Critic’s pick
“The Voice” strikes back
SUNDAY, POST-SUPER BOWL ON CHANNEL 9. One of NBC’s few bright spots, “The Voice,” averaged 13 million viewers in its first season. The singing competition has its one-hour Season 2 premiere Sunday, whenever the game is over, plus a two-hour dose Monday. Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are back as coaches; Carson Daly hosts. Christina Milian joins as “social media correspondent,” herding tweets. Blind auditions, the promise of a recording contract for the winner … the real draw is those goofy rotating chairs. Joanne Ostrow
Family Fun
A chocolate paradise
Saturday. Chocolate is lovable in all its forms, and you can try out its many delicious permutations at Arvada’s 11th annual Chocolate Affair. Events will pop up all over Olde Town Arvada, from tastings to treasure hunts. Stop by “A Taste of Chocolate” at the D Note and sample decadent treats from local bakeries, chocolatiers and restaurants. Team up with choco-pals to roam Olde Town on a free Chocolate Treasure Hunt, or go solo with your chocolate skills and enter the Chocolate Cookie Contest. Face-painters, storytellers and horse-drawn carriages will add to the foodie fun. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The D-Note, 7519 Grandview Ave., Arvada; cookie contest at Di Cicco’s, 5660 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada. Admission is free; sampling tickets are six for $5.
A free rock concert
today. Catch up with a “kindie” rock hitmaker when Katherine Dines performs a free concert at the Denver Puppet Theater. The Denver-based children’s musician released a CD of her most-requested songs, “Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta Hits,” on Tuesday, including tunes like “All the Way Around the World,” “Dad on Diaper Duty” and “Are We Ever Gonna Get There?” Youngsters can settle in with some apple cider and a cookie and jam out. Bring along a nonperishable food item to donate, too. Doors open at 6 p.m. today; show is at 7 p.m. Denver Puppet Theater, 3156 W. 38th Ave.; 303-458-6446. Admission is free, but reservations are required. Call to save a seat.
An inside look at the symphony, opera
monday-tuesday. Budding music lovers get an insider’s look at classical music in the latest season of Tiny Tots Inside the Orchestra. Presented by Central City Opera and the Junior Symphony Guild, the series of shows lets preschool- and kindergarten-age kids experience a kid-friendly concert with plenty of room for participation. Dance along to music from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Copland’s “Rodeo” and even music from “Looney Tunes.” Opera is back, too: CCO ensemble artist Chad Reagan performs the famous “Largo al factotum” aria from Mozart’s “The Barber of Seville” (think “Figaro, Figaro, Figaro!”). Can’t make it this week? Two additional shows are scheduled for Feb. 13. 9:30 a.m. Monday. Boettcher Concert Hall at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets. 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Temple Sinai, 3509 S. Glencoe St. The suggested registration donation is $5. Make sure space is still available by calling 303-355-7855 or visit .
“Phineas and Ferb,” live
through saturday. Summer vacation arrives a few months early when “Phineas and Ferb: The Best Live Tour Ever!” comes to the Wells Fargo Theatre. In the musical show, the two mischievous stepbrothers from the Disney Channel cartoon use the remaining days of summer vacation to work on their latest invention. It’s so awesome that even their sister Candace, who usually hates all their experiments, joins the fun. Perry the pet platypus goes on an adventure of his own, as usual, using his secret “Agent P” identity to track down evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz. 7 p.m. today; 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday. Wells Fargo Theatre at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St.; 303-228-8000. Tickets are $16-$27, available at or by calling 800-653-8000.
Family-friendly theater goes “shipwrecked!”
thursday-Feb.25. Go on a fantastic voyage in “Shipwrecked! The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself),” presented by the Boulder Ensemble Theatre. The show features the whimsical musings of de Rougemont, international wanderer, bold survivor and Victorian celebrity. He spins quite a tale, filled with exotic characters and thrilling scenarios — but keep in mind he’s not afraid of a little embellishment. This cheeky play is appropriate for kids age 6 and older; a special family matinee at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 25 welcomes the age-4-and-up crowd. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays. Dairy Center for the Performing Arts, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder; 303-440-7826. Tickets are $24 general admission, $22 for seniors, $19 for students; all tickets are $15 on Thursdays.
Dance
7dancers’ winter ballet
Tonight.7dancers, the nonprofit professional dance company run by Cherry Creek Dance, will present its winter production, “An Evening of Ballet,” at the Studio Loft in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House tonight at 7:30. The all-ballet program will showcase excerpts from classical ballets, such as “Swan Lake” and “La Bayadere.” There will be special appearances from dancers Maria Mosina and Andrew Thompson, set to perform the lead roles in the historical tribute “Pavlova and Cecchitti.”
Created in 2006 under artistic director Stephanie Prosenjak, 7Dancers presents work ranging from classical ballet to contemporary dance.
Tickets for Friday’s event are $27, $17 for students, and can be purchased at 303-399-8087 or . Ray Mark Rinaldi
Theater
Focus is on the future at new play summit
Feb. 10-12. New works of theater don’t develop themselves. And that’s why institutions such as the much-valued Colorado New Play Summit are so vital and important. Over three days next weekend, the Denver Center Theatre Company will revel in new art at its seventh annual Colorado New Play Summit. The weekend event will draw professionals from all over the country for two world premieres and five readings of new American plays, not to mention the hobnobbing associated with industry events such as this. But it isn’t just for theater pros. Tickets are free to the public for the new-play readings and the playwright slam, and true aficionados can purchase a pass ($195) to have access to all the fun, including tickets to “The Whale” and “Two Things You Don’t Talk About at Dinner.” (See our review of “Two Things” on Page 6D.) More info: . Ricardo Baca
Film
“Centennial Statehouse” a historical treat
Tonight. It’s best when the pitch to do the right, civic-minded thing comes in a smart package with a long view. Take this evening’s premiere of “Centennial Statehouse: Colorado’s Greatest Treasure.”Made by local fimmaker/photographer Jim Havey, the documentary weaves the history of the state Capitol building’s construction with tales of the, at times edifying, other times roiling and corrupt politics of statehood. The Capitol dome’s dire condition has been much in the news, and this doc may have you reaching for a donation. Its weave of archival photos and talking-head interviews makes a persuasive argument that — as former Gov. Dick Lamm says, paraphrasing Winston Churchill — “We build our buildings, then they build us.” A patrons reception begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Colorado Convention Center, followed by a general-admission affair at 6 p.m. and the 7 p. m. screening. Tickets at . Patrons $100, general admission $18. Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St. Lisa Kennedy
Music
Parker goes country
Through Feb. 12. The Parker Arts Culture & Events Center — you can call it PACE — is finally in full swing. And its current show, “Country Is, The Music of Mainstreet,”is proving popular with audiences. The evening features three singers and five musicians ripping through some of the best country tunes out there. They describe it as a night of songs about “hardworking, hard-living, hard-playing people,” and we’ll go with that. Tickets start at $18. The center is at 20000 Pikes Peak Ave. Info: 303.805.6800 or . Ray Mark Rinaldi
