MOVIES
When a documentary truly clicks, there’s a feeling of satisfaction that rarely happens with fictional features. We’ve met fascinating people; we’ve been entertained by a subject we never thought we’d find interesting; we’ve been transported to an insular world we never knew existed. “Wordplay” (at the Esquire Theatre) is exactly like that, a delightful journey into crossword puzzles. We watch puzzles get constructed from the inside out; at the same time we meet the top contestants in Will Shortz’s annual crossword championship in Connecticut. Celebrities with sharp pencils – or pens, if they fancy themselves that smart – round out the cast of eccentrics. Rated PG. | Michael Booth
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Even though pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane has performed all over the world, somehow the music director of the Colorado Symphony never made it onto the stage at the Aspen Music Festival. That will change at 6 p.m. Friday when he takes the podium in the Benedict Music Tent for a concert with the Aspen Chamber Symphony. Besides conducting, he will serve as soloist for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22. Tickets are $64. 970-925-9042 or aspenmusicfestival.com. | Kyle MacMillan
STAGE
They say comedy is hard. Try Pinter! Try bringing the new Nobel laureate’s murky, absurd and disorienting worlds to satisfying light. Paragon Theatre makes a highly competent pass with “The Caretaker,” the strange story of two brothers, the rundown building they own and a nasty vagrant who insinuates his way between them. It’s worth it just to watch the interplay between the understated Warren Sherrill and the menacing Jim Hunt. Final performances 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the Phoenix Theatre, 1124 Santa Fe Drive. Tickets $15-$19 (2-for-1 Thursday); 303-300-2210 or paragontheatre.com. | John Moore
TELEVISION
Call me crazy, but throw a great actor into a new film, and I’ll watch. AMC’s first foray into original films, the two-part “Broken Trail,” (6 p.m. today and Monday) stars Academy Award winner Robert Duvall in a gritty Western that’s more than a cowboy movie. Print Ritter (Duvall) and his nephew (Oscar nominee Thomas Haden Church) plan to drive 500 horses from Oregon to Wyoming when they collide with some killers and a slave-trader who prostitutes Chinese women. | Greg Henry
VISUAL ARTS
A superb overview of the Rocky Mountain region’s creative heritage closes Friday at David Cook Fine Art, 1637 Wazee St. Titled “Colorado and the West,” the exhibition consists of more than 100 paintings, drawings and original prints from the 19th century through the mid-20th century. The artists range from widely known figures such as Vance Kirkland and Charles Partridge Adams to others who are all but unknown. 303-623-8181 or davidcookfineart.com. | Kyle MacMillan
POPULAR MUSIC
Chances are, only one person in 10 has ever heard of Sonic Youth, even though the New York art-rockers have influenced a generation of musicians and still produce some of the best new music out there. After a stint with producer/indie rock god Jim O’Rourke as its fifth member, the group returned to its core: guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, bassist Kim Gordon and drummer Steve Shelley. Their new album, “Rather Ripped,” sounds as strong and weird as ever. Their Tuesday visit to the Gothic Theatre should provide endless hours of conversation for music geeks and aging avant-garde types. 8 p.m., $22. TicketWeb.com | John Wenzel
NIGHT LIFE
Local comedy powerhouse Comedy Works kicks off its 10th Annual New Talent Search at 8 p.m. Monday, essentially a Mile High version of “Last Comic Standing.” The club starts with 130 comedians and whittles them down each Monday through September until a grand prize winner is chosen. Seven comics are axed each week as the best three advance. The audience can get in on the action with prize giveaways from the program’s sponsors, including two round trip tickets from Frontier Airlines. 303-595-3637 or ComedyWorks.com. | John Wenzel
