Want to get your culture on this weekend? Our recommendations include “Bad Jews,” a comedy with teeth, which continues its run at Actor’s Express. Pictured: Angry cousin Daphna (Galen Crawley, left) and caught-in-the-middle cousin Jonah (Louis Gregory). Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus.
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. Check the website for sellouts before you make plans. At last check, seats are available beginning Feb. 18. $30-$50. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 + 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. 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
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. TONIGHT + SATURDAY. Concertmaster David Coucheron performs Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1. Also on the program: Dvorák’s Eighth Symphony and Gould’s Spirituals for Strings. With guest conductor Tito Muñoz. $24-$99. 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.
LAST CHANCE
Private Lives. THROUGH SUNDAY. Having playwright Noel Coward and actors Mark Kincaid, Tess Malis Kincaid, Rachel Garner and Joe Sykes on board makes this comedy of manners worth your while. $15-$30. 8 tonight-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Stage Door Players, 5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. Details, tickets HERE or at 770.396.1726. (Pictured: Tess Malis Kincaid and Joe Sykes)
OPENING THIS WEEKEND
fml: how Carson McCullers saved my life. OPENS TONIGHT | THROUGH FEB. 22. 7 Stages presents Sarah Gubbins’ story about a lesbian teenager’s daily struggle to avoid being noticed, survive bullying and 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. Also 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). OPENS SATURDAY | THROUGH FEB. 22. Théâtre du Rêve (Theatre of the Dream) tells the story of a young girl struggling with her self-image, who finds solace in Jane Eyre and a visiting fox. Adapted from the graphic novel, with animated projections and sound. Runs about 35 minutes, followed by a 25-minute talkback on empathy and bullying behavior. $5-$15. Performances in English at 2 p.m. Saturday and Feb. 14-15 + 22 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17. Performances in French at 2 p.m. Sunday, 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. OPENS FRIDAY | THROUGH FEB. 14. Atlanta Ballet reprises this popular story ballet choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot, who 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.” $23-$124. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Also at 2 p.m. Feb. 7. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway. Details, tickets HERE. Ticket discounts at PoshDealz.com.
NOW PLAYING
Bad Jews. THROUGH FEB. 22. A comedy with bite first developed by playwright Joshua Harmon during an Actor’s Express residency. Cousins clash over religion and everything else when thrown together for a family funeral. The fine cast features Suzi Bass Award-winner Galen Crawley, Wyatt Fenner (last season’s Pluto), Rachel DeJulio and Louis Gregory. Some shows are selling out; more are being added. Check the website before you go. $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.
Rainforest Adventures. THROUGH MARCH 15. It’s a jungle at the Center for Puppetry Arts, with anacondas, howler monkeys and sloths in the Amazonian rainforest. Performed with Czech Black-style puppets. For ages 4 and up. $16.50. 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. THROUGH FEB. 22. A young girl dreaming of adventure meets a family with a fascinating secret, a chance encounter that 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. 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. For more on the show, see this ENCORE FEATURE. (Pictured, from left, Broadway’s Carolee Carmello as Mae Tuck and Sarah Charles Lewis as Winnie Foster. Photo by Greg Mooney)
NEXT WEEK
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. OPENS WEDNESDAY | THROUGH FEB. 15. These unforgettable athlete-dancers make their annual Atlanta stop for six performances, 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. For more, see this ENCORE FEATURE. (Pictured: The company in a scene from “Revelations.”)
Detroit ’67. OPENS TUESDAY | THROUGH 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 but, when 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.
The Meeting. FEB. 12-15. Jeff Stetson’s drama imagines a meeting between Malcolm X and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who differ in philosophy but share a mutual respect as they debate their approaches to solving serious social problems and possibly facing death. Featuring Paris Crayton III and Marcus Emel. Performance only ($20) at 8 p.m. Feb. 12 and 6 p.m. Feb. 15. Dinner-show performances ($75; doors open at 6 p.m., dinner is at 7 p.m.) Feb. 13-14. All dinner-theater tickets must be purchased by Feb. 10. West End Performing Arts Center, 945 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. Tickets HERE. Details HE or at 407.218.0202.
LOOKING AHEAD
on love. FEB. 13-15. World premiere. This new dance work from CORE was created by artistic director Sue Schroeder for the historic architecture of Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. The intimate piece is inspired by the poetry of Jalaluddin Rumi and Rainier Maria Rilke. $15; $10 artists, students, senior citizens. 8 p.m. Feb. 13-14; 3 p.m. Feb. 15. At Callanwolde, 980 Briarcliff Road N.E. Details, tickets HERE.
Silent Sky. PREVIEWS FEB. 12-13 | OPENS FEB. 14. Put this on your don’t-miss list. Decatur-born, San Francisco-based playwright Lauren Gunderson makes her Theatrical Outfit debut with this 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. The cast: Elizabeth Diane Wells as Leavitt, with Cynthia Barrett, Carolyn Cook, Deadra Moore and Brandon Partrick. $20-$35. Through March 1. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Also at at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 21 + 28. Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. N.W. Tickets, details HERE or at 678.528.1500. Ticket discounts at PoshDealz.com. (Pictured: Wells as Henrietta. Photo by Greg Newington)
StinkyKids the Musical. OPENS FEB. 13 | THROUGH MARCH 8. Synchronicity and Aurora theaters partner to present this family musical based on the Britt Menzies books and characters. Britt, Max, Hannah, Jen, Johnny and Billy plan to visit the new MegaJumper 3000, but the situation gets sticky when Britt wakes up with gum in her hair. $10-$40. 7:30 p.m. Friday; 1 + 4 p.m. Saturday; and 2 + 5 p.m. Sunday. Synchronicity Theatre at Peachtree Pointe, 1545 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.484.8636.
Wicked. FEB. 18-MARCH 8. The musical blockbuster returns for a third time. The story: Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One — born with emerald-green skin — is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and popular. See how two unlikely friends become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Wicked, winner of three 2004 Tony awards, is in its 12th year on Broadway. $33 and up. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday; 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 + 8 p.m. Saturday; and 1 + 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Also at 1 p.m. Feb. 19. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 855.285.8499.
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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. Full disclosure: She is affiliated with Synchronicity Theatre listed above. Please email: kathy@encoreatlanta.com.
