Looking for something cultural to do this weekend and beyond? Here are Encore Atlanta’s recommendations (in alphabetical order) Pictured: The cast of “Xanadu” at Actor’s Express (from left) Jill Hames, Christen C. Orr, Greg Bosworth, Jordan Craig, Lindsey Lamb Archer, Craig Waldrip and Marcie Millard.
Atlanta Fringe Festival. INAUGURAL EVENT. And so it begins … 132 performances in four days! It’s fun, it’s wacky and it’s mind-expanding. Atlanta finally joins a legion of similar events across the nation and the world dedicated to providing an uncensored outlet for performing artists. The lineup spotlights 27 shows in genres ranging from satiric comedy and vaudeville to dance theater and drama. Through Sunday. Fringe passes are available in five-show, 10-show, weekend pass and full-access values. All audience member must also buy the official Fringe button (it helps support the festival) for $3. Details on the Fringe WEBSITE and in this ENCORE ATLANTA feature.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Pianist Leon Bates performs Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and Robert Spano conducts the world premiere of “Different River” by Alvin Singleton, the orchestra’s former composer-in-residence. The program closes with Copland’s Third, which includes the gorgeous “Fanfare for the Common Man.” 8 tonight-Saturday. $21-$79. Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. www.atlantasymphony.org. 404.733.4900.
Copenhagen. Toward the end of World War II, two of the world’s top physicists met in Copenhagen. About a bomb. The details of their meeting have never been revealed, and the two never spoke to each other again. Playwright Michael Frayn presents his own ideas of the event in this 2000 Tony Award winner. Featuring Stuart Schleuse as Werner Heisenberg, Curtis Krick as Niels Bohr and Lorilyn Harper as Margrethe Bohr. Directed by Maggie McEnerny. Through May 20. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday (no show May 13). Also 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19. $15 online; $23 at the door. Academy Theatre, Reservations: 404.474.8332 or HERE. Tickets online HERE. Read more about director Maggie McEnerny HERE.
Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. FINAL WEEKEND. Reactions to this world premiere rock ‘n’ blues mystery have been wildly divergent. See for yourself what creators John Mellencamp, Stephen King, T Bone Burnett and director Susan V. Booth have wrought. It’s a tale of two brothers and a bullet, two lovers and a leap, and the ghosts who know the truth. Through May 13. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. $45-$85. Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E. Tickets HERE or 404.733.5000. For discounts, visit poshdealz.com.
The Fox on the Fairway. Playwright Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo) turns his farcical focus to the country club set in this homage to the great British farces of the 1930s and ’40s. Dad’s Garage Artistic Director Kevin Gillese, who knows a little bit about funny, directs an Aurora Theatre cast that includes Courtney Patterson and Suehyla El-Attar. Through May 27. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. $20-$30. Wednesday discount matinee ($16) on May 23. Theater: 128 East Pike St., Lawrenceville. Free (attached) parking deck: 153 Crogan St. Tickets HERE or 678.266.6222. For discounts, visit poshdealz.com.
Shakespeare in the Park. It’s back!!! Georgia Shakespeare‘s former Shake at the Lake returns after a year away with a new name and a new location inside Piedmont Park. The Tempest, with Carolyn Cook as Prospera and Chris Kayser as the fairy Ariel, plays at 7:30 tonight-Sunday. A new venue in the renovated Greensward area of the park near the Legacy Fountain more than doubles the event’s previous seating capacity and allows patrons to picnic before and during the performance. General admission is free; reserved seating and picnicking spots are $10-$20. The park is at 1071 Piedmont Ave. in Midtown. Details HERE or 404.504.1473.
The Waffle Palace. WORLD PREMIERE. This loving sendup of that most Southern of institutions is subtitled Smothered, Covered and Scattered 24/7/365 and comes to Horizon Theatre compliments of playwrights Eddie Levi Lee and Larry Larson. It’s a roller coaster of humor, music and imagination in which John Pickett (Larson) and his staff battle to keep their Midtown diner open against heavy odds. Co-Artistic Directors Lisa and Jeff Adler direct a cast featuring LaLa Cochran, Allan Edwards, Marguerite Hannah, Enoch King, Eric Mendenhall and Maria Sager. Through July 1. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 3 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; and 5 p.m. Sunday. $20-$30 plus taxes. 1083 Austin Ave. N.E. at Euclid Avenue. Tickets HERE or 404.584.7450.
Xanadu. OPENING WEEKEND. Disco balls. Roller skates. ’80s hairstyles. What’s not to love? Actor’s Express wraps its season with this powder puff of a musical, a surprise hit in the 2007-08 Broadway season that parodies the Olivia Newton-John movie. The cast: Lindsey Lamb Archer, Mary Nye Bennett, Greg Bosworth, Jordan Craig, Jill Hames, Marcie Millard, Christen C. Orr, Al Stilo and Craig Waldrip. Through June 16. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Note: Opening night is sold out. $25-$47 plus fees ($2 discount when you buy ONLINE). 887 W. Marietta St., in the King Plow Arts Center. Box office: 404.607.7469. For discounts, visit poshdealz.com
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Kathy Janich, Encore Atlanta’s managing editor, has been seeing, covering or working in the performing arts for most of her life. Please email: [email protected].
