Crystal Valley Blog

Whether you have a love of theatre, music or comedy, the events in the Castle Rock area have you covered this Valentine’s weekend! Several new plays and musicals are opening and a number of other romantic concerts give you plenty of choices for Valentine’s Day celebrations. Don’t forget it’s Chinese New Year, too—there’s even a family-friendly celebration to usher in the Year of the Dog!

TODAY/TONIGHT Thursday, February 8

SECRETS TO SHARE
A multi-media immersive foray into the humor and humanity of the personal stories we keep to ourselves, PostSecret: The Show is based on the social media phenomenon that brought hundreds of millions to the PostSecret blog. The PostSecret marvel became six best-selling books, and is currently in a Smithsonian art exhibition. A mix of projected images, videos, three actors, and a guitarist, the show features crowd-sourced narratives revealing the true stories behind the secrets.

PostSecret: The Show is a breakthrough in audience-sourced storytelling that extends beyond the borders of the stage, reminding audiences that secrets can be both walls and bridges. “The level of engagement in the theatre was intense; the response was overwhelming,” (The Globe and Mail).

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $33-$50 
Phone: 720-509-1000

HIGHLAND DANCERS AT HIGHLANDS RANCH!
Don’t miss the third installment of the Highlands Ranch Cultural Series, featuring quality entertainment about 20 minutes from home! The sounds of bagpipes will beckon you to the chapel when the Denver and District Pipe Band perform their traditional music with Irish and Highland Dancers taking the stage. This community-based group of bagpipers, drummers and dancers from the Front Range includes accomplished Irish and Highland dance corps.

Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd., Highlands Ranch
7:00-8:30 p.m.
Tickets: $10-$15
Phone: 303-791-2500

Thursday-Saturday, February 8-10

WONDER WOMAN ILIZA – LIVE!
You won’t want to miss this amazing one-woman trailblazer of comedy and social commentary! As the only female and the youngest comedian to win the title of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Iliza recently completed the inaugural season of her very own late-night talk show, Truth & Iliza, which features her specific brand of feminism. As accomplished as she is funny, Iliza recently completed her first book, Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity.

She is all over digital media, with a number one iTunes comedy special, War Paint, and a Netflix Original Comedy Special, Freezing Hot.  She doesn’t shy away from tackling hot topics and is no stranger to network television. Iliza has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and The Today Show. Additionally, her digital scripted series, Forever 31 is currently streaming on ABCd and Hulu.

Comedy Works-South, 5345 Landmark Pl., Greenwood Village
Thurs., 7:30 p.m.; Fri./Sat., 9:45 p.m.
Tickets: $30-$65
Phone: 720-274-6800

Thursday-Sunday, February 8-11

DISNEY’S LITTLE MERMAID – FINAL WEEKEND
Don’t miss your last chance to see the live stage version of the popular animated Disney movie you hold dear! With the same charming story of love, destiny, and dreams coming true, based on Hans Christian Andersen’s timeless classic, the live show features all of the memorable songs. You’ll be singing along to Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl, and Part of Your World as you join the precocious Princess Ariel as she journeys from her beloved ocean home to meet her destiny on faraway shores.

PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., Parker
Thurs., 6:30 p.m., Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat./Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $24-29
Phone: 303-805-6800

INTIMATE APPAREL – A PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PLAY!
It’s 1905 in Manhattan, and Esther Mills is a 35-year-old African-American seamstress who supports herself in New York City as a maker of fine undergarments. Her clients, who range from high-society purveyors of good taste to a good-hearted prostitute in need of working clothes, take comfort in Ester’s discretion and prudent advice. As a spinster with no prospects of marriage, Ester is caught off guard when an unexpected romance materializes in the midst of her world.

Playwright Lynn Nottage is the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, the 2004 New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the Outer Critics Circle Award. This poetic and intensely personal story, inspired by her great-grandmother’s history, weaves a delicate tapestry of the joys and sorrows in the life of an unlikely heroine. “The great beauty of Nottage’s deceptively simple story is that she allows us to see the complexities and nuances behind characters [who are] simultaneously isolated from and connected to one another” (Chicago Tribune).

Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs
Thurs./Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun. 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $20-$45
Phone: 719-634-5581

Friday, February 9

SPEND A NIGHT IN PARIS AT THE DADDY-DAUGHTER BALL!
The town of Castle Rock is pleased to present a Valentine’s Day treat especially for fathers and daughters! Dance the night away with your little sweetheart in the magical “City of Lights” as you enjoy refreshments, a raffle by the Teen Advisory Group, and professional photographs to remember your special night.

Douglas County Events Center, 500 Fairgrounds Dr., Castle Rock
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25-$40/pair
Phone: 720-733-2233

Friday-Saturday, February 9-10

BERNSTEIN: ON STAGE AND SCREEN
Continuing with the Leonard Bernstein at 100 Festival, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic performs a concert dedicated to Bernstein’s dramatic musical legacy. Leonard Bernstein, one of the most important composers of the 20^th century, did the impossible: as he was mastering the classical stage, he simultaneously became an instrumental force on Broadway. 

With an opening act in his personal life that reads like the storyline from one of the theatrical works he would help to create, a young Bernstein rejected his family’s beauty parlor business to pursue his dream of becoming a musician. Against the wishes of his father, who said “music just keeps people awake at night,” Bernstein became an accomplished composer and conductor for the New York Philharmonic almost overnight. At the same time, his love of theatre led him to create the music for some of the most legendary Broadway musicals of the 1940s and 50s, which were adapted to become the motion picture musicals that an entire generation grew up singing. He wrote the original theatrical scores for On the Town, Peter Pan, and Candide, but is best-known for the Tony and Oscar Award-winning West Side Story. HIs only original film score was for the iconic On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando. These famous theatre and film scores are alive with the rhythmic tunes of this once-in-a-century composer.

Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $24-$73
Phone: 719-520-SHOW

Saturday, February 10

THE SWEET SOUNDS OF MATT DUSK
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, get in the mood for love with this Canadian crooner who has been compared to legends Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé. The Record raves, “with a meltingly beautiful voice, [Matt Dusk’s] music is perfectly suited to the season of love.” 

Dusk is a multi-platinum selling artist with numerous number one hits, and his live performance takes the audience on a romantic journey through his music. He performs classics made famous by artists such as Sinatra, Bobby Darin and Ella Fitzgerald. For a classy Valentine’s date, you can’t go wrong with this special evening, topped off with sweets in the lobby during intermission.

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $33-$55
Phone: 720-509-1000

Sunday, February 11

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
In your anticipation of Valentine’s Day, don’t overlook this equally exciting holiday! Usher in the Year of the Dog with a colorful celebration that embodies the culture of the Chinese New Year festivities. Join dancers Christina Yeh and Shaolin Hung Mei as they tell the ancient story of Chinese traditions through dance.

Passport to Culture is a series designed with the entire family in mind, offering programs for children that allow them to experience arts and culture outside the classroom and inside a world of imagination. Through a variety of performances, workshops and pure entertainment, this fun educational series fosters the growth of visual and performing arts, science and cultural understanding in the community.

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
1:30 p.m.
Tickets: $5
Phone: 720-509-1000

Tuesday-Wednesday, February 13-14

KINKY BOOTS (NOT THAT KIND!)
This inspiring musical about kindness, understanding, and friendship features a joyful score by the talented Cyndi Lauper and, despite the title, does not contain offensive language. Rather, it is a powerful story about acceptance—accepting yourself and accepting other people for who they are. Winner of six 2013 Tony Awards, this hilarious, uplifting story is appropriate for ages 10 and older.

When Charlie Price suddenly inherits his father’s bankrupt shoe factory, he finds inspiration in the form of Lola—a fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos. Lola turns out to be the one person who can help Charlie become the man he’s meant to be. As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair discover they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible. They come to realize when you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world.

Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $88
Phone: 719-960-4725

Wednesday, February 14

VALENTINE’S DAY MUSIC IN THE AFTERNOON
Not only love can be found in the afternoon! Join the Tina Phillips Jazz Trio for Love, Improvisation, and the Great American Songbook in this interactive performance exploring jazz. Find out how musicians communicate and improvise with one another, while enjoying jazz standards like My Funny Valentine, Cheek to Cheek, Summertime, and more! This program will foster a deeper understanding of the jazz music you already love.

As part of the Arts in the Afternoon series, this special Valentine’s Day performance gives you the opportunity to transport yourself out of the ordinary. Refreshments after the performance are included, as well as a chance to talk with the musicians and reflect on what you saw and heard.

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
1:30 p.m.
Tickets: $18
Phone: 720-509-1000

MY FUNNY VALENTINE – ROCKY LAPORTE

Love it or Not, Valentine’s Day appears every year, right around this time! This year, make it a “win, win” by coming out to see Rocky LaPorte, the everyman comedian from Brooklyn, who delivers sardonic observations with streetwise finesse. LaPorte recently made it to the final five in NBC’s Last Comic Standing, and he’s made appearances on Cheers, The Tonight Show, as well as his very own The Rocky LaPorte Show. 

Whether you’re single, dating or married, everyone can agree that laughing is the best medicine and a comedy show may be just what you need!

Comedy Works-South, 5345 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25-$119
Phone: 720-274-6800

Live Entertainment in the Crystal Valley area!
Spending a holiday in the Crystal Valley area gives you plenty of options for things to do! Homeowners here LOVE the community amenities plus the access to plenty of live performances. Stop in and explore the beautiful new models offered by Richmond American Homes, D.R. Horton, and Kauffman Homes to find the home that’s just right for you. New construction designs are available in ranch and two-story models and priced from the high $300s.