Playbill: New Theater in Denver and Boulder March 10-13

This weekend on local stages, Su Teatro transforms a Chicano literary classic through drama and dance, LOCAL Theater Company gets the public involved in play-making, and Vintage Theatre turns on the tear machine with a story about the breakdown of intimacy in the face of tragedy. Bless Me, Ultima Su…

Five Great Standup Albums You Didn’t Know Were Recorded at Comedy Works

The standup comedy album may be overshadowed by the televised special, but there’s no better medium for preserving and celebrating the fine-tuned craft of telling jokes. Stripped of the visual pomp of a live performance, standup albums play out in the theater of listeners’ minds, putting the emphasis on the strength…

Review: BETC’s Ideation Is a Creepy, Very Funny Comedy

Aaron Loeb’s Ideation is a shot to the gut — not a primitive one, but a sophisticated, fine-tuned thrust, as if a Victorian gentleman had whipped the concealed blade out of his ivory-headed walking cane and pierced you through the middle. Except that this play isn’t elegant, exactly. It’s a…

The Ten Best Comedy Events in Denver in March 2016

As the Ides of March approach, Denverites continue to enjoy a bounty of comedy shows: Classicists, alternative comedy purists and locavores alike will all find entertainment suited to their tastes. Whether you consult a Gregorian or Julian calendar, you’ll find plenty to keep Denver laughing from Nones to Kalends this…

Review: Make the Trip to Miners Alley for Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles

Sometimes the best productions pop up when you’re not expecting anything out of the ordinary. Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles is admittedly a Pulitzer finalist — but so are many mediocre scripts. It’s a low-key, four-character, ninety-minute work, and it arrived on the Miners Alley stage without a burst of glowing…

The Addams Family, Tell Me on a Sunday Closing This Weekend

As holiday shows take the stage, a less cheery — but definitely worthy — production is closing. This weekend is your last chance to see Equus at the Avenue Theater; here’s our capsule review of that show, as well as the third installment of the Brothers Trilogy at Curious Theatre…

Ten Essential Denver Podcasts in 2016

Podcasts are among the most direct and engaging mediums to emerge from the digital audio revolution. Liberated from the demands of commerce (though sponsorship and advertising space are necessary evils for those who wish to monetize), podcasters forge meaningful relationships with their listeners, fostering a uniquely intimate bond in the…

Playbill: Three New Plays in Denver February 4-7

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…

Review: The Nest Raises the Bar at the Denver Center

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…

Ten Best Comedy Events in Denver In February

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…

Playbill: Three New Plays in Denver January 27-31

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…

Review: The Normal Heart Is a Heart-Wrencher at Vintage Theatre

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…

Review: An Oldie but a Baddie, Medea Kills It at Edge Theater

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,…