By Chip Chandler — Producer
Here's a quick take on your 10 best entertainment bets in the next 10 days.
1. Ada and the Engine
West Texas A&M University's theater department will conclude its run of this biographical drama about a young woman who wrote the first program for the world's first mechanical computer during the British Industrial Revolution. It'll be staged Nov. 14 to 17 in the Branding Iron Theatre.
2. Sweat
Amarillo Little Theatre's latest is a timely drama (winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for drama) by Lynn Nottage about a group of factory workers whose bonds of friendship are frayed by layoffs and picket lines. It'll be staged Nov. 14 to 24 in the ALT Adventure Space, 2751 Civic Circle.
3. Amarillo Symphony
Bah-bah-bah-BA-BAAAHHH!!!!! Richard Strauss' bombastic tone poem Also Sprach Zarathustra is the centerpiece for the orchestra's Nov. 15 and 16 concerts in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St.
4. The ABBA Show
Gimme, gimme, gimme a tribute show about Sweden's favorite band. You can take a chance on them at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St.
5. The River and The Wall
Amarillo native Ben Masters (Unbranded) will host a screening and Q&A about his documentary about the landscape and the people along the US / Mexico border. It'll begin at 6 p.m. Nov. 19 at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 2503 Fourth Ave. in Canyon. Other movie options will include:
- Weekend of Nov. 15: the latest version of Charlie's Angels, biopic Ford v. Ferrari starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, and thriller The Good Liar starring Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen;
- Weekend of Nov. 22: feel-good biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, animated sequel Frozen II and action thriller 21 Bridges.
- Special engagements: anime film Konosuba! on Nov. 14; The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration featuring six digitally restored episodes and a short documentary on creator Rod Serling on Nov. 14; a Met: Live in HD performance of Puccini's Madama Butterfly on Nov. 16; Shakira in Concert: El Dorado World Tour on Nov. 17; a Studio Ghibli Fest 2019 screening of the classic Princess Mononoke on Nov. 17, 18 and 20; concert film Lionel Richie at Glastonbury on Nov. 19; and a Met: Live in HD performance of Philip Glass's Akhnaten on Nov. 23 (encoring Dec. 4).
6. Courtney Patton and Jason Eady
The married Texas country/Americana duo will perform for the final Yellow City Sounds Live concert of the season at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 in the Panhandle PBS studio, 2408 S. Jackson St. Other concerts of note:
- Amarillo singer Stephanie Brackett at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 and Amarillo classic rock band The Geezers Gone Wild at 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at Bar Z Winery, 19290 Farm-to-Market Road 1541;
- Amarillo classic rock band The Geezers Gone Wild at 9 p.m. Nov. 15, Amarillo band Young Country at 9 p.m. Nov. 16, the James Barger Quartet at 9 p.m. Nov. 22, harpist Jenny Miller at 7 p.m. Nov. 23 and house combo Esquire Jazz at 9 p.m. Nov. 23 at Esquire Jazz Club, 626 S. Polk St.;
- country singers Travis Roberts and Stewart Cowan at 10 p.m. Nov. 15 and Americana singer Zac Wilkerson at 10 p.m. Nov. 16 at Golden Light Cantina, 2908 S.W. Sixth Ave.;
- Pampa rock band OddFellas at 10 p.m. Oct. 15 at Skooterz, 4100 Bushland Blvd.;
- Amarillo native Susan Gibson's CD release party at 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at The Rockin' OT, 3100 S.W. Sixth Ave.
- the Palo Duro Metro Chorus' "All I Want for Christmas Is to Be a Christmas Tree" holiday concert at 7 p.m. Nov. 16 in the Amarillo College Concert Hall Theatre on the Washington Street campus;
- Red Dirt band Jason Boland & The Stragglers at 10 p.m. Nov. 15, Americana band Shane Smith & The Saints at 10 p.m. Nov. 16 at Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road;
- Amarillo rock band Dedlocked at 10 p.m. Nov. 16 and Amarillo rock band Hangman at 10 p.m. Nov. 22 at Whiskey River, 4001 S.W. 51st Ave.
- Lubbock-based Americana band Gunner Fore & The Interstate with Native Crowds at 10 p.m. Nov. 16, outlaw country band Speedbuggy USA at 10 p.m. Nov. 20, outlaw band Tejon Street Corner Thieves with Yes Ma'am at 10 p.m. Nov. 22 and Lubbock rock band Dillon Cassidy & The Rhythm at 10 p.m. Nov. 23 at Leftwoods, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave.;
- folk singer Randy Palmer at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 at Fire Slice Pizzeria, 7306 S.W. 34th Ave.;
- the Amarillo College Vocal Jazz ensemble and AC Jazz Band at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 and the AC Chamber Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 in the AC Concert Hall Theatre on the Washington Street campus;
- Christian band Big Daddy Weave at 7 p.m. Nov. 22 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St.
- and Americana artist Stoll Vaughan at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23 at Starlight Canyon Bed and Breakfast, 100 Brentwood Road.
7. Wolflin Village Open House
Enjoy complimentary wine tastings, barbeque from BBQ Revival, music from Kim & The Crash and photos with Santa at this holiday kickoff event from 4 to 9 p.m. Nov. 21 at the shopping center, Georgia Street and Civic Circle. Other holiday events will include the Wolflin Square Christmas open house at 4 p.m. Nov. 14, the Lighting Up the Bricks shopping extravaganza from 5 to 9:15 p.m. Nov. 15 in downtown Pampa, Panhandle Community Services' 2019 Festival of Trees at 6 p.m. Nov. 22 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Grand Plaza, 401 S. Buchanan St., and a Holiday Sip n Shop at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 23 at Bar Z Winery, 19290 Farm-to-Market Road 1541.
8. Falling into Dance
West Texas A&M University students will show off their best dance skills in performances from Nov. 21 to 24 in the WT Happy State Bank Studio Theatre in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex.
9. Amarillo Bulls
The hockey squad will face off against the Odessa Jackalopes at 7 p.m. Nov. 22 and 23 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St.
10. Carden Circus
Look for aerial stunts, music, comedy, magic and plenty of animals at this three-ring circus at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 22in the Amarillo National Center on the Tri-State Fairgrounds, 3301 S.E. 10th Ave. Other kid-friendly events will include Dino Day from noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 16 at Wildcat Bluff Nature Center, 2301 N. Soncy Road, and Amarillo College Community Theatre's staging of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever from Nov. 22 to 24 in AC's Ordway Auditorium.
Chip Chandler is a producer for Panhandle PBS and a member of GALECA. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
