Your weekend arts forecast: New theater and more

Two new and quite significant shows are in their debut weekends on professional Tampa Bay theater stages. George C. Wolfe’s satire The Colored Museum, a series of vignettes focusing on various aspects of the African-American experience, is at American Stage (tickets are here).

Across the bay at Stageworks you’ll find A Doll’s House, Part 2, a sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s iconic drama, written by Lukas Hnath and presented by the Tampa Repertory Theatre (look for a close-up on this particular production soon in the Catalyst). Tickets are here.

Continuing the weekend are The Abbey of the Holy Lonesome at LAB Theater Project, and the Jobsite production of Dracula. Read about LAB’s show here, and the Jobsite production here.

Actor Patrick Sullivan, last seen ‘round these parts as Walsh (a dead famous writer) in freeFall’s Rose and Walsh, returns to that very stage Saturday with a one-man autobiographical show called Travelin’ Light. His synopsis: “A musical evening with songs from Bernstein, Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, Meredith Wilson, and songs from a few musicals you have never heard of!” Tickets here.

The Straz Center’s Broadway season has begun; in Morsani Hall through Sunday is Six, the Tony-wiiing hip hop/pop musical about the wives of Henry VIII. Get info and tickets here.

Onscreen and in person

Not to be confused with the 2003 Helen Mirren film of the same name, Calendar Girls – screening this weekend at Greenlight Cinema – is a documentary about a group of Southwest Florida senior volunteer dancers who are determined to prove that age is just a number. Swedish filmmakers Maria Loohufvud and Love Martinsen spent two years working on the film, which took top documentary honors at the Ft. Myers Film Festival.

Eleven of the film’s dancing stars will be in attendance for Saturday’s 2 p.m. screening. All showtimes and tickets are here.

Kids ‘n books

Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum: The St. Pete Reads! Lit Fest, with story time, workshops, poetry, art activities, panel discussions, live music and book signings with established and emerging #kidlit writers. Authors include Greg Neri, Antwan Williams, Jamecia Buggs, L.B. Anne, Lola Morgan, Stephanie Claytor, Calvin Reynolds, Tameka Harris and others. Admission to the family-friendly book event is free.

Project Alchemy

Dance anniversary

Choreographer Alex Jones’ Project Alchemy is celebrating its fourth anniversary with MIXED: A House Party Meets Dance Concert, Friday and Saturday (7 p.m. each) at thestudio@620, the company’s home turf. It’s a multi-room, multi-discipline event, with works by Heidi Brewer, Emily Curry, Evan Smith and Kirsten Standridge “plus a few surprise guests.” For more info and tickets, go here.

The classics

Rimsky-Korsakov’s ambitious Scheherazade is the centerpiece of the weekend concerts from The Florida Orchestra. Also on the menu: Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto, with soloist Alexandra Dariescu. Rounding out the program is Bartok’s The Miraculous Mandarin Suite. JoAnn Falletta is the conductor. Saturday at the Mahaffey Theater, Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Info and tickets here.

The Tampa Bay Symphony’s Heroes and Villains concert Sunday afternoon, at the Palladium Theater, will feature performances of Angus Davison’s The Laws of Motion (a premiere); Night on Bald Mountain – Modest Mussorgsky, arr. Rimsky-Korsakov; and Beethoven’s Eroica (Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major). Tickets for the 2:30 concert are here.

Concerts

It’s an Americana music double whammy at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Friday and Steep Canyon Rangers Saturday. All tickets are here.

At Amalie Arena: Singer Marc Anthony Friday, comedian Adam Sandler Sunday. All tickets here.

Also in Tampa: Luke Bryan at Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre Saturday (tickets).

Jazz/funk keyboard artist Brian Culbertson is back at Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall Friday, with saxophonist Marqueal Jordan. Tickets.

Comedy times two at the Palladium, with Jim Breuer Friday, and Intern John Saturday. All tickets here.

Your weekend arts forecast appears every Thursday in the Catalyst. 

Please add us to your mailing list – send all press releases and event info to bill@stpetecatalyst.com.

You can also submit your events to the Catalyst calendar, by clicking here.