WED ▪ 24
As sometimes happens with opera composers, Jake Heggie found himself unable to shut off the tap of inspiration after completing work on his opera version of Moby-Dick. So he composed a further orchestral piece about Melville’s novel, with a solo part for a tenor. The resulting Ahab Symphony receives its world premiere with the UNT Symphony Orchestra, to be performed with similar ocean-inspired music by Mendelssohn and Britten. The concert is at 8pm at Winspear Performance Hall, 2100 I-35 Frontage Rd, Denton. Tickets are $8-10. Call 940-369-7802.
THU ▪ 25
Q Cinema’s Lesbian Short Film Festival is a bit short on star power this year, but it has some highly rated entries regardless. In particular, The Big Gay Sketch Show’s Julie Goldman stars in the fake infomercial Tools 4 Fools, while Connected offers up some skillful farce concocted by the guy who directed Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. The event starts at 8pm at Four Day Weekend Theater, 312 Houston St, FW. Tickets are $10. Call 817-723-4358.
FRI ▪ 26
Ahead of two scheduled movies about the tech mogul, Amphibian Stage Productions brings us The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, Mike Daisey’s one-man show about his real-life attempts to call out the late Apple CEO about his company’s labor practices in China. The original play contained an episode that was found to contain details that were fabricated by the author. That part has been removed for our benefit. The show runs Apr 25-May 12 at 120 S Main St, FW. Tickets are $15-30. Call 817-923-3012.
SAT ▪ 27
Julianne Moore took a break from her acting career to pen a children’s book about a little girl who’s teased about her red hair and freckles. A few years later, Rose Caiola and Gary Kupper turned that book into a stage musical. Now you can see Freckleface Strawberry the Musical, which CATS is premiering locally. The play only runs for one weekend, though: Fri-Sun at Lamar High School, 1400 W Lamar Blvd, Arlington. Tickets are $12-15. Call 817-861-2287.
SUN ▪ 28
Students from Fort Worth Country Day, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, and Aledo High School will be featured when Circle Theatre holds its public reading of the winning entries from its High School Playwriting Contest. The four one-act plays have even been polished into shape by professionals, so now’s a good time to see young, up-and-coming talent. The reading is at 2:30pm at 230 W 4th St, FW. Admission is free. Call 817-877-3040.
MON ▪ 29
Considering that Busby Berkeley’s films did so much to expand what musicals could do with the then-new medium, it’s curious that 42nd Street found such a successful second life as a Broadway show. Artisan Center Theater brings this backstage drama set to music to the stage. The play runs Apr 26-May 25 at Belaire Theater, 420 E Pipline Rd, Hurst. Tickets are $14-18. Call 817-284-1200.
TUE ▪ 30
Franz Josef Haydn visited England in the 1790s and heard lots of Handel’s music performed there. The experience inspired him to write a Handelian oratorio in his own musical idiom. The result is The Creation, a setting of verses from Genesis, Psalms, and John Milton’s Paradise Lost. The Wesleyan Chorale and members of Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will perform this work under Jerome Bierschenk’s baton at 7:30pm at Martin Hall, 1309 Wesleyan St, FW. Admission is free. Call 817-531-4404.
