING
Native Guard. THROUGH OCT. 19. World premiere. This 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry comes to the Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre in an unusual blending of text, storytelling, song and discussion. The poetry collection of the title was written by Atlantan Natasha Trethewey, an Emory University professor and a former U.S. poet laureate. Act 1 juxtaposes the deeply personal experiences of Trethewey, a child of a then-illegal marriage between a black mother and white father in 1960s Mississippi, with the experience of a soldier in the Native Guard, the first African-American Union troop in the Civil War. Act 2 is a participatory experience hosted by community leaders, cast members and Alliance staff. It includes complimentary wine, beer or another beverage of your choice (details and hosts HERE). Tickets HERE.
LOOKING AHEAD
How I Learned What I Learned. OPENS OCT. 7 | THROUGH NOV. 2. Atlanta premiere. This solo show, created and performed in 2003 at Seattle Repertory Theatre by the great August Wilson (1945-2005), shares the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright’s personal stories about his encounters with racism, music, love, a stint in jail, his first kiss, life-changing friendships and what it means to be a black artist in America. This staging features Eugene Lee (Miss Evers’ Boys, Fences). $20-$50. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 & 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. Map HERE. Tickets, details HERE or at 1.877.725.8849.
My Children! My Africa! OCT. 9-26. Theatrical Outfit presents this three-character thriller in which a humane black teacher in segregated South Africa tries to persuade a favorite student that education, not violence, is the answer to the nation’s problems. The playwright is the great Athol Fugard. Cast: Rob Cleveland, Maria Rodriguez-Sager and Dane Troy. $20-$50. Previews at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9-10; opens at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 2:30 & 7:30 Saturday (except opening night); and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Additional shows at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 & 22. Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. N.W. Tickets, details HERE or at 678.528.1500. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com. (Pictured: Sager and Troy.)
The Sleepy Hollow Experience. OPENS OCT. 9 | THROUGH NOV. 1. The Horseman rides again as Serenbe Playhouse reprises its ghoulish fall production. Join the spirits at the Stables in Serenbe for this classic spooky story featuring the awkward schoolteacher Ichabod Crane, the coquettish Katrina and Ichabod’s brutish rival, Brom Bones. In this version, you’ll be guided by roving minstrel storytellers, while the Headless Horseman rushes about on a real horse. Note: All 8 p.m. Saturday performances are sold out. $20. 8 p.m. Thursday; 8 & 10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Serenbe performs even in the rain, and seating is provided. 9237 Selborne Lane, Chattahoochee Hills. Directions HERE. Details, tickets HERE or at 770.463.1110. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
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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.
