ABOUT TOWN: A new venue within Masquerade opens in Underground Atlanta

Plus, a gander at April happenings around the city

#1 Altar 2024 Credit Elena De Soto (Horizontal)   1
Photo credit: ELENA DE SOTO
ALTAR: ALTAR: MASQUERADE ADDS ANOTHER LEVEL.

Masquerade is opening a new venue in its complex located inside the indefatigable Underground Atlanta in downtown Atlanta. Dubbed Altar, the 250-capacity room will function alongside longtime stalwarts Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, and will include a full kitchen with all manner of foodstuffs, including plant-based options and a walk-up window. Seating will also be available in Kenny’s Alley. “Altar represents a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to revitalize this historic district, providing a platform for creative forms of expression,” says Mary Turner, a vice president of Lalani Ventures, owner of the newly-revitalized Underground entertainment district. “With the help of the Masquerade, we look forward to shaping the future of Underground Atlanta as a cultural hub for generations to come.”

On tap this month we have improv comedy, a Wagner opera, a musical version of Shrek, a British oil painter, a horrific play, the SweetWater 420 Fest, Dutch masters at the High, a Hank Aaron tribute at the Atlanta History Center, and more besides. Read on:

Through Sat., May 18

 

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OIL ON CANVAS: ANCIENT ARBOREAL HAVEN, 2024 PHOTO CREDIT: © STEPHEN THORPE

Stephen Thorpe: Who Looks Outside, Dreams; Who Looks Inside, Awakes, Wolfgang Gallery — A graduate of the illustrious Royal College of Art in London and a former Professor of Painting at the Savannah College of Art & Design, Thorpe paints interiors that are informed by an ongoing interest in architecture, psychoanalysis and cultural archetypes, curators say. According to Artsy , paintings by the artist can command prices of up to $30,000. “The textiles and decorative motifs that appear in this British painter’s colorful, often clamorously beautiful depictions of interiors are drawn from a multitude of cultural traditions,” Johanna Fateman wrote in The New Yorker. “But although these design elements evoke far-flung origins - and the colonial histories that attend them — Thorpe seems most concerned with the cumulative power of ornament to conjure a syncretic, escapist reality.”
Free entry. Wolfgang Gallery, 1240 Old Chattahoochee Avenue, Suite H, Atlanta 30318. 404-549-2397 info@wolfganggallery.com wolfganggallery.com

Sat., Apr. 6 - Sun., Apr. 7

 

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CECILY DIONNE DAVIS: GEORGIA ACTOR PLAYS PRINCESS FIONA. PHOTO CREDIT: FULL OUT CREATIVE

Shrek: The Musical, Fox Theatre — A bunch of misfits led by an ugly green one are coming to the Fox as part of a national tour. The musical version of Shrek has gotten a revamp from its creators, Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire, with all-new direction and choreography “to deliver a more intimate and engaging experience,” they assert. What that actually means remains to be seen, but suffice to say the story has been massively successful since its origins as a Dreamworks animated movie in 2001. Voiced by the likes of Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow, the flick raked in close to $500 million worldwide and set up the film company as a worthy competitor to Pixar. The title character was initially recorded by Chris Farley, but he died before finishing his role, with Myers replacing him. “We wanted to make a show that families could come to — to laugh and be moved,” Tesori says. “Something that would create a memory, because everybody has felt like an ogre now and then.”
$30+ Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree Street, Atlanta 30308. 855 -285-8499 foxtheatre.org/shrek shrekthemusicaltour.com @shrekthemusicaltour

Sat., Apr. 6 - Sun., Apr. 28

 

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MERCURY: HILARITY AND HORROR. PHOTO CREDIT: DAN R. WINTERS

Steve Yockey: Mercury, Actor’s Express — The prolific playwright, producer and screenwriter Steve Yockey is bringing his latest dark comedy to the Actor’s Express stage. The production is by Melissa Foulger, who previously directed his plays Reykjavik, Pluto, and Wolves at AE. Yockey is best known as the developer of the television series The Flight Attendant as well as Supernatural, Doom Patrol and the upcoming Dead Boy Detectives. “His trademark combo of hilarity and horror remains gloriously intact,” wrote Terry Morgan in Stage Raw while reviewing the new play. The dramatis personae lists seven Atlanta actors, including Actor’s Express veterans Carolyn Cook and Kate Donadio as well as former apprentice Tyshawn Gooden. Making their debuts at the theater are Suehyla E. Young, Louis Kyper, and local newcomer Donna Lobello. Artistic Director Freddie Ashley praised the play’s “savage humor and cool theatricality” and added that it “manages to be funny, suspenseful and a little bit unexpected all at the same time.”
$25-$40. Students $20. Discounts for seniors 65+ plus groups and active or retired military. Thursday and Friday performances are at 7:30 p.m., Saturday performances are at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday performances are at 2 p.m. Actor’s Express, King Plow Arts Center, 887 West Marietta Street, Suite J-107, Atlanta 30318. 404-607-7469. tickets@actorsexpress.com actors-express.com

Tue., Apr. 9 - Tue., Sep. 30, 2025

 

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YOUNG HENRY: BEFORE THE DELUGE. PHOTO CREDIT: PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN, 1952. COURTESY OF THE NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM.

More Than Brave: The Life of Henry Aaron, Atlanta History Center — There is a poignant photograph in this new exhibition. It’s of a young Hank Aaron in Alabama waiting for a train to take him to spring training with the Indianapolis Clowns. It was 1952. This was Aaron’s first trip away from home and all he had with him was $1.50 and a couple of sandwiches. There are plenty of other gems as well, including images and artifacts from the collections of Atlanta History Center, the Atlanta Braves, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Emory University, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and from personal collections throughout the country. More Than Brave tells Hammerin’ Hank’s story from his youth in Mobile to his record-making baseball career, his lifelong fight against bigotry, and his involvement in business and charitable causes.
$24 Adults; $20 Seniors & Students; $10 Youth (4-12).
Atlanta History Center, 130 W Paces Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30305. 404-814-4000 buytickets.atlantahistorycenter.com atlantahistorycenter.com

Thu., Apr. 11 - Sun., Apr. 21

 

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LICENTIOUS EXPLOITS: THE DON ROCKS OUT. PHOTO CREDIT: ADAM LEVOWITZ

Mozart’s Don Giovanni: A Rock Opera, 7 Stages Theatre — Poor old Wolfgang must be turning in his grave. His exquisite opera Don Giovanni is getting the rock ‘n’ roll treatment but is staying true to the essence of the original, we are assured. “The notorious womanizer still meets a supernatural end, but his licentious exploits are now portrayed with frankness and complexity, reflecting today’s more nuanced perspectives on gender and morality,” producers say. Lasting two hours with a 15 minute intermission, it contains “adult themes” and may not be suitable for those under 16. The title character is played by Marcus Hopkins Turner; Leporello by Rob Millerick; The Commander by Andrew Gilstrap; Donna Elvira by Savanna Bracewell; Donna Anna by Caitlyn Waters and Don Ottavio is played by Timothy D. Parrott.
$27+ ($12 Live Streaming) 7 Stages Theatre, 1105 Euclid Avenue, Atlanta 30307. onthestage.tickets

Sun., Apr. 21

 

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LIVID AS EVER: BLACK DOESN’T MINCE WORDS. PHOTO CREDIT: CLAY MCBRIDE

Lewis Black: Goodbye Yeller Brick Road, The Final Tour, Buckhead Theatre — The irascible Lewis Black, now 75, is calling it quits after this tour. “When you reach my age, you’ve seen it all,” he told me in a 2015 interview during his The Ranting Side of Life trek across the country. “We don’t do anything except discuss. Not even really discuss. We argue, and all we’re really doing is arguing about what we’re not doing.” Little has changed since then, as Black will tell you in no uncertain terms. Influenced by Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, Black’s brand of stand-up comedy remains vitally pertinent and rightfully indignant. Don’t blow this chance to see him on stage one last time.
$71+ 7 p.m. Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road, Atlanta 30305. 404-843-2825 livenation.com

Tue., Apr. 16 - Sun., Apr. 21

 

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GERIANNE PEREZ AS CATHERINE OF ARAGON: ONE OF HENRY’S LUCKIER WIVES. PHOTO CREDIT: JOAN MARCUS

Six, Fox Theatre — The often-told gory story of Henry VIII, his hapless wives, and their Tudor-era hijinks is given a modern spin in a musical adaptation by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. The pair, students at Cambridge University in 2017, submitted the piece to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, whereupon it enjoyed a lengthy sold-out run. London’s West End followed suit, as did Broadway in 2020. A soundtrack album released in 2018 became a hit as well. The cast in the U.S. touring production is Gerianne Pérez as Catherine of Aragon, Zan Berube as Anne Boleyn, Amina Faye as Jane Seymour, Terica Marie as Anna of Cleves, Aline Mayagoitia as Katherine Howard and Adriana Scalice as Catherine Parr. Six “didn’t come out of a love of the Tudor period particularly,” Marlow told Smithsonian Magazine . “It came from us having an interest in the representation of women in musical theater, having women on stage doing funny and hilarious things.” Moss added, “What we were interested in doing was reframing the way that women have been perceived in history and telling their side of the story.”
$31+ Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree Street, Atlanta 30308. 855-285-8499 foxtheatre.org/six

Fri., April 19 – Sun., July 14

 

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RACHEL RUYSCH: STILL LIFE WITH FLOWERS, 1709. PHOTO CREDIT: MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON

Dutch Art in a Global Age: Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, High Museum — Rachel Ruysch (1664 – 1750) was a still-life painter from the Netherlands who became prominent in the Dutch Golden Age. Her successful career lasted more than six decades during which she produced hundreds of paintings; many of them sold for higher prices than those of Rembrandt, her contemporary. This exhibition features works by both artists, as well as Jacob van Ruisdael, Frans Hals, Jan Steen and Willem Kalf; it includes prints, maps, and stunning decorative objects in silver and porcelain from the seventeenth and the first half of the eighteenth centuries. Curators say the display explores how Dutch preeminence in international maritime trade and the influx of new goods and information transformed life in the Netherlands and led to a remarkable cultural flowering.
$18.50 for non-members. High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree Street, Atlanta 30309. 404-733-4400 high.org

Sat., Apr. 20 & Sun., Apr. 21

 

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420 FEST: IMBIBING FROTHY LIBATIONS AT LAST YEAR’S HOOTENANNY. PHOTO CREDIT: CAREN WEST PR

SweetWater Brewing Company Presents 420 Fest, Pullman Yards — Big Gigantic and Gov’t Mule are on the bill for the latest Sweetwater 420 Fest. Also included are local faves Grace Potter, Hedonistas and Larkin Poe. See the full lineup here.
$free with $10 donation. Pullman Yards, 225 Rogers Street, Atlanta 30317 pullmanyards.ticketspice.com

Wed., Apr. 24 and Wed. May 15

 

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LESLIE JOHNSON: IMPROV ACTOR IN NEW SHOW. PHOTO CREDIT: COURTESY OF CARLISA N. JOHNSON

Black Ground: The New All Black Improv Comedy Show, Dad’s Garage Theatre — An impressive cast riffs on classic movies and other cultural symbols in this new production by Dad’s Garage. Among them are Atkins Estimond, Markis Gallashaw, Maged Roushdi, Joshua Quinn and Leslie Johnson. “This show is more than an entertaining evening,” says Jon Carr, newly appointed executive producer at the theater. “It’s the launchpad for initiatives aimed at diversifying our talent pool and audience.” One of those initiatives is the Black Ground education program, which will roll out sometime this year, aiming to “nurture young Black improvisational talent through performance opportunities, specialized workshops, and content creation, equipping participants with the tools necessary for career advancement.” The show will be staged once this month and once again in May.
$12+ 8 p.m. Dad’s Garage Theatre, 569 Ezzard Street, Atlanta 30312 dadsgarage.com

Sat., Apr. 27 - Sun., May 5

 

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MAGNUM OPUS: WAGNER RIDES BACK INTO TOWN. PHOTO CREDIT: ATLANTA OPERA

Die Walküre, The Atlanta Opera — Gird your loins for the second installment of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle. With a runtime of four hours and 25 minutes, the magnificent Die Walküre is not for the faint of heart. The opus returns with Viktor Antipenko as Siegmund, Greer Grimsley as Wotan, Laura Wilde as Sieglinde, and Wendy Bryn Harmer as Brünnhilde, all wailing away in German (with English subtitles, obviously). The most famous bit, which you’re bound to recognize, is The Ride of the Valkyries . Inspired by Norse mythology, Wagner’s glorious epic is succinctly described by the Lyric Opera of Chicago as family dysfunction, violated vows, deadly disobedience and fierce retribution. What’s not to like?
$48+ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta 30339. 770-916-2800 atlantaopera.org