We Are A Used Carpet Salesman: This Week in Theatre

DON GIOVANNI
Some of us ‘round these parts are pretty excited about this season finale from Austin Lyric Opera. It celebrates Mozart’s 250th birthday, (is it still technically your birthday even if you’re dead?) and is quite arguably the greatest opera ever written. For all the goodness, check out our preview post, or visit ALO’s online operatic sanctuary. Running this weekend only at UTPAC’s Bass Concert Hall.

RICHARD III
For the last 22 years in a row (we haven’t been alive for much longer than that), Austin Shakespeare Festival has brought totally awesome, totally free Shakespeare productions to the Sheffield Hillside Theatre in Zilker Park. This time, it’s Richard III. Watch ASF Artistic Director Guy Roberts play a mean little bastard with a hump-back. Score! Deceit, betrayal, murder – it’s all yours for the taking, starting tonight at 8pm, and running through May 13th. ASF's squeaky-clean internet portal has more info, if you fancy.

TINTYPES
You might have heard of the Violet Crown Radio Players? Well, this isn’t them. This nostalgia-laced, fan favorite musical is from the deceptively named Violet Crown…Players. Under the direction of Austin theatre big-cheese Michael Stuart, this show will surely be a success even without clever Foley sound effects and old-timey microphones. Opening tonight at the Dougherty Arts Center. Call 512.301.3656 for tickets and info.

NRITYAGRAM DANCE ENSEMBLE
Yes, it’s true, this show comes from a “dance village”. We’ve never encountered such a village, but we can only assume that it’s like a sort-of hippie commune where people sit around doing weird contact improv and “exploring their bodies”. But, just because we wouldn’t want to live there full time, doesn’t mean such an environment wouldn’t produce bad ass art. Odissi, the latest from NDE, is an ancient dance of love, and “takes you to the enchanted worlds of magic and spirituality”. Sounds rad. April 30th only at the One World Theatre. Info, tickets, etc at the One World website.

COLE
St Edwards University’s Omni Singers are keepin’ it real with this little diddy about the immortal Cole Porter. As directed by Michael McKelvey, we think this could be a little early evening treat for all Porter fans – old, new, and just about to be. And hell, it starts at 7:30 and it’s only $8, so you’ll still have plenty of time to get your mad party on afterward. Jones Theatre, St. Edward's University 512.428-1297 for tickets and info.

PROOF
Yes, yes we know. We told you about this already. But just in case you missed our preview post about this super-cool dance happening it’s got new work from Yakov Sharir, Ray Shwartz, and rising star David Justin. Check it out this weekend only at the Oscar Brockett Theatre on UT Campus. Shows start at 8pm. Tickets and info at the UT PAC website.

THE DIONYSIUM
Hey all you thinky-thinkers out there. Readings, debates and some damn fine music from Graham Reynolds, all yours in this hip, intellectually savvy performance salon. John Erler (that guy from the Sinus Show) is gonna do something about Beanie Babies, Scott Blackwood will read from his novel See How Small, and L.B. Deyo, Buzz Moran and the boys will host a debate on the following topic: “Resolved: That outsourcing American jobs to lower-paid foreign workers is good for the United States”. Seeing as all your immigrant or former immigrant friends will be excusing themselves from work on May 1 in protest of the fascists' tactics of xenophobia immigration reforms proposed by some of our less enlightened congressional representatives, we’d say this is pretty damn topical. Tuesday, May 2nd only at the Alamo Drafthouse, South Lamar location – only $5. More here on the Dionysium website.

CYMBELINE
This project sounds absolutely, freakin’ enormous. For one, it’s outside and site-specific. For two, it combines all of Shakespeare’s plays into the framework of Cymbeline. (That’s the one that was already a little weird to begin with. There’s actually stage directions that read “exit pursued by bear”) And for three, the show is accompanied by music, and, according the Chronicle listings, “wild drumming”. Our vote, this is one of those shows that will be an amazing new piece of modern theatre – ripe and ready for high school history books, or it will be a complete castastrophe. And you know what? That’s the kind of work we like to see. Opening tonight at 8pm and running through May 7th. South Court of the UT Tower, UT campus. Free.

WOE: THE MODERN ROMEO & JULIET
So, is there some project going on at UT that demands you have to modernize some work of Shakespeare? With a slightly more mainstream choice then his classmates producing Cymbeline, Johnny Z. Gonzalez has re-invented this most famous of Shakespeare’s plays (yes, it was the one they made into a movie with Claire Danes and that obnoxious man/boy Leonardo DiCaprio). You know how people say that watching violent movies leads to violence? We wonder if watching Romeo and Juliet will lead to star-crossed lovers killing themselves. Thoughts? Tonight at 6pm; Saturday at 3pm & 7pm. Winship Bldg, Room 1.134, UT campus. Free.

Here's all the goodies still running from last week.

DECAMERON DAY 7: REVENGE. Read our review. Presented by the Rude Mechs at the Off Center. Now held over through May 6th!. Tickets and info at the Rude Mechs website.

THE EMPTY BOWL
Loaded Gun Theory at Arts on Real. Tickets, info and all that at the LGT website.

STATIC, by Jason Pavelchik. Read our review. Presented by Salvage Vanguard Theatre at the Woodward Hotel through May 6th. Tickets and info.

CHEATER
Shrewd Productions at Hyde Park Theatre. Call 695.7405 for tickets, or do it internet style over at the HPT website.

THE ODD COUPLE, presented by Austin Playhouse through May 7th. Tickets and info.

9x9x9. Coda Theatre Project at the Play! Theatre. Thursday thru Saturday at 8pm. Call 809-0050 or visit the Coda Theater website for tickets and info.

THE EXONERATED, presented by Zach Scott Theatre through May 7th. Tickets and info.

BAD DATES, presented by Zach Scott Theatre through May 7th. Tickets and info.

THE BEARD OF AVON
Presented by Different Stages at the Vortex. Running through April 28th. Tickets and info at 453-7943.

THE WOMEN
Presented by Sam Bass Community Theatre and running through April 29th. Tickets and info by calling 512.244.0440 or traveling to Round Rock via the virtual highway.

TRIPLE ESPRESSO
Presented at the State Theatre Wed thru Fri at 8pm, Sat at 4pm and 8pm, & Sun at 2:30 and 7pm. Running through May 14th. Tickets and info here.

Photo by Joao Lopes of Stock Exchange