AROUND TOWN
Chocolate and Beer Pairing 6 – 9 p.m. Feb. 13, Launch Pad Brewery 884 S. Buckley Rd. Tickets are $25. Visit the Launch Pad Facebook page for more information.
If you’re unable to head out on the town on Feb. 14 this year, the folks at Launch Pad Brewery are offering up a slightly premature chance to celebrate with that special someone — and hops and cocoa — next Monday evening. Co-hosted with Chocolate Lab Denver, Launch Pad is serving up five unique chocolate and beer pairings for this early date night (not to mention a terrific chance to shake up the Monday evening drudgery). Beer and chocolate experts (who’s a guy gotta gab with to get either of those titles?) will be on-hand to answer any slightly inebriated questions about what makes the perfect pairing of grain and cacao.
ONSTAGE
Myth 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 & 11; 2 p.m. Feb. 12. The Aurora Fox Studio Theatre, 9900 E. Colfax Ave. Tickets start at $33. Call 303-739-1970 or visit aurorafoxartscenter.org for more information. The show runs about two hours with intermission; not suitable for children due to profane language.
Turns out there were more than just two guys wandering around the Canadian wilderness after all. There were three. After co-star Jack Casperson suffered an offstage knee injury last month, Sound Designer El Armstrong has stepped in to fill Casperson’s role as Cass, the curmudgeonly hermit in Charles Wefso’s new show at The Aurora Fox Arts Center. The production centers on two men — now Armstrong and the playwright’s brother Jack Wefso — who find themselves taking up residence at an abandoned military fort near Yellowknife, Canada in the Yukon Territory. On the hunt for the notorious Bigfoot, Jack Wefso, who plays Jason in the show, is forced to wrestle with truth, faith and the question of whether to protect or publicize the eternally elusive beast. It’s spooky, it’s gripping and, now, it’s new once again thanks to a brand new lead actor.
Red Hot and Cole 8 p.m. Feb. 9 & 11; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 12. The Mizel Arts and Culture Center, 350 S. Dahlia St., Denver. Tickets are $35 or $30 for students and seniors. For information, call 303-800-6578 or visit cherrycreektheatre.org.
It’s hard to come up with a better partner with whom to celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend than Cole Porter. Even for those who may not be particularly familiar with Porter’s life story, his music is sure to be at the very least vaguely familiar to just about everyone. And it’s dripping with the saccharine ooey-gooiness that is oh-so welcome on Feb. 14. Directed by local heavy-hitter Piper Arpan, this revue follows Porter’s career from when he was a little-known pianist in Indiana to becoming one of the great talents of the 20th century. The show is set in Cherry Creek Theatre Company’s brand new home at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center in Denver. There are fewer rugs there than in their former venue, but the high-quality talent is sure to remain up to snuff.
Brilliant Traces 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 & 11; 2:30 p.m. Feb. 12. The Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St. Visit vintagetheatre.org for more information. The show runs through March 5.
What do you get when you toss a bitter old grump in a cabin with a slightly neurotic, slightly grief-stricken runaway bride? The Vintage Theatre’s first show of its 2017 season, “Brilliant Traces.” Such is the plot of the Cindy Lou Johnson drama, directed at The Vintage by one of the theater’s founders, Craig Bond. Christian Mast takes the reigns as the male lead in this heady and transformative drama. Dayton Street favorite Maggy Stacy is Rosannah.
HIR 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 & 11; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12. Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave., Golden. Adult tickets are $28. Call 303-935-3044 or visit miners alley.com for more information.
Being discharged from the military often leads to a challenging period of transition, but add in a highly neurotic family and that shift to civilian life becomes much more difficult — and fast. Such is the case for Isaac (Royce Roeswood), a former Marine and the protagonist in Taylor Mac’s acclaimed dramedy “HIR.” Upon returning home, Isaac discovers his father (played by Marc Stith) has had a stroke; his sister (Cory Sapienza) is now his brother and his mother (Martha Harmon Pardee) is slowly down the rabbit hole of insanity calling for an all-out “revolution.” So, yeah, there’s a lot on his plate. Find out what happens in the latest production at Golden’s Miners Alley Playhouse. The show runs through March 5.
House of Poetry Featuring Kylee Chariese
This one’s for the “lover in you.” Seriously. That’s how Aurora’s 5280 Artist Co-op is billing this months’ poetry slam, set for 7 p.m. Feb. 11, with a Valentine’s Day theme. Open mic volunteers will warm the stage — and the special venue — before poet Kylee Chariese takes over for the main event. Per usual, there will be food and drinks served during and after the show. Special at this event, however, the hosts will be serving creole fare for the lovers in the audience. Eat your heart out, Cupid. 7 – 9 p.m. Feb. 11, Cherry Creek Harbor, 13740 E. Quincy Ave. General admission tickets are $8. Visit the 5280 Artist Co-op Facebook page for more information.
Oh and did we mention that it’s located at the the Cherry Creek Harbor? (Insert nautical reference about love and verse here.)