SATURDAY
Farewell to a poet
MUSIC|Fellow performers and friends of the late Sean Blackburn will remember him in concert this weekend. Blackburn, 56, died two weeks ago. A versatile performer, Blackburn was known as a singer, guitarist, songwriter and cowboy poet. He had performed with Liz Masterson since 1988. The duo became well-known nationally, mostly for their cowboy music. Performers will come from as far away as Maine.|8 p.m. Saturday|Washington Park Methodist Church, 1955 E. Arizona Ave.; $10-$12; 303-777-1003 or swallowhill.com.
Too scared to laugh?
FILM|Midnight Madness at the Esquire brings the fright classic “The Shining,” with Jack Nicholson hamming it up for Stanley Kubrick, to great effect. And the funniest thing on the Internet right now is the editing of “The Shining” trailer into a feel-good movie – check it out at waxy.org/random/video/shining_redux.mov|just after midnight Saturday|Esquire Theatre; $7; 303-352-1992.
Coping with age
GAY CONFERENCE|The third Gay and Gray in the West Conference focuses on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender aging. The conference features as keynote speaker civil rights activist Kathleen Saadat. It includes 21 breakout sessions throughout the day, 60 vendors and exhibitors, a mini health fair, music by The Dead Sinatras and more. |7:45 a.m. Saturday|Denver Merchandise Mart, 451 E. 58th Ave., $75, full registration, $15, evening’s entertainment, 303-380-2342 or gayandgrayinthewest.org.
THE WEEKEND
Witchy women
ALTERNATIVE THEATER |Mercury Cafe owner Marilyn Megenity’s Mercury Motley Players stage a satirical look at the origins of violence and war in a loosely told myth based on Greek gods Demeter and Persephone. The seasonal production “Allied Witches Riding the Nightmare” is laced with supernatural imagery and fashion.|7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays with a closing performance on Halloween|Mercury Cafe, 2199 California St., $10, 303-294-9258.
Harland Williams
STAND-UP COMEDY|Harland Williams has found success as an actor, appearing in such movies as “Half Baked,” “Wag the Dog,” “The Whole Nine Yards,” “Freddy Got Fingered” and “There’s Something About Mary.” But like many comedians whose careers started in comedy clubs, Williams’ first love remains stand-up.|8 and 10 tonight; 6:30, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday|Comedy Works, 1226 15th St.; $28; 303-595-3637, comedyworks.com.
THE WEEK
Estefan as author
BOOK SIGNING AND READING|Superstar singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan plans a visit to the metro area to read from and sign copies of her first children’s book, “The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog.” It was published this summer by HarperCollins. Estefan says her English bulldog inspired the story.|3 p.m. Sunday and 6:30 p.m. Monday|on Sunday, Barnes & Noble, 8374 S. Willow St., Littleton, free, 303-706-9660; and Monday at Tattered Cover, 1628 16th St., free, 303-436-1070.
Brand-new “Annie”
MUSICAL|Conrad John Schuck (the dentist in Robert Altman’s “M*A*S*H”) and Mackenzie Phillips (TV’s “One Day at a Time”) bring Little Orphan Annie back to the Buell Theatre on Tuesday. The latest national tour features an all-new set and a brand- new song (“Why Should I Change a Thing?”).|7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Oct. 23|Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets; $20-$55; 303-893-4100, 866-464-2626, 800-641-1222, denvercenter.org.
A honey of a show
CHILDREN’S MUSICAL|Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Roo, Kanga, Owl and other characters from the Hundred Acre Wood use music and dance in “Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh” to entertain children and adults. The show includes such songs as “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers,” “A Rather Blustery Day” and “Rumbly in My Tumbly.”|7 p.m. Thursday; 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Oct. 21; 10:30 a.m., 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Oct. 22; 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Oct. 23|Lecture Hall at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St., $15-$31.90, 303-830-8497 or ticketmaster.com.
