AROUND TOWN
The Jazz Hang
6-10 p.m. July 19, The Hangar at Stanley, 2501 N. Dallas St. Entry is free. Visit the Stanley Marketplace Facebook page for more information.
Surprise, surprise. Here we are again — writing about yet another super-fun, terrific event at Stanley Marketplace. This time it’s a brand new series taking place in the massive hangar space on the west side of the building. A modern take on the traditional jazz night, The Jazz Hangar seems like it’ll be monthly gathering of the vibes in Aurora’s newest, chillest hub. Local musicians and producers will start by playing traditional jazz, bebop and swing before morphing into new age and electric takes on the classics. Like Stanley itself, it’s an apt blend of history and modernity. Damn it, Shaker, stop being so gosh darn cool. The event is obviously free and there will be tons of booze. What else is new?
House of Poetry featuring Rolanda and Rico
7:30 – 10 p.m. July 21, ACAD Gallery, 1400 Dallas St. Entry is $10, or $5 for open mic performers. Visit the 5280 Artist Coop Facebook page for more information.
The Aurora Cultural Arts District gallery is once again going to be on “fiyah” this weekend thanks to a local group of slam poets who have been pretty darn good about making monthly visits to the ACAD gallery on Dallas Street. Sponsored by 5280 Artist Co-op, the event features rhymes from several budding poets. According to the group’s Facebook page, a local rhymester named Rico Garcia is slated to be this month’s featured performer. With beverages, maybe a few snacks and top-notch prose, the event promises to be an at times fun, at times serious lesson in the power of spoken word.
ONSTAGE
It’s Only a Play
Curtains are 7:30 p.m. July 21-22; 2:30 p.m. July 23. The Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St. Tickets start at $24. Call 303-856-7830 or visit vintagetheatre.com for more information.
Fans of the 2014 Oscar-winning smash “Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” should be sure to pencil in a performance of a show hitting the Vintage Theatre stage this weekend. “It’s Only a Play,” penned by Terrence McNally and directed in Aurora by Katie Mangett, tackles many of the same neurotic tendencies that made the 2014 film soar: Fear, self-doubt and a crippling desire to be loved. Perry Lewis, Anne Myers, Michael O’Shea, Leroy Leonard, Kelly Uhlenhopp, Bernie Cardell and Seth Palmer Harris all star in this outrageous tale of stardom. The show closes this weekend.
Ring of Fire: the music of Johnny Cash
Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Through Aug. 6. The Vintage Theatre,1468 Dayton St. Tickets start at $28. Visit vintagetheatre.com or call 303-856-7830 for more information.
If you’ve got any semblance of gravel in your gut and some spit in y’eye, Aurora’s Vintage Theatre has just the show for you this summer. If those grimy idioms mean nothing to you, then it may be time to revisit the catalogue of the man in black. The Vintage team is rolling out “Ring of Fire: the music of Johnny Cash,” the musical version of Mr. Cash’s life in music. The show, directed locally by Kelly Van Oosbree, features a whopping 38 Cash-crooned hits, including “I Walk The Line,” “A Boy Named Sue,” and the eponymous title tune. Ray Anderson, Benjamin Cowhick, Isabella Duran, S Parker Goubert and Eric Weinstein star in this tale of one of the 20th century’s most beloved bad boys.
Monty Python’s Spamalot
7:30 p.m. July 21-22; 2 p.m. July 23. Center Stage, 27608 Fireweed Drive, Evergreen. Tickets start at $15. Adult tickets are $25. Call 303-674-4934 or visit evergreen players.org for more information.
One of the strangest and most beloved works of British comedy is storming onto the stage on Fireweed Drive in Evergreen this summer — knights and all. Evergreen Players is staging a summertime rendition of the cherished Monty Python story, a musical based on the 1975 film, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” This production has David Novinger playing King Arthur, Patrick Clark as Patsy, Brian DeBaets as Sir Lancelot and a gaggle of other names filling out the rest of the royal roles. Now go away or I will taunt you a second time. The show runs in Evergreen through Aug. 6.
Bad Jews
8 p.m. July 21-22; 6 p.m. July 23. The Edge Theater Company, 1560 Teller St. Lakewood. Tickets are $30. Call 303-232-0363 or visit theedgetheater.com for more information.
Get ready, metro area theatergoers. Dapha, Liam, Jonah and the crew are storming into Lakewood this month, leaving a stream of neuroses, and maybe a little blood in their path. The show centers on a combative family that argues over the merits of their faith, which greatly varies from generation to generation. Directed locally by Josh Hartwell. The local take on this 2012-13 Outer Critics Circle Award winner stars Missy Moore as Daphna, John Wittbrodt as Liam, Chloe McCleod as Melody and Jason green as Jonah. And just like every other show being produced in the metroplex this summer, the show runs through Aug. 6.
