Friday
Underground
FILM|Jean-Pierre Melville’s remarkable 1969 “Army of Shadows,” about the French Resistance during World War II, returns for a week. A few ornery critics put the dark tale about a group of French operatives, based on Joseph Kessel’s 1943 novel, on their 2006 Top 10 list. The film is beautifully dour, gripping and morally challenging. Plus, it wasn’t released in the U.S. until last year. Lino Ventura brings hefty determination to Gerbier, a leader. Simone Signoret’s Mathilde (loosely based on Lucie Aubrac, who died last week at 94) is exquisite as the woman who dons disguises and organizes raids.
|Begins today|Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, 9th & Auraria Pkwy; $5.75-$8.75; 303-820-1567
Saturday
“The Music Man”
CHORAL MUSIC|Barbershop harmony seems to be one of those things people either love or hate. Fans will have a chance to revel in this brand of singing when Sound of the Rockies celebrates the 50th anniversary of “The Music Man.” The 120-voice barbershop chorus will perform songs from the musical.|2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday|University of Denver, Newman Center for the Performing Arts, 2344 E. Iliff Ave.; $15-$25; 303-357-2787 or ticketmaster.com.
“Making Metal”
FAMILY EVENT|The Denver Art Museum is offering free admission to all K-12 youth during spring break – Saturday through April 1. To mark the beginning of this admission rollback, the institution is sponsoring a family event titled “Making Metal.” Activities will include a metal-casting demonstration and a children-friendly “heavy-metal” band led by Denver educator and musician Tommy Reddicks.
|10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday |Denver Art Museum, W. 13th Avenue between Broadway and Bannock Street; free for children and regular admission for everyone else; 720-865-5000 or denverartmuseum.org.
Sunday
Tales and music
STORIES ON STAGE|”The Mind’s Eye” features stories and music from the bridge between despair and hope. Tales include “Silent Snow, Secret Snow” by Conrad Aiken (read by John Hutton) and “Silver Water” by Amy Bloom (read by Kathleen M. Brady).|2 and 7 p.m. Sunday|Seawell Ballroom, Denver Performing Arts Complex, $20, 303-494-0523 or storiesonstage.org
Homegrown authors
STORIES|Colorado Homegrown Tales presents readings of short stories by local writers. “A Sense of Place” spotlights Kent Haruf (“Plainsong,” “Eventide”), James Van Pelt, and Thomas Zigal, whose stories unfold within specific Colorado locations.|4 p.m. Sunday|Byers Evans House, 1310 Bannock St., $10, 720-233-0811 or homegrowntales.com.
The Weekend
March Pow*Wow
DANCE/DRUM|Denver’s largest American Indian cultural event fills the Coliseum with drumming, dancing and brilliant costuming for the March Pow*Wow this weekend. In addition to the fierce dance competition at the heart of the gathering, the Pow*Wow also includes all-day music and an arts and crafts festival.|Doors open at 10 a.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday.|Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt Street; $6 a day; 303-934-8045
Mozart piano
SYMPHONIC MUSIC|Few veteran keyboardists are more respected in the piano world than Ivan Moravec, who regularly performs in the world’s top concert halls. He joins the Colorado Symphony as guest soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.14. Because of music director Jeffrey Kahane’s illness, guest conductor Christoph Campestrini will replace him. The change has resulted in Schubert’s Symphony No.9 replacing two previously announced selections.|7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday|Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets; $15-$67.50; 303-623-7876 or coloradosymphony.org.
The Week
Unpredictable
MUSIC|Windy Peak offers the final concert of the Arvada Center’s “Music with a View.” A fiddle, piano, dulcimer and guitar make for an unpredictable mixture of bluegrass, jazz, country and classical in a multimedia setting.|7 p.m. Thursday|Lower Gallery, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. $12, 720-898-7200 or arvadacenter.org.
Powerful images ART|As a member of the 12th Armored Division in World War II, Norman Denny helped liberate such concentration camps as Dachau and Landsberg. Although not a trained artist, he created a series of paintings to help him come to terms with the atrocities he encountered. These powerful works, which are jointly owned by the Mizel Museum and Regis University, are on view in a student-organized exhibition.| Through April 30|Main Hall, Regis University, 3333 Regis Blvd.; free; 303-458-4273
Going, going…
Catch these events before they disappear after this weekend:
“Footloose”
MUSICAL THEATER| Town Hall Arts Center’s hormonally charged guilty pleasure is the stage adaptation of the Kevin Bacon film, set in a town where dancing is damned. | ENDS SUNDAY|Final performances 7:30 p.m. tonight, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, at 2450 W. Main St., Littleton. $16-$33; 303-794-2787, townhallartscenter.com.
“I Don’t Have to Show You No Stinkin’ Badges”
THEATER|El Centro Su Teatro stages Luis Valdez’s comedy of a 17-year-old Chicano college student who returns to Los Angeles to visit his parents with his older, Asian-American paramour. The play takes on Hollywood and Chicano identity in a postmodern world.| ENDS SATURDAY|Final performances 8:05 p.m. today and Saturday at 4725 High St. $12-$15 (303-296-0219).
