The Vortex Theatre (2004½ Central SE) brings us an irreverent and madcap look at material usually reserved for the doldrums of Sunday School. The team who engineered an entertaining take on the god of theater in The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged, now brings us this satirical take on God herself. The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged), written by the Reduced Shakespeare Company (Adam Long, Austin Tichenor and Reed Martin), examines with a mischievous wink the Old and New Testaments in two acts running Friday through Sunday from May 30 to June 29. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $18 for the general public and a generous $12 for students, with a pay-what-you-will price offered Sunday, June 1. For reservations or information, visit vortexabq.org or call 247-8600.
Stage Whispers Twice As Rice
In the genre-bending stage performance Sticky Rice, Jen Stephenson and Adam Kidd reprise their 2006 collaboration on Stephenson’s one-woman show Rice for Breakfast. Kidd joins Stephenson for the performance, which Kidd calls “part concert, part play, part performance art.” Their work improvises on personal experience through vignettes, music and original song lyrics by Stephenson. At the Black Box Theater (at Sandia Preparatory, 532 Osuna NE), the duo explore the connection between actor and audience, between moments of time and broader experience in a fluid and organic act. As Kidd explains it, “We choose the order of the show every time we do it, so it is a different and unique experience each time.” Catch your version Friday, May 30, or Saturday, May 31, at 8pm. $10 suggested donation. Call for info or reservations: 750-4543.
Stage Whispers Family Ties
Andrew Lovato and Joshua Dennis in True North
Robert Godwin
The opera might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re planning your next family outing. It makes me think of a bunch of garish characters embroiled in some sort of romantic or vengeful imbroglio—hardly the stuff to keep a fidgety young one engaged, right? But the Santa Fe Opera’s (301 Opera Dr., Santa Fe) An Operatic Trilogy For Families aims to introduce “young people” to the joys of the form. In a trilogy of stories that revolve around a pair of couples, the three separate shows look at opera and creativity as the characters explore music, words and love. Written in the Stars and Avastar introduce the two couples. In the first, Webster and Melody—who represent word and music—debate which form of communication is superior, while Avastar involves a classically trained opera singer and a pop singer who meet and become friends. When they unwittingly enter the same virtual singing competition, they find themselves facing off for the finals. Will the competition ruin their love? And, finally, True North wraps up the charged trilogy as the two couples happen to meet each other while waiting in an airport lounge on their way to New York City. What better place for a happy ending? Tickets are $10. Each piece is performed on a rotating basis for two weekends on May 31 and June 1, 7 and 8. Visit santafeopera.org or call (505) 986-5900 for specific times and to purchase tickets.
