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Amaging!
As program coordinator/“co-queerator” of aging-with-grace org Family Eldercare’s LGBTQ division Rainbow Connections ATX, World Famous *BOB* speaks about growing older so tenderly. An example: “I often say that hanging out with older people is like getting a postcard from your future, and who wouldn’t want to read that?” There’ll be “postcards” a-plenty at this three-show series, which features five older qmmunity members (between the ages of 65 and 91) sharing their stories onstage – with *BOB* in the director’s chair. To hear cast members Rev. Babs Miller, Glenna “Sparkle” Williams, Masha-Leah, Richard Rollin Gartner, and Anna Nguyen speak about their lives is to understand the incredible stories we’re all connected by. – James ScottMay 8-10 -
Arts
Theatre
Overheard on a Train
Forget escape rooms or axe-throwing, this theatre-on-the-move is the next big thing in friend-night-outs. Find your closest three hangs (or be an extra wild card), and clamber aboard for an interactive story on a train. It’s like a murder mystery party, but with way less dressing up and no one has to go through the hassle of hosting. Just enter your metro car and let the Conductor lead you through one of four active adventure read-throughs. Be a band, bachelorettes, or bank robbers, and see what unfolds as scenery flashes past your window. There’s even a middle school adventure for families. Forget eavesdropping on the drama of other public-transportation users. Be the drama. – Cat McCarreyApril 12, 26 & May 10Downtown Metro Station
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Arts
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Dirty Gold Theatre Presents: Venus in Fur
A seductive reconsidering of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s original novella, David Ive’s play gets reimagined once more by local theatre company Dirty Gold, who describe their work as “dynamic, provocative, character-based theatre that comments on contemporary society and our shared humanity.” What comments can they generate via Venus’ discussion of sexual power plays? You’ll just have to step into the metaphorical boudoir to find out. Special bulletin for Austin’s theatre pros: Wednesday, May 14, is Industry Night with promised ticket discounts both for presale and door tix. – James ScottThrough May 17 -
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Theatre
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
In this, the doldrums of spring … is it just me, or are even the wildflowers less vibrant than usual? We could all use an escape. An evening in the French Riviera could fit the bill, especially while watching the exploits of two conflicting con men. First introduced in film by Michael Caine and Steve Martin, the titular Dirty Rotten Scoundrels of Austin Playhouse’s musical mayhem will perform literal tap dances around each other as they try to score big time. It’s almost, almost too wonderful to be true. Who will get the girl? Who will get the cash? Who will leave entertained (could it be you)? Shows start this Friday, April 11. – Cat McCarreyApril 11 - May 11 -
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Theatre
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical!
Beep beep! Make way for this vehicular bird, who springs from author Mo Willem’s Pigeon picture books onto the Zach stage for this family-friendly musical. Originally commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the production is suitable for kids 3 years old and up – so a perfect pick if you’ve got antsy toddlers yearning to dance and sing during stageplays. Plotwise, this isn’t a challenging piece: When a bus driver disembarks from their seat, a mischievous fowl takes the wheel to expectedly chaotic results. Feathers will fly, I’m told. – James ScottThrough May 18 -
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FEAST.
Shrewd Productions brings playwright Megan Gogerty’s one-woman take on the Beowulf story to the Hyde Park stage. That one woman is repeat B. Iden Payne award winner Katherine Catmull. The tale is mythological but also runs up against modern culture and is described as both “immersive” and “visceral.” That sounds about right for a play that tackles the authoritarian moment we’re currently wrestling with. Laughs and rage are also promised, and that’s our baseline these days, so we’re looking forward to it. – James RenovitchApril 24 - May 17 -
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Theatre
I Wanna Be a F*cking Princess
This show scores one point for an extremely cathartic title, one that seems ridiculously fun to scream across the room. It scores five more for tackling the emotional pressure cooker of bridal parties and – brace yourselves – bachelorettes. Let’s add 10 points for putting that within a fractured fairy-tale format. I’m picturing something as fiercely fanged as the recent gal pals in White Lotus, but maybe with literal wolves? And finally, heap on about a hundred points for integrating this into the peri/menopausal exploration of HOT: the Exhibit, adding a whimsical performance aspect to an already-informative examination of an overlooked ordeal. Let’s talk about the changes women go through! Whether literally transformative, or just emotionally so! – Cat McCarreyThrough May 24 -
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Theatre
La Fenice Presents Adventure Party TPK
Roll a 20, double-tap the X button, then step away from the tabletop or controller. Entire a tangible world of action with immersive theatre company extraordinaire La Fenice, presenting a fantasy adventure the likes of which exist only in the annals of imagination. Billed as Ren Faire meets D&D, these actors will embody what Artistic Director Kate Meehan calls “live action Adult Swim cartoons.” I’m picturing irreverent orcs and sarcastic squires – maybe a saucy wench or two if we’re lucky. And that could change with every performance! If it’s anything like La Fenice’s other works, each night will have an individual experience, led by the viewer themselves. A choose-your-own-adventure book come to life: What could be better than that? – Cat McCarreyThrough May 17 -
Arts
Theatre
What the Constitution Means to Me
Director Jenny Lavery’s work has often had a political tinge, but her most recent productions have been unrelenting in how they push the audience to engage with the forces that endanger and shape society. After her long-delayed and critically lauded production of abortion drama Roe, now she takes on the Pulitzer-winning political conversation between one woman at two points in her life. Best known to non-theatre audiences as the overly loyal June Thompson for Boardwalk Empire, Nisi Sturges dons the signature yellow jacket of Obie-winning playwright Heidi Schreck as she contends with the potential and the limitations of one of America’s most important documents. – Richard WhittakerThrough May 11