What to do? What to see? Our top recommendation is “Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike,” which closes this weekend at Aurora Theatre. It features such top talents as (from left) Tess Malis Kincaid, Lala Cochran and Bill Murphey. Photo by Chris Bartelski.
Recommended
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. CLOSES SUNDAY. This regional premiere, an Aurora Theatre / Horizon Theatre co-pro, is playwright Christopher Durang’s Tony Award-winning riff on Anton Chekhov. Melancholy turns into mayhem when Vanya and sister Sonia get a surprise visit from their movie-star sibling, Masha, and her boy toy, Spike. With Lala Cochran, Tess Malis Kincaid and Bill Murphey. $30-$55. 8 tonight-Friday; 2:30 + 8 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. Free, attached, covered parking in city deck at 153 E. Crogan St. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.226.6222.
This weekend only
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. TONIGHT + SATURDAY. Composer-conductor-pianist Olli Mustonen leads a program featuring Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 and his own orchestral work, The Old Church at Petäjävesi, inspired by a Finnish church that’s a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. $20-$89. 8 nightly. Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.733.5000. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
Closing this weekend
R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe. CLOSES SUNDAY. Engineer, environmentalist, futurist, poet, philosopher and inventor of the geodesic dome. R. Buckminster Fuller, who died in 1983 at age 87, was a visionary who foretold many of today’s challenges. He’s alive again, onstage, in this 90-minute, one-man show at Theatrical Outfit with actor Tom Key. $25-$50. 7:30 tonight-Friday; 2:30 + 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 678.528.1500. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
Now playing
The Crucible. THROUGH NOV. 1. Arthur Miller’s attack on 1950s McCarthyism is set in 1692 Massachusetts. Salem killed witches then, didn’t it? The New American Shakespeare Tavern features a full pub menu and tasty libations. $20-$39. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, 6:30 p.m. Sunday. 499 Peachtree St. N.E. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.874.5299, Ext. 0. Discount gift certificates for two VIP box seats available at PoshDealz.com.
The Ghastly Dreadfuls: Raising Spirits. THROUGH OCT. 31. This Suzi Bass Award-winning fright fest returns to the Center for Puppetry Arts. It’s the brainchild of artistic director Jon Ludwig and head puppet builder Jason Hines, both of whom are in the cast. Look for other familiar faces, too — Scott DePoy, Kristin Haverty, Reay Kaplan, T.T. Mahoney and Spencer G. Stephens — and a new character. For ages 18 and up. $18.75 + $25. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Post-show party on closing night. 1404 Spring St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.873.3391.
Informed Consent. THROUGH NOV. 8. Southeastern premiere. At Horizon Theatre. This very recent off-Broadway hit by Deborah Zoe Laufer follows one woman’s quest to answer the mysteries of science and her own life, inspired by a landmark court case between a large university and a Native American tribe. $25 and up. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 3 + 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. 1083 Austin Ave. N.E. (at Euclid Avenue). Details, tickets HERE or at 404.584.7450. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
Next week
Fetch Clay, Make Man. PREVIEWS OCT. 27-29 | OPENS OCT. 30. In the days leading to one of Muhammad Ali’s most anticipated fights, the heavyweight boxing champ forms an unlikely friendship with the controversial Hollywood actor Stepin Fetchit. Fetch Clay, Make Man gets inside the improbable bond between two cultural icons. At True Colors Theatre. By Will Power. Eric J. Little directs. Through Nov. 22. $20 previews; $20-$50 regularly. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 2:30 + 8 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road. Details, tickets HERE or 877.725.8849. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
Coming up
The Thrush & the Woodpecker. OPENS OCT. 31 | THROUGH NOV. 15. Actor’s Express presents a National New Play Network rolling world premiere by Steve Yockey. Danger and vicious humor collide in this revenge thriller featuring a mother who tries to repair a fractured relationship with her son, who returns home from college after an act of vandalism. Note: A second Yockey piece, Blackberry Winter, opens Nov. 6 and runs in repertory with Thrush. Melissa Foulger, a frequent Yockey collaborator, directs. Cast: Matthew Busch, Stacy Melich and Kathleen Wattis. Director’s rough cut at 8 p.m. Oct. 28 ($20). Previews at 8 p.m. Oct. 29-30 ($21.60 plus fees). Opening at 8 p.m. Oct. 31 ($39.96-$43.20 plus fees). Regularly 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 2 + 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2 + 7 p.m. Sunday ($21.60-$33.48 plus fees). Packages available for both Yockey shows. King Plow Arts Center, 887 West Marietta St. N.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.607.7469. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
Coming up
Brothers of Affliction. OPENS NOV. 5 | CLOSES NOV. 22. Rising Sage Theatre closes its three-show 2015 season with this tense drama about three troubled siblings and the secrets that bond them. The script is by Paris Crayton III. Cast: Anthony Goolsby, Carlos Houston and Kerwin Thompson. $17-$50. West End Performing Arts Center, 945 Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd. S.W. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.500.SAGE (7243).
Romeo & Juliet. OPENS NOV. 5 | CLOSES NOV. 22. Georgia Ensemble Theatre stages Shakespeare for the first time in its 23-year history. “It’s not your regular stuffy old Shakespeare,” says director David Crowe, who promises a beautiful, romantic, sexy and surprising story. Jonathan Horne and Jennifer Alice Acker play the unlucky lovers. Tickets start at $26. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Also at 4 p.m. Nov. 14 + 21. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. Details, tickets HERE or at 770.641.1260. Discount tickets at PoshDealz.com.
