Late January means hot times on Macon stages

When the weather gets cold — or at least is supposed to — that’s when the entertainment gets hot. As February approaches, already we see the metaphorical temperature rising.

The Youth Actors Company production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” is still running at Theatre Macon, and Saturday night will bring one of the most popular musical events of the season, the Macon Symphony Orchestra’s annual pops concert, this year billed as “Jeans ‘n’ Classics: Disco & Motown.”

The Douglass Theatre is a happenin’ place this weekend, too. Saturday will see the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD broadcast of Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette,” with local favorites James Caldwell and Edward Eikner presenting the pre-show Opera Chat.

The following weekend brings the Tubman Museum’s 21st annual “All That Jazz” concert and ball at the City Auditorium, followed just days later by the National Theatre’s broadcast of “Amadeus” at the Douglass, and the Macon Civic Club’s “Downtown” at the Grand Opera House. And that’s all by Feb. 5.

COLLEGE TOWN FILMS

The aptly named CollegeTown Film Festival kicks off Thursday night, also at the Douglass. This year’s theme will be “On the Margins,” and Middle Georgia State University’s Patrick Brennan will introduce the lead-off film, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.”

On the following Thursdays, Michelle Beverly and Tom Ellington will introduce “Middle of Nowhere” and “Mystic River” respectively. These pedagogical “town and gown” experiences are free to students, $5 for others.

We should remind ourselves often that the artistic and educational offerings of local colleges play a leading role in the life-enriching opportunities available in the midstate. I often wish that the institutions would trumpet their offerings even louder. There are still folks in our community who don’t realize that they are welcome at this banquet.

Mercer University, with a full-time arts publicist, does the best job of horn-blowing. Last weekend’s performance of “The Gondoliers” on Friday night was packed, and even in my limited acquaintance I spotted members of all sorts of professions and occupations. Who likes opera — or at least operetta? Apparently virtually everybody.

AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS

In the recent political turmoil, many supporters of the arts have expressed concerns about future priorities in education. In case you’re unaware of this organization, I recommend membership in Americans for the Arts.

There’s also a politically useful petition on the organization’s website, americansforthearts.org. It is imperative that we make our voices heard.

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 7:42 AM with the headline "Late January means hot times on Macon stages."