Coming Attractions

Tackling the tough questions with ‘What You Will’

Recommended activities for the coming week

Column by Clarke Reader
Posted 12/11/18

When we really love someone, it can be difficult to be completely honest with him or her. We’re concerned about their opinion of us and don’t want to change anything in the relationship. But …

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Coming Attractions

Tackling the tough questions with ‘What You Will’

Recommended activities for the coming week

Posted

When we really love someone, it can be difficult to be completely honest with him or her. We’re concerned about their opinion of us and don’t want to change anything in the relationship. But confiding in a stranger who we’ll probably never see again offers an exciting level of freedom.

That’s the idea local playwright Jeffrey Neuman wanted to explore in the world premiere of his play, “What You Will,” which debuted at Lakewood’s Benchmark Theatre.

“Why is it that, sometimes, situational intimacies can give us a sense of purpose, grounding and fulfillment, while our deepest and most long-term relationships can leave us feeling lost, wanting and in need?” he asked. “Those are questions worth exploring. Those are questions that are both human and theatrical.”

Directed by Warren Sherrill and featuring Steven J. Burge, Tom Littman, Casey Andree and Maggy Stacy, “What You Will” runs through Dec. 22 at Benchmark, 1560 Teller St. Performances are 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The show tells the story of Adam, a 40-year-old gay man living a quiet, happy life with his husband. He owns a stationery shop and serves as a wedding planner. But when he starts interacting with a married man at his local gym, he starts questioning his life and all his relationships.

Neuman himself used to work in a stationery shop, where the rapport he developed with relative strangers was one of the seeds of the play.

Seeing the show come to life at Benchmark has been a special thrill for Neuman, though he said, as a writer, he’s mostly hands-off.

“Rehearsals are time for the director and actors to do what they do, to use their skills and talents to make the piece a living, breathing, tangible thing,” he said. “I’m not quite sure how they do it, how they create a world that lives on the stage, but I find the work that actors and directors create together, the alchemy they create, to be a magical, mystical, almost holy thing.”

The show premiered Nov. 30, and Neuman said he was overwhelmed by the positive reactions from audiences. As a writer, he said he’s always been drawn to art that asks more questions than it answers, and he hopes “What You Will” fits the people for those who check it out.

“It asks a lot of questions about interpersonal relationships, the most pointed of which is, `What do you do when you don’t feel you can share your greatest need with the person you love most?’ ” he said. “I hope that people leave the theater thinking about that question, among others, and engage with them.”

For more information and tickets, visit www.benchmarktheatre.com.

Checkout the Main Event in Highlands Ranch

Sometimes, no matter how old you are, it’s important to feel like a kid again. That means letting your proverbial hair down and having loud, carefree fun.

Main Event Entertainment is catering to children of all ages in its Colorado debut, which opened at 64 Centennial Blvd. in Highlands ranch.

The brand-new 50,000-square-foot center features 22 state-of-the-art bowling lanes, as well as laser tag, a gravity ropes course, billiards, shuffleboard and a games gallery featuring over 120 of the latest interactive and virtual video games, according to the company.

In between all the gaming fun, Main Event also features American standards like wings, pizza and other bar-food favorites. The bar serves handcrafted cocktails, which also features big screen televisions for sports’ fans.

There are spaces for birthday parties and private meetings, as well. For more information, call 303-209-3877 or visit www mainevent.com.

FAC’s traditional market returns for the season

The holidays are a time to celebrate traditions of all kinds. For Golden residents and shoppers looking to support local arts, the Foothills Art Center’s annual holiday market is just such a tradition.

This year’s Foothills Arts Center’s Annual Holiday Art Market is its 44th and is open through Dec. 30 at the center, 809 15th St.

The market features the creations of more than 100 local Colorado artists working to create the highest-quality handmade ceramics, fiber, glasswork, jewelry, paintings, woodworking, photography, holiday items and more.

Entry to the market is free, and more information can be found at www.foothillsartcenter.org.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — John Legend at the Bellco Theatre

Christmas albums are a tricky beast, one that a surprising number of musicians have taken a swing at over the years. There have certainly been some strange ones — records from Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton come to mind. Luckily, R&B crooner John Legend not only has the right pipes, but also the right wit to pull it off. Plus, his talent at love songs carries right over to the holiday’s more romantic tunes.

Legend did just that with his album “A Legendary Christmas,” which he released at the end of October. The album has the makings to be a new entry into the holiday canon, especially thanks to stirring contributions by Stevie Wonder and Esperanza Spalding.

He recently did a televised special to perform cuts from the album, and now he’s going on tour to get audiences in the holiday spirit. Legend will be performing at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, at the Bellco Theatre, 700 14th St.

For tickets visit www.axs.com.

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

John Legend, Benchmark Theater, Foothills Art Center, Clarke Reader, Coming Attractions, music, theater, live music, concerts, Christmas, holidays, Denver, arts, Golden, Foothills Arts Center, Highlands Ranch, main event, entertainment

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