The Grawlix have come a long way since ascending from the ignominy of Colfax open mics. Andrew Orvedahl, Ben Roy and former Westword scribe Adam Cayton-Holland may finally be getting a big introduction to national audiences, but Denver’s known what the rest of the country has been missing for nearly…
Tell Me on a Sunday is a one-woman song cycle created by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1979 with lyrics by Don Black, and the Avenue Theater is giving the show a meticulous production — but there’s not a lot of payoff for the care that went into the set, the…
Great comedy and family fare are all on Denver stages this week. It might be cold outside, but indoors, the climate is fine. Here’s where to find uplifting fun for everyone this weekend and beyond. Phamaly Theatre Company, Fuddy Meers Aurora Fox Arts Center February 4 through 21 7:30 p.m…
Two or three times over the past few days, I’ve found myself describing the opening scene of The Nest to friends, telling them what a funny, explosive beginning it is to a fascinating play and urging them to call the Denver Center for the Performing Arts for tickets. In this…
February is a month that seems to call more for cozily hibernating than heading out into the night. But admitting defeat in the face of a storm is not the Denver way, and hearty city dwellers who brave the weather have plenty of opportunities to warm up with an evening…
Whether you prefer Broadway musicals or tour-de-force biographical political dramas — or something more intimate — there’s plenty of variety to go around this week on Denver stages. Try these on for size, or check Westword’s online theater listings for more theater choices. Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On…
Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, which premiered in 1985, is a sad, angry play that vividly evokes the atmosphere of those early AIDS years, when headlines spoke of a strange new cancer affecting gay men and the cause and progression of the illness were unknown. All that was known was…
Edge Theater Company took a big risk in mounting Euripides’s Medea as the first show in what it’s calling “the year of the woman.” After all, how many Denverites want to spend an evening pondering a straight-up Greek tragedy? But utilizing the clear, literate, modern-without-being-obtrusive translation of poet Alistair Elliot,…
The Broncos weren’t the only hometown heroes to hit it big this weekend: Comic/event entrepreneur Andy Juett also scored. The Sexpot Comedy mainstay and High Plains Comedy Festival co-founder is featured in the first installment of the Pepsi Halftime Show-Show anchored by Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer. Juett’s episode aired…
Olivia is a novelist nearing forty whose first book received mixed reviews and limited attention; as Sex With Strangers opens, she’s at a writer’s retreat and working on a new novel. This one, she’s convinced herself, she’s doing for herself alone , for the private joy of writing. The scene…
Podcasts are in tune with the democratized spirit of Internet media; anyone with a microphone and a computer can offer their listeners endess hours of recordings, usually for free. Limited only by their imaginations, podcasters have a freedom of expression unrestricted by commerce, censorship or geography. Several great podcasts have…
In metro Denver this weekend, you can go back back in time to ancient Greece, ride a bus loaded with angels in the 1960s, or lend a helping hand while taking in a Mamet drama. It’s all good, and all an excellent reminder of what the local theater scene has…
An actor, author, feminist and WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Mick Foley is a multifaceted celebrity, to say the least. This Wednesday, January 13 at 7:30 p.m., he’ll take the stage at Comedy Works South with Fifty Years of Foley, a live, spoken-word-style storytelling event detailing the experiences of his…
Murder for Two, now playing at the Garner Galleria, is a small musical but a dizzying one, spinning through ninety minutes with two actors and a piano — although it has far more than two characters, as well as clever, tuneful songs and fun, inspired patter from creators Joe Kinosian…
If there’s anything that can make Shakespeare more digestible, it’s beer. Put the two together and you get William Shakesbeer, a venture by the Wit Theatre Company that features a troupe of local actors doing their best to remember their lines while drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon on stage. The group’s…
Last January Westword shone a spotlight on our local drag community with the selection of The Diva Dozen, twelve of the performers who represented the past, present and future of an art form that had become increasingly popular in this town. But we could have highlighted so many more; that…
Local theaters are back from holiday breaks, presenting shows on bigotry, mashed-up Shakespearean themes and fairy tales — and that’s just the beginning. Variety is the spice of life: Here’s where to find some in Denver this week. Source Theatre Company, The Other Bed Su Teatro Cultural & Performing Arts…
“It’s a cautionary tale,” says actor/director/writer Bill Pullman, sitting in the lounge of the Hotel Teatro with his longtime friend and collaborator, Jennifer McCrary Rincon of the Denver Academy of Dramatic Arts. The two are in the process of transforming a pagan myth into an engaging, multimedia, one-night-only theatrical event, The…
The landscape of the Denver comedy scene is constantly changing. Comedians move away, venues change or close down. Neighborhoods gentrify and audiences dissipate. Ephemerality is simply the cost of doing business in a field that offers precious little security, economic and otherwise. Even so, this past year witnessed a solid…
January is a month of new beginnings, and Denver comedy is putting its best foot forward with a crowded calendar of great shows. From generational icons and comedy legends to pro wrestlers and local buffoons, there’s a standup up show to tickle every kind of fancy, even if you don’t…
Ian Edwards is a multi-talented comedian, writer and producer who currently resides in Los Angeles. A true citizen of the world, Edwards was born in England and grew up primarily in Jamaica. After getting his start on the writing staff of the Keenan Ivory Wayans Show in the late ’90s, Edwards…
The Star Wars films are known for their incredible space battles, bizarre aliens and other crazy sci-fi visuals. But underneath all that, the films also tell a classic story, a near-perfect example of what Joseph Campbell called The Hero’s Journey. That iconic story structure is part of what makes a…
