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Arts & CultureTheater Notes

Black Hearts and Revolution


Time to Break Out the Black and Shiny: If you didn’t make the Carnivale of Black Hearts on Apr. 1, some of the same performers will be appearing in the third installment of Insurrection Ball, this time called “The Thin Black Line.” Staged by the folks at the alternative arts collectives Sirens of Sin and Beatmatched Hearts, this gathering will feature the usual fetish/cabaret performances, danceable darkwave spinning and light spanking, but expect more variety and visuals this time around as the bimonthly party expands. Attendees are encouraged (though not required) to pull out their best leather/vinyl/PVC wear, goth fashion, or at least formal dress for the occasion. “Insurrection Ball v3: The Thin Black Line” happens Saturday, Apr. 6, at 10 p.m. at Go Bar. Admission is free but 21+.

If You Like Your Darkness Without So Much Dancing: The UGA Theatre company will stage Macbeth, William Shakespeare’s bloody tragedy about murder, madness and the throne of Scotland, as a Main Stage production, which means this will be an all-out spectacle with maximum toil and trouble and SFX by the UGA Interactive Performance Lab. As an added bonus, it’s the play that cast and crew cannot reference by name lest a 400-year-old curse plague the production. It’s the Voldemort of all plays. This is very exciting.

Macbeth runs Thursday & Friday, Apr. 11 & 12 and Wednesday–Saturday, Apr. 17–20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Apr. 14 & 21 at 2:30 p.m. in the UGA Fine Arts Theatre. All shows are at 8 p.m., except Sunday’s, which is at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $16, $12 for students, and may be purchased by calling 706-542-4400 or online at pac.uga.edu.

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1776

For Those Whose Tastes Run More Red, White and Blue: Savannah River Productions will present the 1969 patriotic musical 1776 by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone at the historic Morton Theatre. This Tony Award-winner follows John Adams, with Ben Franklin in tow, as he attempts to persuade the rest of the Founding Fathers to, well, found. I’ve never seen the play, but I’ve seen the faithful 1972 film adaptation and while a musical about the signing of the Declaration of Independence looks dry on paper, the songs are lively and the play does a great job of bringing the towering figures of American history down to earth. This is a fun play and family-friendly, well worth the evening out.

1776 runs Saturday, Apr. 6, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Apr. 7, at 3 p.m., at the Morton Theatre. Tickets are $17, $16 for seniors, $5 for students and children and are available by calling 706-613-3771 or online at mortontheatre.tix.com.

Speaking of Broadway Musicals Made into Movies: Athens Creative Theatre showcases a bunch of them in Live Art: Broadway at the Movies, a musical revue that features 28 songs presented as “playbills come to life.” It’ll be interesting to see how ACT pulls it off. This should be fun for showtune fans.

The show runs Friday and Saturday, Apr. 12 & 13, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Apr. 14 at 2 p.m. at Quinn Hall in Memorial Park. Tickets are $15, $12 for seniors and students and kids and may be reserved by calling 706-613-3628 or purchased in advance at mortontheatre.tix.com.

Break a Leg, Pete: The Town & Gown Players will stage Tracy Letts’ harrowing 2007 play August: Osage County beginning Friday, Apr. 12. The play deals with a dysfunctional Oklahoma family who come together in the wake of a tragedy and proceed to make things worse as old and new secrets come out. It’s a situation to which most of us can relate, though perhaps not to the degree of high drama enacted here—at least I hope not. If this production is faithful, there is some drug use and some unpleasant sexual content central to the plot, so be aware that a babysitter may be in order for the evening. On the other hand, the cast looks strong and director Allen Rowell is a good choice to helm this powerful show, so it is definitely worth checking out.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that Flagpole’s Grand Poobah Pete McCommons is among the players in this show, but the fact that he signs my paycheck has nothing to do with this plug. True story.)

August: Osage County runs Friday–Sunday, Apr. 12–14, and Thursday–Sunday, Apr. 18–21, at Athens Community Theatre. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursday–Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $15, $12 for seniors and students, and $8 for students on Thursday the 18th, and may be purchased by calling 706-208-8696 or online at www.showclix.com.

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