WELCOME TO OUR weekly curated column. Feature photo: Cast of the US National Tour of Les Misérables. Catch the show at the Fox Theatre this week! Photo by Matthew Murphy.
This week only
Les Misérables. Through March 3. Broadway in Atlanta @ Fox Theatre. Broadway in Atlanta brings Les Misérables to the Fox Theatre! Les Misérables began its life as a concept album by creators Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. Now in its 32nd year, the show continues to break box offices records and is known worldwide. The show has been famously produced in 44 countries and translated to 22 languages. Set in 19th-century France and based on the eponymous novel by Victo Hugo, the show introduced many now-beloved songs to musical theatre repertoire, including “I Dreamed A Dream,” “On My Own,” “One Day More,” and many more. This epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in musical theatre history. Tickets and info on the Fox Theatre website.
Off the EDGE. Events scheduled for February 28 – March 2. Rialto Center for the Arts. Off the EDGE gathers some of the world’s most innovative and thrilling dance companies for this biennial dance festival. Curated by Ilter Ibrahimof, Artistic Director and founder of Toronto’s Fall for Dance North, Off the EDGE features some of the world’s most innovative and thrilling dance companies including Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre, BalletX, Company Wayne McGregor, Ephrat Asherie Dance*, Kennesaw State University Dance Department and Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre. It is certain to be an unforgettable weekend of artistic expression culminating in the main performance at the Rialto Center March 2, at 7 p.m. Tickets and info on the Rialto Center for the Arts website.
Opening this weekend
The Pitmen Painters. Runs February 27 – March 24. Theatrical Outfit. Based on a true story, The Pitmen Painters shares the story of a group of miners (and a dentist) who, after becoming students of art appreciation, find themselves in a whole new world of high society, avant-garde artists, and prestigious collections. Though their horizons have been expanded beyond the daily life of miners, they still take the risks associated with the profession each day. The Pitmen Painters presents challenges societal perceptions of art and artists, raising questions of character, class, talent, privilege, and the universal desire for a deeper, more meaningful life. Tickets and info on the Theatrical Outfit website.
Eugene Onegin. Runs March 2 – March 10. The Atlanta Opera @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. What if..? Everyone has regrets, or those “what if” moments. How different would life be had you chosen another path, the road not taken? Tchaikovsky explores this theme of love lost, found, and the one that got away in the lush, romantic, and beautifully Russian opera Eugene Onegin. This new production takes its cues from the poet Robert Frost and the musical language of Pushkin’s novel, telling the story of a brash young man who makes bold statements and bolder mistakes, only to find that perhaps happiness was in front of him the whole time. Tickets and info on The Atlanta Opera website.
Still running
Skelton Crew. Through March 10. Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company @ Fulton County Southwest Arts Center. Written by Dominique Morisseau, a MacArthur Fellow, Skeleton Crew is part of The Detroit Project trilogy. This three-play series examines the sociopolitical history of Detroit at its cross-sections of race and policing, of labor and recession, of property ownership and gentrification. The Skeleton Crew explores the significance of work to workers and the threatening impact of layoffs. Set in 2008’s Great Recession, The Skeleton Crew follows factory workers at the last auto stamping plant in Detroit as rumors of their plant’s imminent closing begin to trigger anxiety and instability. The group, a strongly connected work family, must balance prioritizing their own well-being and need to survive with their sense of loyalty to each other. Tickets and info on the True Colors Theatre Company website.
Goodnight, Tyler. Through March 10. Hertz Stage @ Alliance Theatre. Join the Alliance Theatre at the world premiere of Goodnight, Tyler by B.J. Tindal. The winner of the 2019 Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, Tindal’s show portrays Tyler’s friends and family reeling after their loved one’s death at the hands of a police officer. The show illuminates the characters’ different perceptions of the incident, and the complexity surrounding their varied reactions to the devastating news. Tyler tries desperately to control the narrative surrounding his death, haunting his friends in an attempt to express his desired legacy. While the show is often humorous, its overarching questions aren’t necessarily light – How will Tyler be remembered? And who will shape his legacy? Tickets and info on the Alliance Theatre website.
Coming soon
South Pacific. March 8 – March 17. City Springs Theatre Company @ Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. Join the City Springs Theatre Company for this 10-time Tony Award-winning classic! Love transcends the harsh realities of war and prejudice in this sweeping Pulitzer Prize-winning tale centered around two unlikely love affairs. Set on a tropical island during World War II, this timeless Rodgers and Hammerstein classic features some of the most beautiful music ever composed woven into an inspiring story cherished the world over. The beloved score’s songs include “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair,” and “There is Nothin’ Like a Dame” amidst big, Broadway performances and a chorus of American sailors and Navy nurses ready to take you to Bali Ha’i. Tickets and info on the City Springs Theatre Company website.
Men with Money. Runs March 7 – April 7. Aurora Theatre. Set in 1950s New York, Men With Money is a subversive, Technicolor romp about three young men looking to find wealthy spouses. Louis, Max, and Sonny are charming, young, eligible. With two of them looking for husbands and the other looking for a wife, they may just have the charm and chutzpah to pull off their own rags to riches story. With book and lyrics by Bill Nelson, and music and additional lyrics by Joseph Trefler, this new musical is full of dreams, schemes, and lavish musical numbers. Tickets and info on the Aurora Theatre website.
