Barely old yet new again
Two of the smartest theater companies reprise one of their finest shows this month. Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company’s timely, unsettling, commanding one-woman drama, finds a female fighter pilot unhappily flying drone missions over some unnamed country from a console in Nevada. Laura Norman gives a powerful performance of an unraveling warrior stripped of her identity.
In 2012, the oft-ingenious, always-inventive Buntport Theater Company mounted “Tommy Lee Jones Goes to Opera Alone.” The show stars an outsize puppet “stunningly evocative of the Texas actor known for his taciturn characters,” wrote . Jones sits in a Santa Fe cafe with a slice of pie and a cup of joe, interacting with a wise and wise-cracking waitress.
“Grounded.” At the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. thedairy.org or 303-444-7328. Runs Jan. 8-18. “Tommy Lee Jones Goes to Opera Alone.” At Buntport Theater, 717 Lipan St., buntport.com or 720-946-1388. Runs Jan. 9-31.
10th Colorado New Play Summit
“Appoggiatura” and “Benediction” are too rich, too filling to be considered appetizers. Yet it’s apt to see the world premieres of James Still’s play and Eric Schmiedl’s adaptation of Kent Haruf’s penultimate novel as delicious starters for the many- course meal the Denver Center sets out with its annual new-play gathering. Full productions of “Appoggiatura” and “Benediction” — beneficiaries of the 2014 summit — begin this month.
In February, for the first time, the Summit will take place over two weekends. Who’s getting workshopped? Theresa Rebeck, Catherine Trieschmann, Jason Gray Platt and Tanya Saracho.
“Appoggiatura” (Jan. 16-Feb. 22) “Benediction” (Jan. 30- March 1) The 10th New Play Summit. Feb. 14-15 and Feb. 21-22. All take place at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex, 13th and Arapahoe streets. denvercenter.org or 303-893-4100.
“In the Red and Brown Water”
Denizens of a Louisiana bayou housing project return to the stage in March in the regional premiere of “In the Red and Brown Water,” about the triumphs and tribulations of track star Oya.
Mounting part one of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s acclaimed “Brother/Sister Plays” trilogy reflects the company’s exhilarating commitment to bold playwrights penning works that can straddle seasons. In July, Curious will reprise its award-winning production of the trilogy’s second installment, And in the 2015-2016 season, it will once again return to McCraney’s bayou haunts when it mounts “Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet.” “No guts, no story,” indeed.
“In the Red and Brown Water.” At Curious Theatre Company, 1080 Acoma St., curioustheatre.org or 303-623-0524. March 7-April 18
