Buddy Guy, Joe Rogan and Paula Poundstone!
April 21, 2022
Enjoy exhibits, comedy, theater performances, art and music, in and around Aurora and in nearby Denver metro. From Buddy Guy and Paula Poundstone, to Joe Rogan and symphonic performances — all happening this weekend and spilling into next week!
Friday, April 22
JOHN CRIST LIVE!
Stand-up comedian John Crist is one of today’s fast-rising stars. Originally from Lilburn, Georgia is videos have been seen more than one billion viewers. His sold-out shows from coast to coast no doubt are thanks to viral videos “Every parent at Disney”, “Brands That Need to be Cancelled,” “Millennial International: Sponsor a Millennial Today”, and “If Golf and Soccer Switched Announcers”. In 2019, Crist made Pollstar’s Top 100 Global Tours list with over 197,0000 tickets sold for his “Human Being Tour.” He held the designation for four consecutive weeks, charting as high as #28. Crist’s comedy has been featured on ESPN, The Today Show, Barstool Sports, The Golf Channel, USA Today, Fox and Friends, Sports Illustrated and hundreds more.
Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Pl., Denver
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $64-$293
303-623-0106
Thursday-Saturday, April 21-23
JARED FREID LIVE
Jared Freid is a stand-up comedian based out of New York City, with a strong focus on dating and relationships. His comedy reflects the ordinary daily thoughts of everyone you know, especially if you know a lot of millennials that are obsessing over dating apps, trying to be real adults, and worrying about their bodies.
Jared hosts three highly-rated weekly podcasts and co-hosts U Up? with Jordana Abraham of Betches, where they discuss their takes on modern dating with issues ranging from apps to hookups to relationships. Jared’s JTrain Podcast boasts over 450,000 listeners per month and regularly lands in the iTunes top 100. It’s been called “A Dear Abby for Dudes,” and along those lines – every Monday night after The Bachelor, Jared goes live on YouTube in his Rose Rehash.
In 2019, Jared released his first full-length comedy album Always a Momma Bear through Virtual Comedy Network. The album debuted at #1 on the iTunes Comedy Charts, #3 on the Billboard Comedy Charts, and was ranked the 9th best comedy album of the year by SiriusXM Comedy.
He also publishes columns that delve into everything from sports to The Bachelor to the pitfalls of dating in the information age.
Denver Comedy Works, 1226 15th Street Denver
Sat., 9:45 p.m.
Tickets: $24
303-595-3637
Friday-Sunday, April 22-24
CHOIR BOY
Pharus doesn’t fit in at The Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, a prestigious academy dedicated to the education of young black men. Despite embodying the strong, ethical morals the school promotes, being gay has made him an outsider within its hallowed halls. But this year, his talent and perseverance have paid off with a chance to lead the school’s choir, a position where he may finally have the opportunity to redefine himself as a leader and a confident young man. With its uplifting music and electrifying dance routines, Choir Boy will inspire you to raise your voice and cheer as one student boldly stands up to the traditions that seek to silence him.
This soaring coming-of-age musical drama was the Broadway debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight), whose deeply human storytelling illuminates the chaotic collision of masculinity, tradition and self-discovery on the path to adulthood.
DCPA, Kilstrom Theatre, Speer Blvd. @ Arapahoe Street, Denver
Fri.-Sat., 7:00 p.m.; Sun., 1:30 p.m.
Tickets: $30-$71
Phone: 303-623-7876
BALLET MASTERWORKS
Colorado Ballet’s season crescendos to a mesmerizing close with a compilation of unique works of art, combining unforgettable music and incredible physical expression. This dynamic program includes George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Jirí Kylián’s Petite Mort and Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs. Experience this program featuring world-renowned masterpieces that profoundly impacted the art form and remain central to 20th century innovative repertoire.
Ellie Caulkins Opera House, DCPA, 1386 Curtis St., Denver
Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat./Sun., 2:00 & 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $40-$160
TIME OF THE PHAROAHS
The exhibition “Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs” transports you to the distant past to explore the myths and realities of ancient Egyptian culture and the land of pharaohs.You’ll experience ancient Egyptian culture and see how it flourished along the banks of the Nile through themes, including: Landscape and Climate: Explore how the Nile Valley’s reliable seasons and fertile landscape played into the rapid success and long-term prosperity of the Egyptian empire through time lapse videos, hands-on displays and a film about the region’s animals and plant life.
The invention of hieroglyphic writing, made mass communication, record keeping and the organization of a state possible, playing into the power and responsibilities of the pharaohs.You’ll experience the sacred spaces of the gods – temples that resembled villages and bustled with activity to sustain gods with wine, bread, prayer and sacrifices, with everything from priest training and administrative offices to bakeries and vineyards. And you can examine the makeup vessels, jewelry and fine textiles to get a sense for how much ancient Egyptians valued and appreciated beauty and the ways in which grooming, clothing and accessories signaled one’s station and role in society.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver
9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Admission: $13.95-$19.95
Information: 303-370-6000
SCORCHING DRAMA
Tennessee Williams’ scorching drama focuses on a family gathering in the oppressive Mississippi heat to celebrate Big Daddy’s birthday. But when old secrets, sexual tensions, and hidden agendas swell just beneath the sweaty surface, conflicts and chaos ensues. After Brick Pollitt injures himself while drunkenly revisiting his high school sports-star days, he and his tempestuous wife, Maggie, visit his family’s Mississippi plantation for the 65th birthday of his hot-tempered father, Big Daddy.
Cantankerous even with declining health, Big Daddy and his wife Big Momma demand to know why Brick and Maggie haven’t yet given him a grandchild, unlike Brick’s brother Gooper and his fecund wife, Mae. Family secrets reveal and unravel themselves on one hot Mississippi night. Tennessee Williams’ searing, poetic portrait of a family’s fight for survival is a 20th century masterpiece.
Vintage Theater, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20-34
Phone: 303-856-7830
THE ONE-ACT PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
You all know the classic murder mystery story. There has been an untimely death at a country manor, everyone is a suspect, and an inspector is set on the case to find who the culprit is. However, when this play is performed by the accident-prone thespians of The Cornley Drama Society, everything that can go wrong…does! The actors and crew battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! From Mischief, the creators of the West End smash Peter Pan Goes Wrong, critically acclaimed TV series The Goes Wrong Show, and the Tony-winning Broadway hit The Play That Goes Wrong, this is the original one-act play which started everything going wrong. Over the course of an hour, expect a plethora of disasters from missed lines to falling props. Do you ever find out who murdered Charles Haversham? You’ll have to see for yourself!
Vintage Theater, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
Fri.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20-34
Phone: 303-856-7830
Saturday, April 23
AVIATION MERIT BADGE!
Come and learn about aviation basics! Plot your course or flying adventure but never leave the ground. Build a glider from a foam plate and experience the Wings Over the Rockies Flight Simulator Room. This is a “penguin” class, because scouts don’t need to fly to earn the badge. They will learn the hows and whys of flight, tour the museum, plot and fly a course on the simulators, and build and fly gliders made from a foam picnic plate (really!).The merit badge counselors have a wide range of experience across several military and civilian aviation disciplines. At the end of the class, instructors will discuss other opportunities in the professional, private and sport aviation fields.Scouts who do the prerequisite listed below and on the registration page (step 5 on the worksheet) can earn the badge on the same day. All scouts should bring their worksheet and lunch to the class.
Prerequisite: Download the merit badge worksheet from meritbadge.org and bring it and a pen to the class. Do step #5 in advance: using resources in the list from the back of the worksheet, consider three careers in aviation. Choose one you would like to do and list the education, training and experience you need for the job.
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Blvd., Denver
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $15
Information: 303-360-5360
BEN FOLDS IN ACTUAL PERSON LIVE
Ben Folds makes his long-awaited Denver return for an evening with your Colorado Symphony on April 23, 2022 as part of his In Actual Person Live For Real Tour. Widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation, Folds has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and numerous collaborative records. A talented singer, songwriter, pianist, and dynamic performer, Folds brings his impeccable musicianship, wry humor, and an unparalleled knack for pop songcraft to Boettcher Concert Hall in a performance you won’t want to miss.
Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th Street, Denver
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $45-$120
Phone: 303-623-7876
Sunday, April 24
LIFT EVERY VOICE
Join us for “Lift Every Voice” – celebrating our common human spirit while delivering a message of unity and social justice. This family-friendly concert event features guest artists Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and Fiesta Colorado Dance Company, spoken word poet Frankie Le’Troy, and visual artist Javier Flores, with works by composers including Anna Clyne and Omar Thomas. This is a very special opportunity to see one of our most successful and engaging MusiCurious education programs live and free of charge thanks to support from the Genesee Mountain Foundation!
Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th Street, Denver
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $15-$89
Phone: 303-623-7876
NEXT WEEK: Wednesday, April 27
BUDDY GUY LIVE
At age 82, Buddy Guy is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Buddy Guy has seven GRAMMY Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, 37 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #23 in its “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
Buddy Guy is a genuine American treasure and one of the final surviving connections to an historic era in the country’s musical evolution. “I worry a lot about the legacy of Muddy, Wolf, and all the guys who created this stuff,” he says. “I want people to remember them. It’s like the Ford car—Henry Ford invented the Ford car, and regardless how much technology they got on them now, you still have that little sign that says ‘Ford’ on the front.
“One of the last things Muddy Waters told me—when I found out how ill he was, I gave him a call and said, ‘I’m on my way to your house.’ And he said, ‘Don’t come out here, I’m doing all right. Just keep the damn blues alive.’ They all told me that if they left here before I did, then everything was going to be on my shoulders. So as long as I’m here, I’m going to do whatever I can to keep it alive.”
Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Pl., Denver
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $85-$129
303-623-0106
Thursday-Saturday, April 28-30
GREG FITZSIMMONS
Mixing an incisive wit with scathing sarcasm, Greg Fitzsimmons has achieved success as a stand-up, an Emmy Award winning writer, and host on TV, radio and his own podcast. Greg is host of the hugely popular FitzDog Radio podcast and The Greg Fitzsimmons Show, on SiriusXM’s Howard 101. A regular with Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel, Greg has made more than 50 visits to The Howard Stern Show.Greg’s one-hour stand-up special, Life on Stage, was named a Top 10 Comedy Release of 2013 by LA Weekly. The special premiered on Comedy Central and is now available as a CD, DVD and download. Greg’s 2011 book, Dear Mrs. Fitzsimmons, climbed the best-seller charts and garnered outstanding reviews from NPR and Vanity Fair.
He is a frequent guest on The Adam Carolla Show and The Joe Rogan Experience and has appeared on Comedy Bang Bang and Aqua Teen Hunger Force.Greg wrote and appeared on all three seasons of the hit Judd Apatow HBO series, Crashing. Writing credits include HBO’s Lucky Louie, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, and The Man Show. He has won four Daytime Emmys as a writer & producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and a Cable Ace Award for hosting the MTV game show Idiot Savants.
Denver Comedy Works, 1226 15th Street Denver
7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $17-$25
303-595-3637
Friday, April 29
BEETHOVEN & STRAUSS
After conducting lauded performances of Mozart’s Requiem in 2017 and Debussy’s La Mer in 2020, Jun Märkl returns leading your Colorado Symphony through two German romantic masterpieces and Beethoven’s dramatic Piano Concerto No. 3 featuring pianist Claire Huangci. Strauss’ Don Juan is wildly modern for the time, and incredibly challenging for the orchestra, as evidenced by a horn player’s famous utterance prior to its premiere, “Dear God! What sin have we committed, for You to send us this rod for our backs!”
Strauss’ Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks is a tone poem depicting Till — a mischievous rogue who scorns authority — through brevity and humor, a delightful ode to one of the most colorful figures in German folklore that will come alive before your eyes in the hands of Maestro Märkl.
Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th Street, Denver
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $15-$89
Phone: 303-623-7876
Friday-Saturday, April 29-30
JOE ROGAN: THE SACRED CLOWN TOUR
Joe Rogan has been described as one of the most complex and exciting stand-ups working in America today. “Like an idealistic hippie stuck inside the body of a testosterone-pumped U.S. Marine. He’s been likened to the late great Sam Kinison (with) a similar brand of furious indignation. His angry, insightful act is an absorbing battle between his raw libertarian instincts and his refined liberal sensibilities.” –William Cook, The Guardian
A standup comedian for over 20 years, Rogan’s sixth hour long comedy special Joe Rogan: Strange Times premiered on Netflix in October 2018. Rogan’s previous comedy specials include Joe Rogan: Triggered (2016) for Netflix, and Joe Rogan: Rocky Mountain High (2014) for Comedy Central.
Rogan is host of The Joe Rogan Experience, a long-form conversation with guests that is one of the most popular podcasts, currently exclusively distributed on Spotify. (This is a phone-free event – phones will be confiscated at the door and returned upon guest departure).
Bellco Theatre, 700 14th St., Denver
7:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.
Tickets: $45-$125
Phone: 303-778-1500
Saturday, April 30
BUILD YOUR OWN DRONE
Drone Soccer is a new, fast-growing and exciting indoor sport. In this one-day workshop, learn how to build and fly your own drone soccer ball and prepare for fast-action flying fun!
The workshop is a six-hour commitment and includes a new drone ball (yours to keep); hands-on instruction by a world-champion remote contral aircraft/drone instructor; safety protocols and Exploration of Flight admission.
Wings Over the Rockies Exploration of Flight, 13005 Wings Way, Englewood
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Registration: $532
Information: 303-360-5360 ext. 160
PAULA POUNDSTONE LIVE!
Paula Poundstone is known for her smart, observational humor and a spontaneous wit that has become the stuff of legend. Time magazine, in the March 2020 “Best of” issue, listed Paula’s HBO special, Cats, Cops and Stuff as one of The Five Funniest Stand-Up Specials Ever. Paula can be heard weekly as the host of Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone, the comedy podcast. She is a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! Paula was the first woman, in its then 73rd year, to share the dais with the President and perform standup at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Also an author, Paula’s second book, The Totally Unscientific Study Of The Search For Human Happiness, was one of eight semi-finalists for the Thurber Prize for American Humor, the highest recognition of the art of humor writing in the United States. The audio book was one of five finalists for the AUDIE award for Audio Book of the Year.
Paula is the star of several HBO comedy specials and she was the first woman, in its then 7th year, to win the Cable ACE award for Best Stand-up Comedy Special and she continues to be recognized in innumerable lists, documentaries and literary compendiums noting influential standup comedians of our time.
Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Pl., Denver
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $84-$512
303-623-0106
The Arts, Music and More Near Southshore!
Enjoy Life at the Lake in the master-planned community of Southshore—and find all sorts of entertainment within easy reach! You can personalize your living space – just check out the beautiful model homes from Richmond American Homes and Century Communities. It’s easy to picture yourself in your own new home here, priced from the $700s.