ON STAGE
Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas 7 p.m. June 25 at the Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St. in Denver. Tickets $8 to $10, www.themarquistheater.com or 303-487-0111. Detroit native Jessica Hernandez draws some strong comparisons in terms of her pipes: A pop-centric Amy Winehouse is what our ears pick up. She and her exceptionally tight backing band, the Deltas, cover an impressive range of styles, from ballads and rockabilly to straightforward rock. They may not have found a signature sound yet, but it’s entertaining to watch them get there.
“Othello” at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Preview 8 p.m. Friday, June 26; opening night 8 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre on the CU Boulder campus. Tickets start at $20, 303-492-8008 or www.coloradoshakes.org. Actor Peter Macon comes to town as the titular lead of one of the Bard’s best tragedies, with Geoffrey Kent as the scheming Iago. The cast and director Lisa Wolpe have a very high bar set for them after CSF’s spectacular staging of “Much Ado About Nothing.”
Colorado Music Festival’s Young People’s Concert 10 a.m. June 26 and 27, Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. Tickets $8, 303-440-7666 or visit www.comusic.org. Newly installed music director Jean Marie Zeitouni will kick off his tenure at the CMF by leading ages 4 and up from LOCAL Theater Company and other local youth ensembles through a rendition of the classic “Peter and the Wolf” along with the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. Expect the usual kiddie accoutrement of face painting, balloons and the like.
“The Spitfire Grill: The Musical” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora. Tickets $28 in advance, $32 at the door, www.vintagetheatre.com or 303-856-7830. The Vintage crew, fresh off their Henry Award-nominated run of “‘Night Mother,” bring a lighter, music-filled tale of three women in a small town who cook up a plan to raffle off the only restaurant in town in order to keep the grills going. Kelly Watt, Megan Van De Hey and Anne Oberbroeckling lead this production of the James Valcq musical.
Love & Theft 8:30 p.m. June 27 at the Grizzly Rose, 5450 N. Valley Highway in Denver. Tickets $15, www.grizzlyrose.com or 303-295-1330. Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson seemed like they were primed for stardom after “Angel Eyes” blew up just three summers ago. But the Nashville duo’s script didn’t read the way so many others have in terms of charming the country dial. Out on their own now after being dropped by RCA, they are still proving they have the C&W chops in support of their self-released “Whiskey on My Breath.”
“Brighton Beach Memoirs” 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27, and 6 p.m. Sunday, June 28, at Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave., Golden. Tickets $23, www.minersalley.com or 303-935-3044. It’s the final weekend of this Depression-era travail from Neil Simon about the teenage Eugene, his dreams of playing for the Bronx bombers and the comic and sometimes heartfelt struggles he has with his family. The youthful Denver actor Michael Kosko has shown he’s up for the task of the lead role, and if you haven’t seen him for yourself yet, time is running out.
Hazel Miller at Sounds of Southlands 6 p.m. at Town Square at Southlands, 6155 S. Main St., Aurora. Free. Despite being a staple of the Front Range live music scene, Hazel Miller’s amazing voice never fails to be well worth the price of admission. This time out, that price is simply the effort it takes to get over to Southlands and plant your lawn chair or blanket down and slather on some sunblock for the early evening blast from the setting sun.
OUTDOORS
3rd Annual South Platte Riverfest June 27 and 28 at Confluence Park, Denver. This just might be the safest way to get out on the rapids this time of year. This two-day event, benefiting the Greenway Foundation, offers stand-up paddle (SUP) boarding, live music, yoga, beer, art competitions for kids and adults, and a contest for the best fly rod casters. The festival runs until 10 p.m. both days; visit www.thegreenwayfoundation.org for details.
AROUND TOWN
Celestial Seasonings Tea Tasting 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Aurora History Museum, 15051 E. Alameda Parkway. $17 ($13 Aurora residents), registration necessary – 303-739-6660. Colorado’s own Celestial Seasonings will present blends created specifically to accompany cucumber sandwiches, scones and dessert to provide a palatable counterpart to the museum’s “The Art of Tea” exhibit, which features original artwork. Guests will get a hands-on look at the leaves and herbs used at the metro-area factory to create the popular blends.