AROUND TOWN
African Carnival Throughout the weekend, starting with a beer festival at 4 p.m. July 15 and ending at 10 p.m. July 17. Afrikmall, 10180 E. Colfax Ave. Afrikmall.com for more information.
We may have about 50 weeks before the next Aurora Cultural Arts Festival, but that doesn’t mean that the city’s pocket of everything artistic is going to be void of that sought-after festival feel. Afrikmall, the city’s bazaar of everything African on East Colfax Avenue, is slated to host its first African Carnival and Beer Fest this weekend. The three-day event is expected to feature the musical stylings of DjKatone and DjKuncept, Monie Jonezy, comedy performances and a daylong Carnival parade Saturday. Step out of your air-conditioned hive and get a taste — and sip — of this eclectic cultural affair.
Making a Murderer’s Dean Strang & Jerry Buting: A Conversation on Justice 8 p.m. July 16 at Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Pl., Denver. Tickets start at $40.
You may have already forgotten about the saga of Steven Avery even if you binge-watched the Netflix series detailing his fight against Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, and the murder conviction that may or may not be totally bogus. While Avery seems to have exhausted all of his appeals to date, his former attorneys — Strang and Buting — are still making the rounds across the country, explaining what they think went wrong in Avery’s case and the difficulty of mounting a criminal defense for the once-exonerated Avery.
ONSTAGE
No Sex Please, We’re British! 7:30 p.m. July 15, 2 p.m. July 16. The John Hand Theater, E. 1st Pl., Denver. Tickets start at $12. Call 720-530-4596 or visit thisisspotlight.com.
The folks at Spotlight Theatre could not have planned this one better. Fresh on the heels of the “Brexit” heard ‘round the world, “No Sex Please, We’re British!” could just as easily be the headline of an upcoming edition of The Borowitz Report as the title of a farcical comedy at the John Hand Theater in Denver. For the moment, unfortunately, only the latter has come to fruition. The show centers on a young couple who must scramble to rid themselves of a wrongly addressed parcel teeming with Scandinavian pornography. Luke Allen Terry directs.
“I’LL EAT YOU LAST: A CHAT WITH SUE MENGERS” 8 p.m. July 15 & 16; 6 p.m. July 17. The show runs July 15-31. 1560 Teller St., Suite 200, Lakewood. Tickets are $28. Call 303-232-0363 or visit theedgetheater.com for more information.
We don’t think that there’s anyone more worthy, or deserving, of putting on a one-woman show than Emma Messenger. After taking home a Henry Award last year for her role in “‘Night, Mother” at Aurora’s Vintage Theatre, Messenger is hitting Lakewood with yet another larger-than-life role in Sue Mengers, a brassy Hollywood agent who represented some of Tinsel Town’s brightest stars. (One of those three is not like the others.) Josh Hartwell directs.
Night Watch 7:30 p.m. July 15 & 16, no performance on July 17. The John Hand Theater in Lowry, 7653 E. 1st Pl., Denver. Tickets start at $12. Call 720-530-4596 or visit thisisspotlight.com for more information.
Fresh off of her acclaimed performance in “Rabbit Hole” at The Vintage Theatre this spring, local actress Haley Johnson is jumping into yet another heady role in Lucille Fletcher’s “Night Watch,” now playing at the John Hand Theatre in Lowry. Johnson will be portraying Elaine Wheeler in the leading role, slowly depicting her descent into madness as she begins to see what she believes to be dead bodies in a nearby abandoned building. A lesson in analyzing self-doubt, the show has the ingredients to be a rollicking thriller. Todd Black assumes the role of John Wheeler and Margie Lamb is Blanche Cook. Mari Geasair directs.