Want to put some culture in your weekend? See a show! Our top recommendations include “Stupid F*cking Bird,” adapted loosely from Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” at Actor’s Express. The cast, from left: Matt Felten, Rhyn Saver (standing), Stephanie Friedman, Robert Lee Hindsman (with bird), Evan Cleaver and Lane Carlock. Missing is Theo Harness. Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus.
RECOMMENDED
Memphis. IN PREVIEWS | OPENS SATURDAY. This Theatrical Outfit/Aurora Theatre co-pro moves intown to the Rialto Center for the Arts. Memphis isn’t the best show you’ll ever see, but the 27-member cast and nine-piece band joyfully tear up the joint. The Tony Award winner is based on the true story of pioneering disc jockey Huey Calhoun who moves Southern rock ‘n’ roll from radio to TV. $25-$60. The Outfit’s Tom Key directs, with musical direction by Aurora’s Ann-Carol Pence. Through Sept. 20. $20 + $35 previews (7:30 tonight-Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. $46 + $50 opening at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Regularly $40-$48. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2:30 + 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The Rialto is at 80 Forsyth St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.528.1500. Discount tickets (tonight show’s only) at PoshDealz.com.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. THROUGH SEPT. 20. The Alliance Theatre has assembled a who’s who of Atlanta actors to tell this story of rebel Randle P. McMurphy, his time in a mental hospital and his sparring sessions with the intractable Nurse Ratched. Neal A. Ghant is McMurphy; Tess Malis Kincaid is Nurse Ratched. The ensemble includes: Richard Garner, Ann Marie Gideon, Chris Kayser, Joe Knezevich, Bethany Anne Lind, Eric Mendenhall and Anthony P. Rodriguez. $20-$68. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 + 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Several special events are scheduled with this staging, details HERE. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. For more, see this ENCORE FEATURE. (Pictured, from left, Garner, Rodriguez, Ghant, Mendenhall, Knezevich and Kincaid. Photo by Greg Mooney)
Stupid F*cking Bird. PREVIEWS TONIGHT-FRIDAY | OPENS SATURDAY. Actor’s Express opens its season with the strongest lineup in town. This comedy by playwright is an adaptation, more or less, of Chekhov’s The Seagull. In its world premiere in D.C., The Washington Post described it as “a funny, moving slugfest, a ripe mashup of mock and awe.” The Express cast includes Lane Carlock, Matt Felton, Stephanie Friedman and Theo Harness. $20 previews; $40 opening night with reception. Regularly $26. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. King Plow Arts Center, 887 W. Marietta St. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.607.7469. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
OPENING THIS WEEKEND
Calendar Girls. OPENS TONIGHT | THROUGH OCT. 4. Georgia Ensemble Theatre opens its 2015-16 season with the U.S. premiere of this comedy-drama based on the 2003 feature film. Nine friends from a British women’s club find their bonds tested when a fundraising effort for the local hospital gains an international spotlight. $30 and up. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Also at 4 p.m. Sept. 19 + 26. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. Details HERE or at 770.641.1260. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com. (Pictured, from left: Jennifer Levison, Courtenay Collins and Meg Gillentine. Photo by BreeAnne Clowdus)
Celles d’en Haut (Women on Top). OPENS TONIGHT | THROUGH SEPT. 20. A Théâtre du Rêve and 7 Stages co-production. See it in English or French. Inspired by Dante’s Inferno, Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain and film stills from Cindy Sherman. Celles d’en haut, set in an “establishment” on an isolated mountaintop, celebrates women of all ages and their relationships. The four-person cast features Atlanta favorites Carolyn Cook and Park Krausen. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.523.7647. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
Winter Journey (Winterreise). OPENS SATURDAY | THROUGH SEPT. 20. The Atlanta Opera presents a theatrical version of Franz Schubert’s famed song cycle, a romantic journey that tells the story of unrequited love. This production is essentially an “illustrated” Winter Journey, with a projection-mapped set that acts as a self-contained landscape that changes from song to song. Baritone David Adam Moore sings the title role. In German with English subtitles. $35-$45. 8 p.m. Saturday at Kennesaw State University, Bailey Performing Arts Center. Also, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17; 8 p.m. Sept. 19; and 3 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Conant Performing Arts Center on the Oglethorpe University campus, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.881.8885.
SUNDAY ONLY
Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, a Dance Company. 6 P.M. This 30-year-old company has earned international recognition for its fusion of African dance, contemporary choreography and storytelling that combines Cuban, Caribbean, West African and modern American movement. The dancers do a selection of signature works, presented by the National Black Arts Festival, at the Ferst Center for the Art on the Georgia Tech campus, 349 Ferst Drive N.W. $30 and up. Details, tickets HERE.
NEXT WEEK
Jar the Floor. OPENS WEDNESDAY | THROUGH OCT. 4. Cheryl West’s beloved comedy features four generations of women who gather to celebrate their matriarch’s 90th birthday, for good and bad. The cast: Cycerli Ash, Donna Biscoe, D. Woods, Cara Mantella and Bernardine Mitchell. Presented by Dominion Entertainment. $15-$35. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2 + 8 p.m. Saturday; and 4 p.m. Sunday. Additional shows at 11 a.m. Sept. 23 + 30. Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road, Atlanta. Tickets HERE or at 800.838.3006.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra opening weekend. SEPT. 17 + 19. Music director Robert Spano conducts Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony with the ASO Chorus and soloists Laura Tatulescu, soprano, and Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano. The evening includes a red-carpet welcome and a champagne toast. This begins the orchestra’s 71st season and the 15th year of Spano’s artistic partnership with principal guest conductor Donald Runnicles. $20-$89. 8 nightly. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
Seth MacFarlane With the ASO. SEPT. 18. The singer, songwriter, actor, producer and director gives his vocal cords a workout at Symphony Hall. Expect Broadway, big band and jazz hits (“The Moon Was Yellow,” “Zing Went the Strings of My Heart.” $29.50-$99.50. 8 p.m. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000.
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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: [email protected].
