Mark Your Calendar for These Midtown Events (4/4)

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One of the reasons Midtown Atlanta is such a popular intown destination to live, work and play is the number and proximity of events and activities happening throughout the year. Known as the “Heart of the Arts,” it is one of the region’s defining urban districts, offering the largest concentration of museums, attractions and cultural venues in the Southeast.

Midtown is also home to the city’s prized Piedmont Park. Sometimes referred to as the “Central Park of the South,” it features nearly 200 acres of open green space, walking/jogging paths, picnic facilities, playgrounds, tennis courts, a public swimming pool, two ponds and a dog park, all right in the heart of Midtown. Attracting over six million visitors and hundreds of events each year, it is one of Atlanta’s busiest outdoor venues, especially during the warmer months.

But no matter the season, Midtown brings you inspired performances, exceptional museums and attractions, and dynamic festivals and events. Here is a sampling of current and upcoming events that you will want to add to your calendar.

High Museum of Art

• Deana Lawson Exhibit – Running through February 19, this exhibit features work made over the past two decades and is the first museum survey dedicated to Deana Lawson. Working primarily in photography, she investigates and challenges conventional representations of Black identities and bodies. In Lawson’s highly staged scenes, individuals, couples and families are pictured in intimate domestic spaces and public settings, interacting with one another. The artist describes her work as “a mirror of everyday life, but also a projection of what I want to happen. It’s about setting a different standard of values and saying that everyday Black lives, everyday experiences, are beautiful, powerful and intelligent.”

• Stephen Burks: Shelter In Place – In the wake of several global crises, designers have responded by redefining our relationship with our homes, including interrogating the modernist trope of better living through design. Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place, viewable through March 5, explores ideas concerning domesticity—namely, asking how we can design our interiors to enable joyful living while empowering creativity. It is the first exhibition in over a decade to survey Burks’s workshop-based design practice, presenting several key projects from the last 10 years.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

• Nathalie Stutzmann Conducts Prokofiev and Shostakovich – Both Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich lived under the thumb of the Soviet tyrant Joseph Stalin. Both suffered persecution at the hands of the apparatchiks, and both wrote brilliant music despite them. February 2-3, Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann guides the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra into the evocative soundscapes of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. With a kaleidoscope of orchestral color, Maestro Stutzmann and the ASO bring out the power, nuance and audacity of these legends.

• An Intimate Evening with David Foster & Katharine McPhee – On February 25, 16-time Grammy award-winning musician, composer and producer David Foster and acclaimed singer, television and Broadway star, Katharine McPhee are bringing their viral Instagram show to Midtown Atlanta. Coming directly from the Living Room to the stage, this intimate show with the powerhouse duo will be packed with David’s hits from Chicago, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé etc. and Kat’s biggest songs from American Idol, Smash and Waitress. Plus, some of their favorites that they just love!

The Alliance Theatre

• The Hot Wing King – Winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, The Hot Wing King runs from February 10 – March 5. It is a fierce new comedy about the risks and rewards of celebrating who you are. It’s time for Memphis’s annual “Hot Wang Festival,” and Cordell knows he has the wings that’ll make him king. Supported by his beau Dwayne and best friends who serve as his fry crew, “The New Wing Order,” the group settles in for a fun night of pre-competition prep. But when a family emergency forces Dwayne’s troubled nephew into the mix, it quickly becomes a recipe for disaster. Suddenly, the first-place trophy isn’t the only thing that Cordell risks losing.

• All Smiles – How do you smile? With your mouth or with your eyes? Does it show on your face or just on the inside? We all have different ways of showing, sharing & processing our emotions. Created in partnership with the Marcus Autism Center, this delightful show explores how all smiles are different. This show is geared toward the very young (ages 0-5) and runs through March 5 at the Selig Family Black Box Theatre.

Center for Puppetry Arts

• Duke Ellington’s Cat – Running January 31 – March 12, this lyrical look at the life and times of Duke Ellington, one of America’s musical giants, gets right in the middle of a career that spanned from the Roaring Twenties through the civil rights movement. On the road with the jazz great is one cool cat. From the early days in the pool halls to the concert halls performing before crowned heads, this feisty feline has been at Duke’s side, sometimes even sitting in with the band. One day when Duke is scheduled to play a suite in honor of the Queen of England, the score has been stolen. Will the cat find the music and get it to the Duke in time? See the show to find out!

The Fox Theatre

• Dancing with the Stars: Live! 2023 – America’s favorite dance show is back on tour and will be at the Fox Theatre on February 11! See the ballroom brought to life in this brand-new production featuring your favorite Dancing with the Stars pros plus special guest star Gabby Windey from The Bachelorette and Daniel Durant!

• Tina: The Tina Turner Musical – An uplifting comeback story like no other, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll. Playing February 21-26 and featuring her much-loved songs, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall and directed by the internationally acclaimed Phyllida Lloyd.

Piedmont Park

• Oyster Festival – Oyster Fest is returning to Piedmont Park’s Park Tavern on February 11, and it’s time to get shucked up. Flown in fresh for the event, you can get fried, grilled and raw oysters. Not an oyster fan? You can also get delicious fried shrimp and fried chicken baskets that include french fries, and there will be a full bar featuring delicious cold beer and signature cocktails. The event is 21 & up and is dog friendly.

• Candlelight: A Tribute to Adele – Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Atlanta. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Adele on March 9 at Piedmont Park’s Magnolia Hall under the gentle glow of candlelight. It will be an experience unlike any other.