Want to get your culture on this weekend? Our recommend-dations include the world premiere musical Tuck Everlasting at the Alliance Theatre. Pictured: Broadway regular Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Jesse Tuck and Atlanta’s Sarah Charles Lewis as Winnie Foster. Photo by Greg Mooney. For more on “Tuck,” see this ENCORE FEATURE.
RECOMMENDED
Les Misérables. THROUGH MARCH 1. The revolution returns, if you can get a ticket. Aurora Theatre reprises its 2013 hit, winner of five Suzi Bass awards (including best musical), with most of its original cast. Bryant Smith, Kevin Harry and Natasha Drena return as Jean Valjean, Inspector Javert and Fantine. Check before you go; many performances are sold out. The first for which seats are available is Feb. 18 (at last check). $30-$50. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 & 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Matinee at 10 a.m. Feb. 4 (from $20). 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.
THIS WEEKEND ONLY
ASO and organist Cameron Carpenter. TONIGHT, SATURDAY-SUNDAY. American organist Cameron Carpenter is “one of the rare musicians who changes the game of his instrument,” according to the L.A. Times. He tours with a portable digital instrument that replicates the sounds of a grand pipe organ. With German conductor Jun Märkl on the podium, Carpenter joins the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for Messiaen’s L’Ascencion, Poulenc’s Organ Concerto and Saint-Saëns’s Third Symphony. $24-$99. 8 tonight; 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. (NOTE: Carpenter gives a solo concert Friday night). Atlanta Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Urban Bush Women. SATURDAY ONLY. Bold. Demanding. Unapologetically raw. These are among the words used to describe the Urban Bush Women, who, since 1984, have used movement as a movement to confront social issues and push for civic action. $40-$60. 8 p.m. Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.413.9849.
NEW THIS WEEK
Rainforest Adventures. OPENS TODAY | THROUGH MARCH 15. It’s a jungle at the Center for Puppetry Arts, with anacondas, howler monkeys and sloths taking you through the Amazonian rainforest. Performed with Czech Black-style puppetry. Recommended for ages 4 and up. $16.50; age 2 and under free. 10 & 11:30 a.m. Tuesday-Friday; noon & 2 p.m. Saturday; and 1 & 3 p.m. Sunday. 1404 Spring St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.873.3391.
Tuck Everlasting. IN PREVIEWS | OPENS FEB. 4 young girl dreaming of adventure meets a family with a fascinating secret. Their chance encounter changes them all forever. A world premiere musical at the Alliance Theatre, based on Natalie Babbitt’s 1975 novel. The script, direction and choreography are by a team of Tony Award winners and nominees; Broadway is likely next. For ages 10 and up. $21-$60. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 & 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. Ticket discounts at PoshDealz.com. For more on the show, see this ENCORE FEATURE.
NOW PLAYING
Bad Jews. THROUGH FEB. 22. A comedy with bite that was first developed by playwright Joshua Harmon during an Actor’s Express residency. Daphna (Galen Crawley) is a “real Jew.” Her cousin Liam (Pluto’s Wyatt Fenner) is a self-described “bad Jew,” complete with a shiksa girlfriend (Rachel DeJulio). They clash in a big way when thrown together for a family funeral. Also in the cast: Louis Gregory. New York Times critics voted Bad Jews the best comedy of the 2012-13 season. Some shows are selling out; more are being added. Check the website. $20-$32 (parking $5). 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. King Plow Arts Center, 887 W. Marietta St. Tickets, details HERE or at 404.875.1606. (Pictured: Wyatt Fenner (left) and Galen Crawley as contentious cousins Liam and Daphna. Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus)
Private Lives. THROUGH FEB. 8. Having playwright Noel Coward and actors Mark Kincaid, Tess Malis Kincaid, Rachel Garner and Joe Sykes) on boards make this comedy of manners worth your time. $15-$30. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Stage Door Players, 5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. Details, tickets HERE or at 770.396.1726.
LOOKING AHEAD
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. FEB. 11-15. These unforgettable dancing athletes make their annual visit for six performances only, showcasing 10 works including the signature piece “Revelations” and the new “Odetta,” a tribute to American singer-songwriter and activist Odetta Holmes. $19.50-$70. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2 & 8 p.m. Saturday; and 3 p.m. Sunday. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E. Details HERE, tickets HERE or at 855.285.8499.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. FEB. 5 & 7. Concertmaster David Coucheron performs Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1. Also on the program: Dvorák’s Eighth Symphony and Gould’s Spirituals for Strings. Guest conductor Tito Muñoz is on the podium. $24-$99. 8 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Atlanta Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Detroit ’67. FEB. 10-MARCH 8. It’s 1967 in Detroit, and Motown is the sound. Chelle and her brother turn their basement into a late-night hot spot to make ends meet. As they clash, their feelings erupt along with much of their city, and they’re caught in the middle of the ’67 Motor City riots. Detroit ’67 won a 2014 Kennedy Center award for drama, and street cred from The New York Times, which called it “crackling with humor!” True Colors Theatre at the Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road. Details, tickets HERE or at 877.725.8849.
fml: how Carson McCullers saved my life. FEB. 5-22. 7 Stages presents Sarah Gubbins’ story about a lesbian teenager’s daily struggle to avoid being noticed, to survive bullying and to embrace one teacher’s determination to provide hope. Inspired by Carson McCullers’ The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. $18 & $22.50. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 5 p.m. Sunday. Additional performance at 2 p.m. Feb. 21. Post-show talks on Feb. 12 & 19. 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.523.7647.
Jane, the Fox and Me (Jane, renard, et moi). FEB. 7-22. Théâtre du Rêve (Theatre of the Dream) stages this story of a young girl struggling with her self-image and worth. She finds solace in Jane Eyre and a mysterious visit from a fox. Adapted from the graphic novel, with animated projections and a soundscape. Show runs about 35 minutes, followed by a 25-minute talkback on empathy and bullying behavior. $5-$15. Performances in English at 2 p.m. Feb. 7, 14-15 & 22 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17. Performances in French at 2 p.m. Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 and 10 a.m. Feb. 21. 7 Stages, 1105 Euclid Ave. N.E. Tickets HERE. For details, email info@tdratl.org or call 404.875.3829.
Roméo et Juliette. FEB. 6-14. Atlanta Ballet reprises this popular story ballet choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot, who provides a fresh take that digs deep into the power of young, forbidden love. Last season’s AJC review said “Audiences should pack a tissue or two and see this production.” $23-$124. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Additional show at 2 p.m. Feb. 7. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway. Details, tickets HERE. Ticket discounts at PoshDealz.com.
Silent Sky. FEB. 12-MARCH 1. Put this on your don’t-miss list. Decatur-born, San Francisco-based playwright Lauren Gunderson makes her Theatrical Outfit debut with this smart and luminous script about real-life American astronomer Henrietta Leavitt (1868-1921) who must deal with dismissive male colleagues and family disapproval as she fights to understand the stars. $20-$35. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Additional performances at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 21 & 28. The Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. N.W. Tickets, details HERE or at 678.528.1500. Ticket discounts at PoshDealz.com.
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Kathy Janich, Encore Atlanta’s managing editor, has been seeing, working in or writing about the performing arts for most of her life. Please email: kathy@encoreatlanta.com.
