By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
Uproarious comedy, absurdist drama, classical favorites and Mardi Gras revelry: These are the arts productions and events heading your way through March 2.
- Downtown Lunchtime Book Club: Discuss Mary Shelley's The Last Man for Amarillo Reads at 12:15 p.m. Thursday in the Amarillo Public Library downtown branch, 413 S.E. Fourth Ave. Admission is free. Call 806-378-3051. (Remember to watch out for construction on Buchanan Street and adjust your drivetime accordingly.)
- The JA Ranch History: WT's Alex Hunt will discuss the legendary Texas Panhandle ranch, founded by Montie Ritchie's step-grandfather John George Adair and Charles Goodnight in connection with the museum's ongoing exhibition of Impressionist works in the Achievement in Art: The Collection of Montgomery H.W. Ritchie. The free lecture begins at 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at the museum, 2200 S. Van Buren St. Call 806-371-5050.
- Six Characters in Search of an Author: TheatreAC goes absurdist with a staging of this Luigi Pirandello classic opening at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and continuing at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in the Amarillo College Experimental Theatre on the Washington Street campus. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, students and AC faculty, staff and students. Call 806-371-5359. Here's my preview of the weirdness.
- Noises Off: The Michael Frayn backstage comedy gets a revival at Amarillo Little Theatre with performances set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday and March 2; 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and March 3 and 4; and 2:30 p.m. March 5 on the ALT Mainstage, 2019 Civic Circle. (It was moved up a week from the originally announced schedule.) Tickets are $19 for adults, $16 for students and seniors, and $13 for children Thursdays and Sundays, and $21 for adults, $19 for students and seniors, and $15 for children Fridays and Saturdays. Call 806-355-9991.
- Crazy in Love: Broken Belts Collective, a burlesque and drag troupe, offers a night of naughty fun featuring Roxxy Reckless at 10 p.m. Thursday at Leftwoods, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave. Cover is $10.
- Amarillo Symphony: The Symphony will be joined by renowned pianist Anne-Marie McDermott for an evening of classics by Mozart, Haydn and more at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St. Here's my interview with McDermott. Tickets are $31 to $55, plus fees. Call 806-376-8782 or 806-378-3096. (Add some extra time to your drive or take an alternate route to avoid the construction on Buchanan Street.)
- Speed Dating Tonight: The West Texas A&M University Opera Workshop will stage composer Michael Ching's freewheeling opera about modern romance in free performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall; the Friday performance will livestream at live.wtamu.edu. Here's my preview. Call 806-651-2840.
- Amarillo College Conservatory Theatre is ready to rumble with The Outsiders, an adaptation of S.E. Hinton's 1967 novel (and the 1983 film it inspired), at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Ordway Auditorium on the AC Washington Street campus. General admission tickets are $12. Here's my preview. Call 806-584-8985.
- Javi Luna: The Corpus Christi comedian, who toured with Latin Comedy Jam, will give a free show with Andy Gomez on Friday at Bodegas, 709 S. Polk St. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
- Panhandle Cutting Horse Association: Top regional cowboys saddle up for action at 7 a.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Bill Cody Arena on the Amarillo Tri-State Fairgrounds, 3301 S.E. 10th Ave. Admission is free. Call 806-376-7767.
- Beerology: Science on Tap: Discovery Center's AfterDark series resumes with the return of this popular event, showcasing the tastes and chemistry of beer. The event also will feature beer-inspired cuisine, games and music by Brandon Todd. Here's my preview. The event runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the center, 1200 Streit Drive. Admission is $40 for DHDC members and $50 for nonmembers. For information and reservations, call 806-355-9547, ext. 107.
- Mardi Gras Party: Laissez les bons temps rouler at this annual fundraiser for Family Support Services, for which a few tickets may be left. The party begins at 7 p.m. Saturday and features dinner, music by Velvet Funk, auctions and casino games. Admission is $60. Call 806-342-2503.
- Brooklyn: WT will remount its production of the musical at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Branding Iron Theatre in a special fundraising performance ahead of the cast and crew's trip to Angelo State University to compete in the Region VI Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Tickets are $16 for adults, and $12 for seniors and non-WT students. WT students can receive one free student rush ticket beginning at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Call 806-651-2804.
- Harrington String Quartet: The string ensemble will give a special performance to introduce its newest member at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive. Tickets are $20. Call 806-651-2840. Check out my preview for more details on the concert and new violinist Evgeny Zvonnikov.
- WT Choirs and Symphony Orchestra: The combined ensembles will offer a concert featuring the finale of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall. The performance is free. Call 806-651-2840.
- Jordan World Circus: This traveling circus is hitting town for a 7 p.m. Monday performance in the Amarillo National Center on the Tri-State Fairgrounds, 3301 S.E. 10th Ave. Tickets are $18 for ages 13 and older, and $14 for ages 4 to 12. Call 806-376-7767
- Alash: This ensemble of throat singers from Tuva, Russia, will perform in a free concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall at WT. Call 806-651-2422.
- Mardi Gras: R&R Bar will hold its annual Mardi Gras party at 10 p.m. Tuesday at the bar, 701 S. Georgia St. In addition to drink specials, the Voodoo Queens and Kings-themed party will feature DJ Giant, New Orleans jazz, and a burlesque show featuring Nox Falls, Medusa Oblongata, Lily Boudoir, Belladonna Muse and Pistol Holliday. There's no cover.
- First Thursday Art Show: See the latest in contemporary works featured at The 806 Coffee & Lounge, 2812 S.W. Sixth Ave.
- Other ongoing exhibitions include Nacidos Charro: Born Charro at American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum, 2601 E. Interstate 40 (here's my preview); The Great War and the Panhandle-Plains Region and A Picture from Home: Snapshots of the Great War on the Plains at PPHM (here's my preview); and Little Builders, Brain Teasers 2 and Strange Matter at Don Harrington Discovery Center, 1200 Streit Drive (here's my preview).
Chip Chandler is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
