datebook THEATER AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Through Mar 13 Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play, Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County is the grand, gripping story of the Westons, a large extended clan that comes together at their Oklahoma home when their alcoholic patriarch disappears. Recommended for mature audiences due to strong language and adult situations. Tickets $26-$70. Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. 713.220.5700. alleytheatre.org
Life have made this musical a worldwide smash sensation, and Masquerade is excited to revisit it. Based upon the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, Jekyll and Hyde is a gothic tale of murder, mystery and the opposing forces that rule human nature. Tickets $36.25-$66.25. Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. 713.315.2525. thehobbycenter.org PYGMALION May 20-Jun 12 A unique masterpiece, Pygmalion is one of George Bernard Shaw’s most popular plays. It is the story of phonetics professor Henry Higgins who bets that he can transform Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle into
BILLY ELLIOT – THE MUSICAL Through Mar 13 A joyous celebration of one young boy’s journey to make his dreams come true. Billy discovers a passion that inspires his family and his whole community. With its award-winning creative team and music by Elton John, Billy Elliot enchants the Performing Arts dreamer in all of us. Tickets start at $24. Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. 713.558.TUTS. tuts.com
A LITTLE DAY MUSIC: DA CAMERA YOUNG ARTISTS Mar 2 A Little Day Music concerts help Da Camera develop the audience for chamber music and jazz by making it accessible to everyone. Enjoy the lunchtime concerts on the first Wednesday of each month, October through May, in the lobby of the Wortham Theater Center. Bring your lunch and enjoy a wide variety of artists and ensembles. Free. Noon. Wortham Center, 501 Texas. 713.524.5050. dacamera.com 12 MINUTES MAX! Mar 3-4 12 Minutes Max! returns to DiverseWorks with a stellar lineup of new and seasoned choreographers. The
CURTAINS Mar 29-Apr 10 What Broadway musical combines music, comedy and murder in one killer package? It’s Curtains, the smash-hit from the creators of Cabaret and Chicago. This musical comedy whodunit where the leading lady’s been bumped off and everyone’s a suspect, knocks ‘em dead every time. Tickets start at $24. Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. 713.558. TUTS. tuts.com
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO Apr 15-30 The smooth Count Almaviva guards his wife jealously, while lusting after her maid Susanna. On the eve of her wedding to Figaro, Susanna and the Countess use their charm and wit to give the Count a taste of his own medicine, with the help of the lovesick page Cherubino. Tickets $37-$284. Wortham Center, 501 Texas. 713.228.6737. houstongrandopera.org
paul kolniky
URINETOWN THE MUSICAL Apr 1-10 In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage caused by a 20-year drought has led to a governmentenforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity’s most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides he’s had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom! Tickets $36.25-$66.25. Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. 713.315.2525. thehobbycenter.org
BLUE MAN GROUP
Mar 9–Feb 13 Blue Man Group is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts, which combine comedy, music, and technology to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. The New York Times heralds the show as “One of the most delightful performance pieces ever staged.” People of all ages agree, Blue Man Group is an intensely exciting and wildly outrageous show that leaves the entire audience in a blissful, euphoric state. Tickets $24-$59. Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. 713.227.4SPA. spahouston.org
ARIADNE AUF NAXOS Apr 29-May 10 A feast for the eyes and for the ears, Strauss’s elegant and moving meditation on the conventions of the theater pits a comedienne against a prima donna at a high-society dinner party in Vienna. Tickets $24-$207. Wortham Center, 501 Texas. 713.228.6737. houstongrandopera.org THE MONSTER AT THE DOOR Apr 29-May 29 Alley company artist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph returns to the Alley with the world premiere of his latest project, The Monster at the Door. In this darkly funny play, five very different people are drawn together as the world around them crumbles, and their dreams of health and prosperity are threatened by something terrifying, just outside their door. Recommended for mature audiences. Tickets $40-$55. Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. 713.220.5700. alleytheatre.org MAMMA MIA! May 10-15 Mamma Mia! is the global phenomenon based on the songs of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the Greek island paradise they last visited 20 years ago. Tickets $38.50-104.70. Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. 800.745.3000. ticketmaster.com JEKYLL AND HYDE May 20-29 Show-stopping numbers such as This Is The Moment, Someone Like You, Once Upon A Dream, and A New
32
spring 2011
downtown
a lovely lady and pass her off in high society. The story inspired the well-known Lerner and Loewe musical My Fair Lady (1956). Recommended for general audiences. Tickets $21-$70. Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. 713.220.5700. alleytheatre.org ROCK OF AGES May 31-Jun 12 In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small town girl met a big city rocker and in LA’s most famous rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the 80s. It’s Rock of Ages, an arena-rock love story told through the mind-blowing, face-melting hits of Journey, Night Ranger, Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia, Whitesnake and more. Tony Award nominee and American Idol finalist, Constantine Maroulis, will reprise his acclaimed performance as Drew. Tickets start at $24. Hobby Center. 800 Bagby. 713.558.TUTS. tuts.com PERFORMING ARTS MARIE Through Mar 6 Villain or victim? In his full-length Marie, artistic director Stanton Welch offers a new perspective on the often controversial and always fascinating life of Marie Antoinette. Choreographed specifically for Houston Ballet, Marie makes tremendous use of the company’s acting abilities and dancing talent. Tickets $18-$168. Wortham Center, 501 Texas. 713.227.ARTS. houstonballet.org
program showcases new works, works-in-progress, and excerpts from 2011 Houston premieres. Curated and co-produced by Dance Source Houston and DiverseWorks, 12 Minutes Max! features Daniel Adame, Lydia Polhemus Hance, Maggie Lasher, Karen Stokes and Toni Leago Valle. Tickets $10-$5. DiverseWorks, 1117 East Freeway. 713.223.8346. diverseworks.org ST. LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET: ADAMS AND BEETHOVEN Mar 4 Old and new worlds collide when this electrifying ensemble returns to perform one of Beethoven’s most profound late quartets and a new work written for them by Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer John Adams. Adams, best known for the operas Nixon in China and Doctor Atomic, was recently described as a “post-minimalist titan” by The New Yorker. Tickets $25-$45. 8 pm. Wortham Center, 501 Texas. 713.524.5050. dacamera.com RACHMANINOFF’S RHAPSODY Mar 4-6 Rachmaninoff himself played its first performance in Philadelphia, with former Houston Symphony Music Director Leopold Stokowski on the podium. You’ll be dazzled by piano virtuoso Gabriela Montero, known not only for her impeccable technique and musicality, but also for her incredible ability to improvise on any given theme. Tickets $25-$116. Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. 713.224.7575. houstonsymphony.org