On television
An “idol” viewing plan
SUNDAY. Season 11 of “American Idol” gets a post-football push at 8 p.m. on KDVR-Channel 31 as the third night of auditions gets underway. Auditions, which this year included a stop in Aspen, continue through Feb. 8. Plan your viewing accordingly. Next come the Hollywood Rounds, Feb. 9, 15 and 16. The Feb. 22 and Feb. 23 episodes will feature “Performance Challenge” episodes, culminating in the semifinalists announcement. The semifinals will be reduced to a single week. On Feb. 28, which will mark the show’s 400th episode, the first group of semifinalists will perform. A second group will perform the following night. Then, on March 1, the season’s “Idol” finalists will be revealed. Finalists perform March 7; the first elimination is March 8. Those of us who like to skip the early, padded humiliation rounds will wait for March 7-8. Joanne Ostrow
Family Fun
Yak demos, horse pulls fill out stock show finale
Through Sunday. This is it: After this weekend, the National Western Stock Show hangs up its spurs for the year. It’ll be business as usual, with lots of livestock judging, stick-horse rodeos and real-deal rodeos, too — ProRodeo contests continue through Sunday, including daytime and evening shows. The Draft Horse Show and Pull, running today through Sunday, stars some of the equine world’s hardest workers competing for more than $100,000 in prize money. Stop in for stock dog trials, an antique tractor show, yak demonstrations (why not?) and more frontier fun. Events run 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St.; 303-297-1166. Grounds admission is $8 today, $14 Saturday, $12 Sunday; admission for children ages 3 to 11 is $2 today, $3 Saturday and Sunday. Tickets required for special events.
Buckaroo breakfast revisits the old west
Saturday. Grab your lassos, grandparents — it’s time for the Buckaroo Breakfast at the Children’s Museum of Denver. Round up the grandkids for a tasty catered breakfast and an Old West-themed morning play session at the museum. Listen to stories around the campfire and gather a posse for a photo session to create a Wild West wanted poster. The museum opens after breakfast — stick around to visit the revamped “Fire Station No. 1” exhibit, newly outfitted with a firefighter bunk, pole, dispatch station and additional bells and whistles on the truck. 8-10 a.m. Saturday. Children’s Museum of Denver, 2121 Children’s Museum Drive; 303-433-7444. Breakfast is $20 and includes admission to the museum. Make a reservation by calling 303-561-0110 or log onto .
Once upon a time in medieval britain …
Saturday. Misty medieval Britain comes to the stage in “King Arthur’s Quest” at the D.L. Parsons Theatre in Northglenn. Presented by the Missoula Children’s Theatre, the musical features local kids in classic stories of King Arthur’s Round Table. The gang’s all here: Arthur and Lancelot, Guinevere and Morgan le Fay. Expect swords in stones, foreboding towers, and even an attempt at befriending a dragon. 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday. D.L. Parsons Theatre, 11801 Community Center Drive, Northglenn; 303-450-8800. Tickets are $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for students and seniors. Kathleen St. John
Classical music
Jennifer koh’s violin, shai wosner’s piano
Thursday. Jennifer Koh is one of the busiest violinists in classical music, a fan favorite for her appearances with major symphonies around the globe. This week she brings it to a more intimate level, appearing with pianist Shai Wosner in a Friends of Chamber music production. On the program: sonatas for violin and piano by Janacek and Brahms. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the University of Denver’s Newman Center. Tickets are $35. Go to or call 303-388-9839. Ray Mark Rinaldi
Opera
“Enchanted” operas in movie houses thrive
SATURDAY. The live Metropolitan Opera broadcasts beamed into local movie houses have turned into an international sensation, popular enough to play regularly at 1,600 theaters in 54 countries. This Saturday’s production, one of the series’ most anticipated, features the surprise hit of the Met’s new season, “The Enchanted Island.” The opera combines story lines from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Tempest” and sets them to music by Vivaldi, Handel and other Baroque composers. This production has big stars: Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels and Plácido Domingo. The opera plays at 24 theaters in Colorado, including the Denver Pavilions 15 downtown. Check out the complete list, and get more info at metoperafamily . Pricing varies by location (it’s $24 at the Pavilions), and the show starts at 10:55 a.m. Don’t be late — it’s live. Ray Mark Rinaldi
Theater
“pearls” for the girls
Through Feb. 25. The Avenue Theater, which launched the “Girls Only” craze five years ago, presents Michele Lowe’s “String of Pearls” as its fifth annual women-centric, winter offering. This affecting drama follows one string of pearls, and the lives (and necks) it touches over 35 years. The Avenue has entered into a relationship with a nonprofit organization called Free the Girls, which provides business opportunities to women rescued from sex trafficking. “String of Pearls” audiences are asked to bring bras for donation, which will be sent to the rescued women to sell. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays at 417 E. 17th Ave., 303-321-5925 or . John Moore
Storytelling
Very Short Stories” performed by buntport
Saturday. This ongoing series features themed programs in which excerpts of short stories and essays are read. This time, “Very, Very, VERY Short Stories” will feature two- to three-minute stories, read by members of the inventive Buntport Theater Company. The challenge in this form of storytelling is to tell a complete tale, with a beginning, middle and end, in which every single word is essential. 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Su Teatro’s Denver Civic Theatre, 721 Santa Fe Drive; 303-494-0523 or . John Moore
