Theater
A Tale of Two Cities
Now – March 17
Alliance Theatre
It’s the best of times and the worst of times. The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. The oppressed call for revolution. Despots threaten global war. Sound familiar? It’s Paris and London, 1787, a powder keg of spies, lovers, madmen, and unexpected look-alikes. This radical reimagining of Charles Dickens’s classic tale of the French Revolution forces us to ask: am I who I am because of my actions or the circumstances of my birth? Do I control my destiny? And where do we begin if we want to right the wrongs of history? Tickets begin at $25 at alliancetheatre.org.
Beauty and the Beast
Now – March 24
City Springs Theatre Company
Step into the enchanted world of this modern classic, based on the ground-breaking Academy Award-winning animated film of the same name. Join Belle, Gaston, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, and many more, on the musical adventure that changed the face of Broadway. Tickets start at $50 at cityspringstheatre.com.
Kim’s Convenience
Now – April 2
Horizon Theatre
Mr. Kim, a Korean immigrant, dispenses fatherly wisdom, history lessons and potato chips from behind his Toronto convenience store counter in an up-and-coming neighborhood. When he receives an unexpected offer for his property, he has a difficult decision to make: take the money and give in to developers or convince his daughter to follow in his footsteps. And no matter what, humor and heart find their way onto every aisle in this award-winning play that is now a hit series on Netflix. Tickets at horizontheatre.com.
Clyde’s
March 13 – April 7
Theatrical Outfit
In the kitchen of a truck stop diner near Reading, PA, a group of formerly incarcerated cooks work together to get their shot at redemption. As their fiery boss cranks up the pressure, and a new staff member rocks the boat, they have to unite to fight back the only way they can: by making the perfect sandwich. Tickets are $25 at theatricaloutfit.org.
The Gulf
March 14-30
Out Front Theatre Company
The divide between Kendra and Betty mimics the very world that devours them: a vast and polarizing abyss. On a quiet summer evening, somewhere down in the Alabama Delta, Kendra and Betty troll the flats looking for redfish. After Betty begins diagnosing Kendra’s dead-end life with career picks from What Color is Your Parachute, their routine fishing excursion takes a violent turn. Tickets begin at $15 at outfronttheatre.com.
True North
March 15-31
7 Stages
All compasses point to Magnetic North, but Magnetic North is currently moving erratically – averaging 34 to 40 miles per year- and humans feel it. When magnetic fields move erratically, the part of our brain that makes ethical decisions becomes impaired, and our health can be compromised. Developed in partnership with a NASA scientist, this project illuminates the dedicated work of scientists from around the world. Tickets are $15 at 7stages.org.
Beetlejuice
March 19-24
Fox Theatre
It’s showtime! Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. Tickets begin at $31 at foxtheatre.com.
Greener Pastures
March 21 – April 14
Aurora Theatre
Forty-eight-year-old Dorothy, a two-bit actor with performance anxiety, has reached her breaking point portraying a singing sandwich on the local children’s show Lunchtime with Munchkins. When she finds a technicality in the contract, she chucks it all to live the good life at the Greener Pastures Retirement Center. Her new roommate, the wisecracking curmudgeon Maxine, wants the attention-grabbing whippersnapper gone. Tickets begin at $31 at auroratheatre.com.
The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals
March 28-31
7 Stages
Paul is an average guy. He likes movies and pizza and average guy things. He does not like… musicals. But after a strange meteor strikes, Paul’s small world is about to come crashing down under the weight of unspeakable terror! Now he must run, run for his life, as something sinister spreads, and grows, and sings, and dances! Tickets are $22 at 7stages.org.
Fat Ham
April 3 – May 12
Alliance Theatre
Fat Ham is the deliciously funny, Pulitzer Prize-winning new play that recently finished its critically acclaimed Broadway run. Playwright James Ijames has reinvented Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet, creating what The New York Times calls “a hilarious yet profound tragedy smothered in comedy.” Tickets begin are $25 at alliancetheatre.org.
Mercury
April 4-28
Actor’s Express
Revenge is a dish best served…bloody. In this savagely hilarious comedy-thriller, three different stories converge through a strange curiosity shop in Portland, Oregon. Joining in on this crazy thrill ride of a play is a nosy neighbor, a bickering couple, a missing dog named Mr. Bundles, a guy with the worst job in the underworld, and a housewife who is not handling the end of her secret affair very well. Tickets are $25.75 at actors-express.com.
Shrek the Musical
April 6-7
Fox Theatre
Your favorite ogre is back in the hilarious stage spectacle based on the Oscar®-winning, smash hit Dream-Works animated film. Tickets begin at $30 at foxtheatre.com.
Six the Musical
April 16-21
Fox Theatre
From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric celebration of 21st-century girl power! Tickets begin at $31 at foxtheatre.com.
Support Group for Men
April 21 – May 28
Horizon Theatre
Every Thursday is Guys’ Night for a small group of friends who gather to vent – with a “No Ladies” policy strictly enforced. Passing a baseball bat as a “talking stick”, this motley crew of men support each other through stalled careers, dashed romances, and a fast-changing world. When an unexpected visitor crashes the party, their notions of what it means to be a man in today’s America are suddenly upended. Tickets at horizontheatre.com.
Psycho Beach Party
May 2-18
Out Front Theatre Company
Chicklet Forrest, a teenage tomboy, desperately wants to be part of the surf crowd on Malibu Beach in 1962. One thing getting in her way is her unfortunate tendency towards split personalities. Among them is a check-out girl, an elderly radio talk show hostess, a male model named Steve, and the accounting firm of Edelman and Edelman. Her most dangerous alter ego is a sexually voracious vixen named Ann Bowman who has nothing less than world domination on her mind. Tickets begin at $15 at outfronttheatre.com.
Legally Blonde the Musical
May 3-19
City Springs Performing Arts Center
A fabulously fun, award-winning musical based on the adored movie starring Reese Witherspoon, Legally Blonde the Musical follows the transformation of lawyer-to-be Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Action-packed and exploding with memorable songs and dynamic dances – this musical is so much fun, it should be illegal! Tickets begin at $37 at cityspringstheatre.com.
The Preacher’s Wife
May 11 – June 16
Alliance Theatre
In their fast-gentrifying Harlem neighborhood, Preacher Henry and his wife Julia struggle to keep their congregation going in the face of development. When all seems lost, Henry asks God for help, and receives it in the form of an angel. But will this mysterious newcomer really help or make matters worse? Tickets begin at $25 at alliancetheatre.com.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
May 15 – June 9
Theatrical Outfit
On the campus of a small New England college, George and Martha invite a new professor and his wife home for a nightcap. As the cocktails flow, the young couple find themselves trapped in a savage battle of wits and wills. Tickets are $25 at theatricaloutfit.org.
Sister Act
May 23 – June 23
Aurora Theatre
Lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder and is in fear for her life. The cops answer her prayers, sort of… They put her in protective custody in the one place the police are sure she won’t be found — a convent! Tickets begin at $21 at auroratheatre.com.
Blues for an Alabama Sky
May 30 – June 23
Actor’s Express
Amid the creative swirl of the Harlem Renaissance, a close-knit group of friends find themselves at a crossroads. Angel, a recently fired and newly single Cotton Club singer, is faced with choosing between a Parisian life of adventure with her costume designer friend Guy and a stable marriage with Leland, a suitor who has just arrived in New York from down south. Little does she know that her decision will have shocking consequences and change the lives of everyone around her forever. Tickets are $25.75 at actors-express.com.
Les Miserables
June 4-9
Fox Theatre
This brilliant staging has taken the world by storm and has been hailed as “Les Mis for the 21st Century,” “a reborn dream of a production,” and “one of the greatest musicals ever created.” Tickets begin at $34 at foxtheatre.com.
Music
Sugar & Spice
March 23, 2pm and 7pm
Riverside Epicenter
This show embraces everything from fairytale princesses and heroines to Broadway villains and naughty girls to the baddies of rock and pop! There is probably a little bit of all people in each of the characters represented by the AWC in this fun romp through classic and popular music. It’s sure to bring out both the good side and the naughty as we let down our hair for this special event. Tickets start at $30 at voicesofnote.org.
IN UNISON: Carmina Burana
March 24, 3pm
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Who would have thought that 13th-century monks could dream up such naughty poems? But they did. And the discovery of their dusty manuscripts sent the 20th-century composer Carl Orff down the proverbial rabbit hole. He dreamed up a hair-raising cantata in Carmina Burana—and the rest is history. Tickets begin at $39 at aso.org.
TRANSformation
April 6, 7:30pm
Byers Theatre
Curated by a group of trans and non-binary members of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus and Atlanta Women’s Chorus as well as members of the broader Atlanta trans community, these songs acknowledge the challenges and celebrate the beauty and authenticity of what it means to be your true self in the face of being eradicated. Tickets start at $20 at voicesofnote.org.
Die Walküre
April 27 – May 5
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
The Ring Cycle, Wagner’s magnum opus, continues with Die Walküre, the second epic installment in the series. The daughters of Wotan, ruler of the gods, serve as Valkyries tasked with guiding the souls of fallen warriors to Valhalla. But as scandal erupts, Wotan finds himself at odds with whom he most trusts. Tickets start at $48 at atlantaopera.org.
IN UNISON: Rite of Spring
May 18, 8pm
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Much has been written about the riot that disrupted the 1913 world premiere of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. What incited such a reaction? Was it the music or the choreography? Was it the subject matter (human sacrifice), or was it personal? No one knows for sure, but by 1940, Walt Disney saw fit to include the piece in his feature film Fantasia. Today, The Rite of Spring isn’t quite so shocking but delivers a thrilling sound experience in the hands of a great orchestra. Tickets start at $26 at aso.org.
Visual Arts
Cristóbal Balenciaga: Master of Tailoring
Now through June 2
SCAD FASH
Considered “the master of us all” by his contemporary Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga was adored by the fashion world and social elites of the 20th century. Tickets are $10 at scadfash.org.
Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina
Now – May 12
High Museum
This exhibition tells the story of the enslaved potters of Old Edgefield District, a rural area on the western edge of South Carolina famous for its natural clays. Tickets are $18.50 at high.org.
Please Be Seated
Now – March 24
Museum of Design
Dive into chair design in Please Be Seated, an exhibit that invites you to rethink the roles of chairs in our lives. Tickets are $10 at museumofdesign.org.
Truth Told Slant: Contemporary Photography
Now – August 11
High Museum
The more than seventy-five works in the exhibition, including several from the High’s collection, exemplify a recent shift in how photographers have taken up the challenge of making meaningful images from the world around them in a lyrical way, rather than utilizing the traditional approach of a dispassionate observer. Tickets are $18.50 at high.org.
Manish Arora: Life is Beautiful
March 27 – August 18
SCAD FASH
Renowned for dazzling designs in a rainbow of colors, Manish Arora has brought the talent and craftsmanship of India’s rich sartorial history to the global forefront, earning international acclaim on runways across three continents. Tickets are $10 at scadfash.org.