ONSTAGE
The Last Romance 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 & 29; 6:30 p.m. Oct. 30. The Shaver-Ramsey Showroom, 2414 E. 3rd Ave., Denver. Tickets are $35 for adults. Visit CherryCreektheatre.org or call 303-800-6578 for more information.
This fall’s production at the Cherry Creek Theatre Company not only marks the final romantic foray for revived protagonist Ralph (Joey Wishnia), but the last chance for metroplex theatergoers to catch a professional-quality production in the bowels of a luxury carpet boutique. After several years of performing in the Shaver-Ramsey showroom in Denver, the Cherry Creek Theatre Company is moving to the Mizel Arts and Culture Center on South Dahlia Street early next year. Don’t miss this final chance to watch two old souls find love beside piles of wildly elaborate rugs. The show closes this weekend.
Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka — The Musical Performances at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 & 29, 2:30 p.m. Oct. 30. The Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St. Tickets start at $28. Call 303-856-7830 or visit vintagetheatre.com for more information.
Pumpkin-spice won’t be the only autumnal flavor floating through the air in Aurora this season. There will be a few snozberries (that taste, and presumably smell, like snozberries, of course) sprinkled along Dayton Street as well. Vintage Theatre Productions is pumping some life into the story of Roald-Dahl’s zany chocolatier with the musical adaptation by Leslie Briccuse and Anthony Newly. The show follows Charlie Bucket as he meanders through Mr. Wonka’s (R.I.P.) kooky candy factory riddled with chocolate rivers, bratty children and more than a few orange-faced, green-haired oompa loompas. Deb Flomberg directs this eternal children’s classic. The show closes this weekend.
The Crucible Performances at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 5. The John Hand Theater, 7653 1st Pl., Denver. Tickets start at $25. Call 303-562-3232 or visitfirehousetheatercompany.com for more information.
There’s something disturbingly poignant about Firehouse Theater Company’s decision to stage this Arthur Miller classic amid one of the most tumultuous and downright bizarre election cycles in recent memory. A lesson on the danger of a mob mentality, the show centers on the Salem witch hunts of the 17th century. No matter what side of the aisle you favor, it couldn’t hurt to brush up on the crippling impacts of political fear mongering before heading to the ballot box this November. Peter Hughes directs.
Colorism 7 p.m. Oct. 28 & 29; 2 p.m. Oct. 30. The Aurora Cultural Arts District Gallery, 1400 Dallas St. Tickets are $22. Visit the 5280 Artist Co-op Facebook page for more information.
Shows about fabled monsters and spooky happenings are great and all, but there are plenty of more potent productions taking place in Aurora this weekend, too. Penned by 5280 Artist Co-op regular Kenya Fashaw, “Colorism” at the ACAD gallery on Dallas Street explores the intricacies and struggles of being a person of color in 21st-century America. Billed as a show that will make viewers cry, laugh and self-reflect — according to the 5280 Facebook page — the production sounds slightly more salient than that costume party you’re still on the fence about attending. The show closes this weekend.
Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe Performances at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays. The show runs through Nov. 13. Crossroads Theatre, 2590 Washington St., Denver. Adult tickets are $24. Call 866-811-4111 for more information.
Fans of one of modern history’s most enigmatic yet prodigious creatives will be able to “quoth the raven” to their “Tell Tale Heart’s” delight (see what we did there?) this autumn at Ignite Theater’s first production outside of Aurora in nearly a decade.
AROUND TOWN
Write Aurora 1-3 p.m., Oct. 30, Meet at the Aurora Public Library’s Central Branch 14949 E. Alameda Pkwy. Free, but registration is required. Register at auroragov.org. Bring paper and a writing utensil.
Writer’s block is a fickle thing. And we would know — the bulk of the words on this page were vomited into a word processor only a few hours after sweating blood, breaking down self-imposed mental obstacles and staring deadline squarely in the retina. But there are ways, good friends, to avoid that mental iron maiden and spew out delightful prose on command. The first, and perhaps simplest way, is coffee. The second, and perhaps most enjoyable way, is taking a simple stroll. Employees of the city’s Art in Public Places Commission, along with bad-ass rhymester and poet laureate Jovan Mays, will be leading aspiring scribes through a series of prompts inspired by spots on the Aurora Municipal Center, including the Aurora police memorial and several pieces of public art.