Comedy, Theater and FANTASIA, This Weekend!
February 3, 2022
With a couple of world premieres hitting the Denver and Aurora stages this week and next, you’ll find lots to occupy your time and imagination not far from your front door in Southshore. Plus, the Colorado Symphony will perform at Boettcher Concert Hall: selections from the history-making 1940 Disney film, Fantasia!
Thursday-Saturday, February 3-5
DONTRELL, WHO KISSED THE SEA
Eighteen-year-old Dontrell Jones III believes that it is his duty and destiny to venture into the Atlantic Ocean in search of an ancestor lost during the Middle Passage. But his family is not at all ready to abandon their beloved son to the waters of a mysterious and haunting past. Blending poetry, humor, wordplay, and ritual, Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea is a present-day hero’s quest exploring the lengths and depths we must go to, in order to right history’s wrongs.
The Aurora Fox Arts Center, 9900 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, CO
Thurs.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $40
Phone: 303-739-1970
THE SOUND INSIDE
A tragedy about fiction. Both the kind we read and the kind we live.”
– The New York Times
In this intimate drama you’ll meet Yale creative writing professor Bella Lee Baird and her prodigy misfit student Christopher Dunn. Bella has recently been diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer and as she directly addresses the audience we slowly learn about her unconventional choices regarding treatment. The two grow closer as Bella helps Christopher with his novel that eerily mirrors Christopher’s life, and Christopher seeks mentorship. Bella is seeking something of her own, something altogether different, something she desperately wants to ask. Nominated for six 2020 Tony Awards, including Best Play.
Curious Theater Company, Acoma, Denver
Thurs.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: Start at $20
Phone: 303-623-2349
A CONAN FAVE: BETH STELLING
Beth Stelling is a stand-up comedian, writer and actress based in Los Angeles and her one-hour stand-up special produced by Conan O’Brien is currently streaming on HBO Max. Beth was most recently an ESE on TBS’ The Last OG. Before that, she was an on-set writer on the Universal hit, Good Boys, produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
She also wrote on seasons 1 and 2 of Crashing for HBO (and was the on-set punch-up writer for both seasons), Seth Rogen’s Hilarity For Charity, and Sarah Silverman’s Hulu show I Love You, America. Beth’s half-hour special currently streams in The Standups series for Netflix.
Denver Comedy Works, 1226 15th Street Denver
Thurs., 8:00 p.m.; Fri./Sat., 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.
Tickets: $18-$25
Thursday-Sunday, February 3-6
THE OTHER JOSH COHEN
Nominated for six Drama Desk Awards and the Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical, this hilarious, endearing and hummable musical was hailed by Jesse Green of the New York Times as “a spontaneously charming musical that is just right for right now.”
Enter the quirky world of Josh Cohen’s New York City apartment… as it is getting robbed. Thus begins the hilarious rock-and-roll romantic comedy about good guy Josh, caught in a lifelong battle with bad luck. Broke and alone, all hope seems lost – until a mysterious letter arrives that changes his life forever. Two actors play the hapless-yet-warmhearted title character – one eventful year apart – in a 90-minute life-changing laugh-fest that will leave you feeling better about the world.
DCPA, Garner Galleria Theatre, 1101 13th St, Denver
Thurs./Fri./Sat./Sun., 7:30 p.m.; Sat./Sun. 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $46
Friday-Saturday, February 4-5
FABULOUS, FANTASTICAL FANTASIA!
Don’t miss this thrilling Colorado Symphony Orchestra performance of Disney’s groundbreaking marriage of symphonic music and animation, Fantasia. The magnificent repertoire from the original 1940 version of the film and Fantasia 2000, includes “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, and Suite from The Nutcracker. CSO will perform while Disney’s stunning footage is shown on the big screen.
Walt Disney settled on the film’s concept as work neared completion on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, an elaborate short originally designed as a comeback role for Mickey Mouse (who had declined in popularity during that time). As production costs grew higher and the project was pushed back, Disney decided to make a feature-length film set to classical pieces. The soundtrack was recorded using multiple audio channels and a pioneering sound reproduction system that made Fantasia the first commercial film shown in stereophonic sound. The film gained a huge cult following since its first release and is recognized as one of the first modern “music videos”.
Experience iconic moments and childhood favorites as you never have before!
Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th Street, #15, Denver
Fri.,/Sat., 7:00 p.m.; Sat., 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25-$99
Phone: 303-623-7876
Friday-Sunday, February 4-6
RATTLESNAKE KATE PREMIERES!
A modern musical celebrating the true story of a pioneering Colorado woman. Around 100 years ago near Greeley, Colorado, frontierswoman Kate Slaughterback fought tooth and nail, armed with a single rifle and a “No Hunting” sign, to save her son from 140 rattlesnakes in one quick-thinking and courageous battle.
After the infamous showdown, “Rattlesnake Kate” became a global sensation. But her battles were far from over: To find a love that would last. To be treated as an equal. To forge a future for herself and for other rugged, rule-breaking women.
In this badass new musical by Neyla Pekarek (former member of the Grammy-nominated folk-rock band The Lumineers) and playwright Karen Hartman, the legend of Rattlesnake Kate soars in heart-stopping harmonies anchored by Pekarek as Kate’s trusty steed Brownie. Larger than life and stranger than fiction, Kate herself appears as three women of different ages and races, singing their forgotten histories and weaving them into a Colorado tale for today.
DCPA, Wolf Theatre, 1101 13th St, Denver
Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun. 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $30-74
ROMANCE IS IN THE AIR
Retired schoolteacher Eleanor Bannister lives a quiet life alone in Groverdale, Texas. Set in her routine and comfortable in her status as one of the town’s most respectable women, everything gets turned upside down when a hole in her roof draws the attention of Abel Brown, a smooth-talking drifter intent on renovating Eleanor’s roof, and possibly her life. Will she recognize his intentions, or fall head over heels for this potential swindler?
Tickets available for in-person and online viewing – run-time is two hours including a 20-minute intermission.
Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20-$34
Phone: 303-856-7830
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
There is no dysfunctional stage couple quite like George and Martha, and there is no better way to experience this powder keg drama than up close in the intimate Singleton Theatre. The funny and darkly unsettling duo welcomes you into their living room, along with young couple Honey and Nick. But with every drink poured, George and Martha’s takedowns get more and more heated until the conversation descends into all-out marital warfare. How far can they go before this raucous night spills over?
Lean in (but not too close!) to the titillating shock and awe of Edward Albee’s 1963 Tony Award-winning masterpiece, whose characters were just as radical, hilarious and unforgettable then as they are today.
DCPA, Singleton Theatre, 1385 Curtis St., Denver
Thurs./Fri./Sat., 7:00 p.m.; Sat./Sun., 1:30 p.m.
Tickets: $40-$175
NEXT WEEK: Thursday-Sunday, February 10-13
CHRIS REDD: WHY AM I LIKE THIS?
Chris Redd is an actor, writer, stand-up comic, and rapper. Redd is a cast member on NBC’s Saturday Night Live and currently stars in the NBC comedy Kenan, opposite Kenan Thompson. He is set to star in the upcoming series Bust Downand has an hour long special in the works for HBO Max.
In 2018, Redd received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the SNL song “Come Back, Barack”. He appeared in the 2016 film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping opposite Andy Samberg, and also starred in the Netflix original comedy series Disjointed, opposite Kathy Bates. In 2017, Redd debuted his own half-hour episode of Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents and in 2019 released his debut stand-up album But Here We Are. Redd was featured as a roaster on the Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin in 2019.
Denver Comedy Works, 1226 15th Street Denver
Thurs., 8:00 p.m.; Fri./Sat., 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.
Tickets: $25-$30
Friday-Sunday, February 11-13
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
Backstage antics collide with real world drama as a young Will Shakespeare is desperate to cure his writer’s block. When he meets a new muse, the beautiful Viola, he thinks he has solved his problem. But Viola would rather be on stage, where no woman is permitted!
Adapted from the Academy Award winning film, the creation of the greatest tragedy ever written has never been more entertaining!
Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20-$34
Phone: 303-856-7830
WORLD PREMIERE: IN THE UPPER ROOM
This new play about family, secrets and the power of the stories we grow up hearing features the Berrys, a multi-generational Black family living under one roof in the 1970s. Their lives orbit around Rose, a strong-willed matriarch whose superstitions and secrets drive her relatives nuts. 
Through pointed wit and playful sarcasm, the family elders share fantastical stories about their collective past that call into question the family hierarchy and inspire the youngest generation to take pride in their heritage (and physical appearance).
Tender, comedic conversations between tight-knit relatives are interspersed with moments of intense drama that mirror the internal conflicts every family must face at some point. Loyalty, spirituality and colorism are all at play in this dramatic dark comedy, based on the real family history of playwright and novelist Beaufield Berry.
DCPA, Kilstrom Theatre, 1385 Curtis St., Denver
Fri./Sat., 7:00 p.m.; Sun., 1:30 p.m.
Tickets: $30-$69
MOZART AND MENDELSSOHN
Esteemed former Principal Guest Conductor Douglas Boyd returns to Boettcher Concert Hall for a program brimming with emotion beginning with Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides. Inspired by the composer’s initial viewing of the misty Scottish Isle of Staffa, “Fingal’s Cave” features swirling and soaring string lines, beautifully portraying sea waves and the rugged, rural landscape of Scotland.
Colorado Symphony’s own Principal Flute, Brook Ferguson, takes center stage on Mozart’s elegant Flute Concerto No. 1, overflowing with tantalizing melodies that will highlight the virtuosity of the soloist. Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique – a work epic in scale and ambition — requires tremendous forces and uses a recurrent melodic theme that foreshadows the Wagnerian Leitmotif. The composer’s own self-destructive passions are on full display as he takes the audience through the gamut of human emotions in a programmatic finale that is both dramatic and stirring.
Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th Street, Denver
Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 1:00 p.m.
Tickets: $15-$89
Phone: 303-623-7876
Saturday, February 12
COCKPIT DEMO DAY!
Kids and adults can look inside select aircraft at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum and get a close up look at the instruments and controls. Please note: Featured aircraft are subject to change.
Featured aircraft in February:
• Aerospatiale Alouette III
• Bell UH-1M “Huey”
• Steen Skybolt
• Apollo Boilerplate
• Grumman EA-6B
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Blvd., Denver
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $14.95 to $18.95
Wednesday, February 16
COCKTAILS AND MELODIES
Back by popular demand, join the Crescendo Society in another evening of adventure! In partnership with Mythology Distillery, guests will learn about the award-winning Colorado distillery while crafting three cocktails and enjoying a symphonic experience benefiting the Colorado Symphony.
The evening’s program includes a virtual performance by members of your Colorado Symphony, a demonstrative class with the Mythology cocktail kit, and an exciting talkback between renowned conductor Peter Oundjian, Colorado Symphony musicians, Crescendo Society members, and Mythology Distillery’s master spirits artisans moderated by Colorado Symphony 2nd/Assistant Principal Oboe, Nicholas Tisherman.
Virtual Event
7:00 p.m.
Learn More: $10-$55
Wednesday-Sunday, February 16-20
HAMILTON – TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education.
With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, HAMILTON is based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography. It has won Tony®, Grammy®, and Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.
Here’s a bit of local insider info: actor Gregory Treco, originally from the Bahamas, spent some time in Colorado when he attended Eaglecrest High School in Aurora, Colorado. Before Treco appeared on Broadway in Hamilton, he appeared in the DCPA Theatre Company’s 2015 world premiere of The 12.
Buell Theatre, 1350 Curtis St., Denver
Wed. & Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Thurs./Sat./Sun., 2:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $25-$75
Phone: 720-865-4220
The Arts, Music and More Near Southshore!
Enjoy Life at the Lake in the master-planned community of Southshore—and find culture and entertainment within easy reach! Looking for a new home you can add your signature style to? With beautiful model homes from Toll Brothers, Taylor Morrison, and Richmond American Homes, and coming soon, Century Communities, it’s easy to picture yourself in your own new home, priced from the $500s to the $800s.