Midtown Weekend Entertainment Options Aplenty

The weekend is upon us and it promises to be a busy one with approximately 250,000 people expected to visit the downtown Atlanta area.

Why so many? Well, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is at Philips Arena; the CHEERSPORT National Cheerleading and Dance Championship is at the Georgia World Congress Center; the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show is at the Georgia World Congress Center; and the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough series is at the Georgia Dome on Saturday night.

Sounds like a good weekend to stay in Midtown because there’s plenty of action here, too. So what’s up? Comedy is coming to Atlanta Station as the improv and stand-up comedy club, Relapse Comedy Theatre, is opening a new location in the space where Geisha House was formally housed. Relapse is headquartered on 14th Street. Show information here compliments of Atlantic Station's Blogspot:

Friday:

• Time: 8PM
• Group: 2 Girls 3 Eyes
• What to expect: “Whose Line is it Anyways meets Saturday Night Live,” hosted by Bob Wood, Relapse Comedy Theatre’s Artistic Director.
• Admission: $10

Saturday:

• Time: 8PM
• Group: Automatic Improv
• What to expect: “Automatic Improv relies on suggestions from the audience to create hilarious, fast-paced, completely improvised comedy. No two shows are alike.”
• Admission: $10

• Time: 10PM
• Group: David Webster’s “The Novel”
• What to expect: “A ninety minute cinematic improvisational journey that was different every week.”
• Admission: $10

For more information, visit Relapse Comedy Theatre here.

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Also tonight, legendary jazz organist Ike Stubblefield will be performing during Friday Jazz at the High Museum of Art. The 5-10 p.m. event features extended hours with full gallery access including special exhibitions. Friday Jazz is free with museum admission and free to members. And if you miss Stubblefield Friday, don’t worry as he’ll be at the Northside Tavern on Saturday evening.

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At the Center for Puppetry Arts, Ruth and the Green Book is playing through next weekend. It revolves around an eye-opening look into a little-known chapter of Civil Rights history.

Speaking of the Center, The Home Depot Foundation recently awarded $20,000 to the Center for Puppetry Arts as part of the Foundation’s Building Community Day program. The donation will fund the Center’s Field Trip Sponsorship Program, which was created to ensure that children of all economic backgrounds have the opportunity to experience the Center’s unique, arts-infused educational programs. 

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On Saturday, there will be a CD release concert for hip-hop soul artist Lyric Jones at Apache Café. Admission is $10 for the 18 and up show that begins at 10 p.m. Click here to purchase tickets.

Apache Café is seeking art work to display. Please forward your painting, drawing, and photography submissions to info@apachecafe.info and to the attention of Karen Fain. The works will be installed in early April.

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Also Saturday, a Mardi Gras Music and Food Fest will be held at Park Tavern. There will live music all day and into the night from 3 p.m. - 2 a.m. Expect plenty of New Orleans-flavored cuisine and more. See here for more info.

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The Alliance Theatre is presenting “The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls’’ through next weekend. The eighth winner of the theatre’s nationally recognized Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition is set amongst the swirling domes of the church in Red Square. Moscow seems like a fairytale to 20-year-old Annie, an American in search of her roots. But when the lines between Russian fairytales and Annie’s reality start to blur - and then vanish – things get seriously dicey.

It is recommended for 9th grade and up due to adult language and thematic elements. Showtimes can be found here.

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And finally, tickets are still available for the 2012 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Gala with Bernadette Peters Saturday night at the Woodruff Arts Center. No word if Steve Martin will join Peters for a rendition of "Tonight You Belong To Me" as they did here in "The Jerk." For more information, visit here or call 404-733-4900.