Coming Attractions

‘Our Town’ takes rare turn in the round

Recommended activities for the coming week

Column by Clarke Reader
Posted 3/20/19

There are some plays that just seem to live in air we breathe. Even if you're not a theater fan, you've probably come across it in some form or another. Thornton Wilder's “Our Town” is perhaps …

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Coming Attractions

‘Our Town’ takes rare turn in the round

Recommended activities for the coming week

Posted

There are some plays that just seem to live in air we breathe. Even if you're not a theater fan, you've probably come across it in some form or another. Thornton Wilder's “Our Town” is perhaps the quintessential example of this.

First produced in 1938, the three-act play explores small-town Americana, nostalgia and the struggles that accompany everyday life. In other words, it's about all of us.

The Pulitzer-winner will take over the stage at Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave. in Golden, from March 22 through April 28. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.

“It's a show that does one of the best jobs of making sense of the mystery we live out every day,” said Jim Hunt, who plays the role of Stage Manager. “It's universal because of the way it captures the changes we all experience in our daily lives.”

Directed by Len Matheo, “Our Town” takes audiences to the small town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, between 1901 and 1913. The Stage Manager serves as the narrator and chronicler of the town's happenings, which include the big events — birth, love, death and everything in between.

While Wilder's words remain very much intact in Miners' production, the company is playing with the visuals a bit by having the actors wear contemporary clothing, and the show will be presented in the round — a rarity at the theater.

The show includes some heavy moments (just like life) but there are plenty of humorous moments and wise lines to make the darkness a little more bearable.

“Wilder did an unbelievable job of capturing the essence of what it means to be alive,” Hunt said. “I think people will connect with it and since it's being produced in Golden, they might recognize some of their own small town on the stage.”

For tickets and information, call 303-935-3044 or visit www.minersalley.com.

Gershwin songbook gets an update

George and Ira Gershwin are two of the key figures in the development of America's songbook. They're responsibly for timeless classics like “I Got Rhythm” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” as well as countless others.

These classics are now coming to life at the Lakewood Cultural Center thanks to Performance Now Theatre Company, with their production of the new Gershwin musical, “Crazy for You.” The show runs at the center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, from March 22 through April 7. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.

The show is a homage to the musicals of the 1930s and follows a case of mistaken identity, dotted with vaudeville-era jokes and tender moments.

For information and tickets, call 303-987-7845 or visit www.Lakewood.org/LCCPresents

Clarke's Concert of the Week — Masters of Hawaiian Music at Swallow Hill

With a winter as cold as the metro has been for good portions of this season, you could hardly be blamed for daydreaming about places with palm trees and the constant crashing of the waves. Audiences can get a musical taste of just such a place thanks to Swallow Hill.

The venue is hosting Masters of Hawaiian Music at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, at its Daniels Hall, 71 E. Yale Ave. The show features George Kahumoku Jr., Nathan Aweau and Kawika Kahiapo.

According to information provided by Swallow Hill, Kahumoku Jr. is known as Hawaii's Renaissance man. He is a multiple Grammy-award winning master slack key guitarist, songwriter, world-traveling performer, teacher, artist, storyteller and writer, farmer and entrepreneur.

Aweau was a member of a Hawaiian music group called Hapa for much of the 2000s, while Kawika released his first solo album in 1996. Both have been making music ever since.

The evening is sure to be beautiful one, and you can get tickets at www.swallowhillmusic.org

Celebrate the creative leaps of female filmmakers

The Denver Film Society is hosting its ninth annual Women+Film Festival at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave., April 9 through 14.

The festival will feature more than 15 films, with a focus on documentaries, narratives and short films — both by and about women. There will also be special events featuring filmmaker, journalist, author and former Miss America Gretchen Carlson, and documentary filmmaker, philanthropist and activist Abigail Disney, grandniece of Walt Disney.

For more information and tickets, visit www.denverfilm.org

Clarke Reader's column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.

Our Town, Women+Film Fest, Sie FilmCenter, Hawaiian music, Gershwin, Crazy for you, Clarke Reader, Coming Attractions, Golden, Denver, music, live music, theater, Swallow Hill, Hawaii, Denver Film Society, movies, film

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