Throughout the bulk of the pandemic, many of us have really buried ourselves in nostalgia to find some escape. And for a lot of us, there are few things more comforting than a good love story. Add in some music, and there you go.

That’s exactly what the Arvada Center is bringing to audiences with the return of indoor musical theater on Friday, Sept. 10 with its production of “I Do! I Do!” The show is brimming with human feeling and the kind of connection many have been missing.

“Our audiences have been without theatre for almost two years and it was important to me to open the season with something that was smaller and more intimate,” said director Rod A. Lansberry. “Something our audiences could relate to and connect with and yet not be overwhelmed with a big splashy musical. Something that is warm and comforting.”

The show runs at the Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., through Sunday, Oct. 10. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 p.m. on Wednesday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 28, all patrons aged 12 and older must be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination before attending indoor seated performances. Those who are unable to receive the vaccination must instead provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of your performance start time or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within six hours of the performance start time.

The two-character musical by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones (the team behind “The Fantasticks”) follows the story of a wedding and marriage that lasts more than 50 years. During those decades the couples endure the peaks and valleys that are part of every long-term relationship.

In an ingenious bit of casting, the Center is featuring two real-life married couples with alternating weekly schedules: Twyla and Johnny Wilson, or locals Adriane Leigh and Marco Robinson.

“Casting the show needed two strong actors that could not only portray a married couple but actually take us into the reality of a real married couple learning from each other during the process,” Lansberry said. “It is the same basics of the piece, but each couple brings their own experience and interpretation that gives it a slight twist from the other couple.”

Perhaps surprisingly, despite the fact that it’s the first inside theater in a year and a half, Lansberry said the process for putting together the show remained largely unchanged. He described it as getting back on a bicycle and seeing if everyone could still ride. But there never really was much doubt.

“I also hope they leave with the realization of how much they have missed theatre as a part of their lives,” he said. “It’s been a hard couple of years and we’re still faced with challenges every day but I feel it is important to give our audiences a chance to get out and enjoy a part of their lives that has been missing.”

For tickets and information, visit https://arvadacenter.org/events/i-do-i-do.

Check out the talent at Regis College Art Faculty Exhibition

Every four years Regis Fine and Performing Art Department’s professors host the Regis College Art Faculty Exhibition to show just what its teachers can do.

The free show is open to the public through Friday, Sept. 24 at the O’Sullivan Art Gallery, located east of the Main Hall at Regis, 3333 Regis Blvd. in Denver. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 2 to 8 p.m. on Thursday.

Attendees will get to peruse works in a variety of mediums, including 3D collages, sculptures, landscapes and more. Get more information at www.regis.edu/news/2021/regis-life/08/art-faculty-exhibition.

Celebrate the shivers at Colorado Festival of Horror

The inaugural Colorado Festival of Horror event celebrates all the thrills and chills (and laughs) of the genre at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver Central Park, 4444 N. Havana St in Denver. The event runs from Sept. 10 through 12 and features a cadre of notable guests, including 80’s horror star Brinke Stevens, Ed and Marsha Edmunds from the Travel Channel’s “Making Monsters,” Hollywood concept artist Xander Smith and more.

In addition to film screenings, there will be vendors, panels, workshops and even after-hours activities. Passes and tickets are available for the spine-tingling event at https://cofohorror.com/get-tickets/.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Death Cab for Cutie at Red Rocks

Washington state’s Death Cab for Cutie is one of those rock groups that have been in my life longer than they haven’t. During the more than 20 years of the group’s existence, they’ve retained their ability to make music that’s both catchy and insightful. And they still put on quite the show. After so much time off the road, I’d wager all that energy will make for a fantastic night.

The group will be performing at the Red Rocks amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway in Morrison, with alt-pop wizard Perfume Genius opening, at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 13. Get tickets at www.redrocksonline.com. And if you can't make it in person, they're livestreaming the performance at www.flymachine.com.

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