Film and more
Sunday. Opera almost live! Want proof that the multiplex isn’t just for movies anymore? Then head to the cushy Landmark at Greenwood Village art house for a one-time only Mother’s Day concert celebrating tenor Plácido Domingo’s first public appearance in Los Angeles, 40 years ago. Moms, arias: C’mon, it’s not a stretch. “The Plácido Domingo 40th Anniversary Gala Concert” was recorded with the L.A. Opera Orchestra. Sun, 2 p.m, $15-$20; the Landmark at Greenwood Village, 5415 Landmark Place, 303-779-0584 or landmark . Lisa Kennedy
Graffiti celebrated, studied, showcased
Thursday-Saturday. Multimedia celebration. Starting Thursday, online culture community hub Kaffeine Buzz will celebrate the phenomenon of graffiti with “Street-2-Screen,” a three-day spree of film, music, graffiti demos and panel discussions for and against the art form (or not) that dares speak its names on walls, fences and Dumpsters. Things jump off with Jon Reiss’ documentary “Bomb It,” about the global sweep and artistic ambitions of graffiti. Reiss will be in town for a DocNight Q&A at the Starz FilmCenter (the movie continues a week-long run). The Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, Ninth Street and Auraria Parkway, Thursday, 7 p.m. $6-$9.50. 303-820-3456 and . For more on Street-2-Screen events go to . Lisa Kennedy
Theater
Ongoing. Drama. It seems everyone in town has staged “The Boys Next Door” at some time or another, but audiences are really responding to the Vintage Theatre’s take on the daily lives of four mentally handicapped men. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays through May 31, as well as 7:30 p.m. May 13 at 2119 E. 17th Ave., 303-839-1361, vintagetheatre . John Moore
Events
Friday-Saturday. Sweets Festival. Hold onto your sweet teeth: The Colorado Chocolate Festival will ooze into the Denver Merchandise Mart this weekend with over 100 vendors offering the dark ‘n’ sticky stuff, live music, speakers, cooking demos and contests. I-25 at 58th Avnue. Today, 7-10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. $2-$10. 303-347-8252 or chocolate-festival.org. John Wenzel
Saturday. Charity walk with a view. Take a walk through the Denver Zoo, view the animals and raise awareness at the annual Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis Walk, part of the nation’s largest event dedicated to finding cures for digestive diseases. Approximately 1.4 million Americans have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. The walk takes place in a fun and energetic atmosphere. Registration and festival begin at 6:30 p.m.; animal viewing at 7:30 at 23rd Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. 303-639-9163. John Moore
Visual Art
Today. Painting. Few Denver painters are better known or more respected in the region than Dale Chisman. The indefatigable artist returns with a solo exhibition of his latest works that take his recognizable abstract aesthetic in bold new directions. The show opens today with a public reception from 6 to 9 p.m. and runs through June 28 at the Rule Gallery, 227 Broadway. Free. 303-777-9473 or rulegallery . Kyle MacMillan
Today. Book Art. Artists have taken the basic structure of the book and turned it into an ever-evolving sculptural medium. More than 30 such book creations, each produced in numbered editions by artists from across the country, will be shown in a new exhibition, titled “Multiples.” It opens today with a public reception from 5:30 p.m. 8 p.m. at East End Applied Arts, 1556 Florence St., in Aurora and continues through June 28. Free 720-203-3575 or . Kyle MacMillan
Through Sunday. Installation. One of the most popular of the exhibits inaugurating the opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver’s new building at 15th and Delgany streets will close Sunday. The untitled installation by New York artist David Altmejd offers a kind of fantasyland in which a group of giant, faceted figures, covered in hundreds of mirrored rectangles, are surrounded by mirrored walls, so that everything reflects everything else. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $10, $5 students and seniors. 303-298-7554 or . Kyle MacMillan
Music
Tonight. Chamber music. Three musicians whose careers bridge classical music and an array of other genres — violinist Tracy Silverman, pianist Philip Aaberg and cellist Eugene Friesen — have teamed up as the Great Big Piano Trio. The group will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Ucross Foundation and 10th anniversary of the University of Colorado at Denver’s College of Arts & Media with a concert at 7:30 p.m. today at the King Center on the Auraria campus. The program will include original works and reinterpretations of familiar classical repertoire, including selections from the trio’s all-Bach CD, “3 Part Invention.” $12, $5 UCD students. 303-556-2296 or ahec . Kyle MacMillan
Tonight. Jam. Phil Lesh is jam band royalty. The Grateful Dead bass player has toured in various incarnations throughout the post-Dead years, but this one coming to Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium tonight — Phil Lesh & Friends — is a favorite with the fans. More: . Ricardo Baca
Tonight. Singer-songwriter. Denver’s own Dan Craig plays in supergroup Hearts of Palm, sure, but he’s also keeps a full calender of solo shows. Craig will release his new CD, “Skin Grows Thin,” tonight with a show at the Oriental Theater, and Gregory Alan Isakov, the Autumn Film, John Common, Blue Light, Reed Foehl and others will also perform. More: . Ricardo Baca
Tonight. Garage rock. The Detroit Cobras tour all the time, sure, but the good-times band still always brings a big show. It’s especially great to see the Cobras fill a room they’ve never played before, which is why they’ll do especially well at the still-new Falcon tonight. More: . Ricardo Baca
Saturday. One-man show. Backed by a piano and armed with stories from the New Orleans Jazz Festival, Rik Reppe’s one-man show “Glorious Noise” explores that city’s tragedies and resilience in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Newman Center for the Performing Arts, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. $25-$49. 303-357-2787 or ticketmaster . John Wenzel
Saturday. Choral group. The world-renowned, 40-member Morehouse Glee Club will visit Colorado this weekend for only the second time in its illustrious 90-year history. The historically black, all-male choral group has played with Stevie Wonder and at the Super Bowl and the Olympics, so an intimate show should be a treat. New Hope Baptist Church, 3701 Colorado Blvd. 7:30 p.m. $25-$35. 303-322-5200 or . John Wenzel
Saturday. Rock.The band called Does It Offend You, Yeah? is one of the hottest new acts out of Britain, and this bill — pairing DIOYY? with indie dance outfit Yo Majesty on Saturday at the Bluebird Theater — is the hottest of the weekend. More: bluebird . Ricardo Baca
Wednesday. Opera. One of the most anticipated events of the 2008-09 season is Opera Colorado’s presentation of John Adams’ opera “Nixon in China.” In preparation for the production, the company is offering four previews, the first taking place at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the first-floor lobby at the Denver Newspaper Agency building, 101 W. Colfax Ave. The event will include a background lecture, video clips of the historical event that inspired the opera and live performance excerpts. Free. Call 303-468-2334 for reservations. Kyle MacMillan
