AROUND TOWN
Yoga and Beer 10 – 11 a.m. Saturday, April 16, Dry Dock Brewing Company – South Dock 15120 E. Hampden Ave. Registration is $8 for residents and $10 for non-residents. Visit auroragov.org for more information.
We have to admit it, the folks at the City of Aurora nailed it with this one. Because, seriously, with so much Rockies angst already floating around the metro area, is there really a better way to start off Saturday than with gentle stretching, breathing exercises and calming suds? We think not. All three of those offerings will be featured in the city’s fitness partnership with Dry Dock Brewing Company, aptly and simply titled “yoga and beer.” No confusion there. For a measly $8, get an hour of rejuvenating yoga practice followed by discounted Dry Dock oat sodas. Because there’s nothing like cleansing your body only to instantly refill it with liver-straining poison. Plus, this is a great chance to get double your money’s worth in the yoga pants department: Utilizing the athletic elasticity for the yoga, and the tummy absorbing stretch for bloated beer bellies.
Annual Tree Sale 10 a.m. Saturday, April 16, The Forestry Division maintenance shop, 13645 E. Ellsworth Ave. Event is free, but supplies are limited.
Gardening is hard. Just ask our own Dave Perry. In case you missed it, Perry graced the pages of this rag’s bi-monthly Aurora magazine last month for a feature story that paints a dreary picture of assuming a green thumb. And he’s not alone. Between Colorado’s unforgivably arid climate and surprise snow flakes just when warmth is starting seem reliable, maintaining a patch of healthy chlorophyl in this state is an uncompromising, and thankless full-time job. So in honor of Arbor Day — which might be the only thing Nebraska has ever done according to their road signs on I-70 — the folks at the city of Aurora are offering up a chance to get ahead of the gardening curve this year by offering up discounted trees on April 18. And to sweeten the pill of home cultivation, all the trees are species that have been hand-picked by local aborists in order to ensure they are suitable to Colorado’s schizophrenic climate. That helps, but certainly is no guarantee. Sorry, Timothy Green.
ONSTAGE
The Wild Party Curtains at 7:30 p.m. April 16; 2:30 p.m. April 17, The Aurora Fox Studio Theatre, 9900 E. Colfax Ave. Tickets start at $28. Call 866-811-4111 or visit ignitetheatre.com for more information.
With all of the raucous partying taking place on screen and screen these days — “The Hangover,” “Wolf of Wall Street,” “Tar Beach” (sort of) – it’s always sobering to be reminded that just about every modern playboy and playgirl would have been expertly out-partied by the prohibition flappers and guzzlers of the jazz age. Those folks sure knew how to drink. Or, maybe they didn’t, hence the never-ending cycle of absinth, violence and chaos. Regardless of the level of expertise, that latter description is a rough summation of what unfolds in Andrew Lippa’s “The Wild Party,” a rambunctious musical slated to take the Aurora Fox Studio stage this weekend through May 8. Set in Prohibition-era Manhattan, the ostentatious musical centers on a love triangle that collapses in on itself after jealousy is exposed and bullets are unleashed. It’s unrestrained, tense and a whole lot of entertainment. Shelby Varra, Keith Rabin Jr. and Alex Burse star; Reace Daniel directs and choreographs. Note, the show opens Saturday, not Friday, April 15.
Steel Magnolias Curtains at 7:30 p.m. April 15 & 16; 2 p.m. April 17. The John Hand Theater, 7653 E. 1st Pl., Denver. Tickets start at $12. Call 720-530-2596 or visit thisisspotlight.com for more information.
Billed as “the funniest movie that will ever make you cry” leading up to its 1989 box office release, “Steel Magnolias” is storming into the metro area theater scene this month — hair curlers and all. Centered on a sextet of southern belles who live to rib one another inside of a communal beauty salon in a small Louisiana town, the script penned by playwright Robert Harling took on a new life after Julia Roberts and Sally Field starred in the Herbert Ross-directed film nearly 30 years ago. The production at the John Hand marks local actress Emma Messenger’s directorial debut. The show runs through April 30.
Rabbit Hole Curtains at 7:30 p.m. April 15 & 16; 2:30 p.m. April 17. The Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St. Tickets start at $24. Call 303-856-7830 or visit vintagetheatre.org for more information.
This weekend marks the last chance to catch The Vintage Theatre’s latest emotional hurricane — don’t miss it. Just as poignant as when it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2007, “Rabbit Hole” by David Lindsay-Abaire is a tragically powerful lesson in the sadistic, yet necessary force of grief. The show follows a couple’s attempts at reshaping and restarting their lives after a life-altering accident, despite the lingering difficulties and constant reminders of what quickly feels like a former life. Bernie Cardell directs. The show closes Sunday. April 17.