It's that time of year again. Alberta Theatre Projects lifts the curtain on three world premieres. Tonight, it's Drama by Karen Hines.
The CPO plays nice (it's the only way to handle divas) in a night of tunes from Wicked, My Fair Lady, Chicago and other Broadway classics.
It looks like your ship has come in. Get down to the BMO Centre and start planning for a warmer and happier time.
The six talented musicians blow into town with a program called Winds of France that includes pieces by Poulenc, Maresz and Ibert.
The National Geographic explorer-in-residence hasn't exactly been lying around the house. No, he's been trying to figure out human migration.
Four actors play 150 characters at Stage West. Hungry theatregoers do not need to adopt disguises in order to visit the buffet multiple times.
The glass slipper becomes a pointe shoe. The Alberta Ballet crowd pleaser runs through Saturday.
His business card reads “National Geographic explorer-in-residence,” but Spencer Wells is not content to roam the house in search of the fabled land of missing socks. For proof, go hear him speak about the Genographic Project, which is creating a “genetically based map of human migration.”
Tuesday, Feb. 7. At the Jack Singer. $19.99 – $49.99. epcorcentre.org.
Lacing up the skates is a good way to get in shape, but only Hiberskate, a fundraiser for the Pediatric Obesity Foundation, gives you the chance to better the health of others by taking a turn around the rink. And not to crack the whip or anything, but the first 150 kids who register get a free T-shirt.
Sunday, Feb. 5. At COP. $10. pediatricobesityfoundation.ca.
The Lincoln Center in New York is home to 11 different arts organizations, including The Juilliard School, the New York Philharmonic and The Chamber Music Society. The latter will be leaving its prestigious digs for a concert in Calgary featuring work by French composers.
Sunday and Monday. At Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall, U of C. $30 – $40. calgarypromusica.org.
Seems like just when the waistline and credit cards have recovered from Christmas and New Year’s, it’s time for Valentine’s Day. More chocolate! More gifts! More dashed expectations! 
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For those of you who made it through the month and are still fighting to keep those healthful eating resolutions alive, be warned: these nostalgic cookie canisters aren’t going to help your cause. Available in three equally adorable owl incarnations, these folkloric jars practically beg to be filled with the tastiest baked goods your kitchen can provide. Better start looking for the most nutritionally sound recipes you can find, as we’re willing to bet you’ll have a hard time keeping the lid on these cuties. $68 to $128 at Anthropologie, Chinook Centre, 403-252-7411, anthropologie.com.
You bet I am. Sporting the same dress day in and day out is not only socially acceptable and socially conscientious, it’s downright chic. more
Market Collective is back this weekend, bringing together local artisans, musicians, artists and arts groups under the same roof. Started in 2008 by local gal pals Angel Guerra and Angela Dione, the grassroots events are held at the “Ant Hill” building at 148 10th St. N.W., a reference to the space’s former life as the Ant Hill fabric store. more
The final recording session of the Mississippi Sheiks took place in January 1935, yet the reverberations of their blues songs are still being felt. Besides the Mississippi Sheiks Tribute project, presented by the Calgary Folk Music Festival, B.B. King, Bob Dylan and Ray Charles have covered their music.
Friday, Feb. 3. At The Gateway, SAIT. $25 – $30. calgaryfolkfest.com.
Theatre Calgary tackles the sleaziest white-collar scandal of the century with an adaptation of playwright Lucy Prebble’s (soon-to-be-a-movie) Enron. Here’s all you need to know to impress fellow theatregoers with your corporate-crime savvy.
Worth Millions in the Morning, Nothing by Afternoon
The collapse of the energy giant was decades in the making. Starting in 1985 when Ken Lay (spoiler alert: Lay died before his 2006 sentencing date) became CEO of Enron—love-child of Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth—things got dirty as the Missouri preacher’s son hid debts right off the hop. From there he, along with Jeffrey Skilling and Andy Fastow, relied on creative accounting to inflate shares and cover losses. According to the book Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, “The Enron scandal grew out of a steady accumulation of habits and values and actions that began years before and finally spiraled out of control.” A poseur might pepper the conversation with Lay quotes such as: “Am I a fool? I don’t think I’m a fool. But I think I sure was fooled.”
The Fear of Loss Is a Path to the Dark Side
Yoda said it, but listen they did not. Enron’s brand of “future value accounting” led CFO Fastow to create shell companies to keep losses off the books. These companies were named after Star Wars characters: Kenobe Inc., JEDI, Obi-1 Holdings and Chewco Investments. Further your poseur cred by mentioning that, due to his ruthless ways, Skilling was known behind his back as Darth Vader.
Lights Out
One of the most notorious money-making schemes employed by Enron involved creating an energy crisis in California by manipulating the supply of electricity to raise energy prices. Blackouts ensued.
Fortune Teller
Fortune magazine bestowed the title “America’s Most Innovative Company” on Enron six years running. In 2010, they ran a jailhouse interview with Skilling. The former president asked the interviewer to buy him a coffee as he wasn’t allowed to handle money in jail. Prove your poseur mettle by asking for a free cuppa from the concession stand at intermission.
Theatre Calgary presents Enron Tuesday, Jan. 31 to Sunday, Feb. 19. At Max Bell THeatre, Epcor Centre. 403-294-7440, theatrecalgary.com.
If you’re a Calgarian desperately seeking Vancouverdom, be careful what you wish for. Sure, there are snowdrops pushing up in “winter”—but you might find yourself admiring them all alone. more
A freezer full of prepared meals can be great health insurance for the time-pressed. Try launching a new kind of supper club: gather a few friends once a month to prepare large batches of soups, stews and chilis to divvy up. It’s a great way to visit on a Saturday or Sunday over a glass of wine as you chop, simmer and stir, saving time and money and catching up in the process. The recipes below can easily be doubled or tripled. more
You may see God in the details when you gaze up at this suspended art installation, but many would say He is also there in the less obvious minutiae that have resulted in the miraculous transformation of Temple B’nai Tikvah. more
The cold snap and January are both over, which means it’s safe to leave the house again. Fortunately, when you head outside, you’ll find a host of events to keep you amused.
The 39 Steps
Four actors portray over 150 characters, but in addition to being a model of efficiency, this play is a faithful adaptation of Hitchcock’s classic of wartime intrigue. In fact, it’s got everything, including a cameo by Hitch himself.
Until Sunday, April 1 at Stage West, 727 42nd Ave. S.E. $45 – $99. 403-243-6642, stagewestcalgary.com. more
The annual Calgary-Banff-Canmore all-you-can-see buffet of beautiful, bizarre and brilliant photography from across the province and around the world. Here are a mere five: more
This contest is now closed. Congratulations to our winner Pat Bremner.
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