"Red Ranger Came Calling" review

There’s something to be said for bucking a trend, especially one that’s as deeply ingrained as “A Christmas Carol.”

The Aurora Fox’s regional premiere of “Red Ranger Calling: A Guaranteed True Christmas Story” is a refreshing offering in an otherwise repetitive holiday theater season, one that includes seven productions of Charles Dickens’ story on stages across the Denver metro area. Based on the children’s book by cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, “Ranger” is a dynamic alternative; the musical combines the wry feel of its source material with a catchy score and compelling performances.

Further Afield Theater Reviews -- "Shrek the Musical" at the Denver Center

"Shrek The Musical"

Until Nov. 28 at the Buell Theater

1101 13th St., Denver

Tickets start at $15

For more information, log on to www.denvercenter.org

Two and a half stars out of four

An admirable message underlies the pageantry and special effects in "Shrek: The Musical."

Dig deeper than the puppets, the costumes and the stream expensive scenery, and the main theme of the film remains intact. At its heart, the show is about self-confidence and self-acceptance. It's about embracing one's inner freak and eschewing judgements based on appearances.

The message is simple enough, but it tends to get lost in a dense score and high production values in the Broadway take on the original story.

Shadow looks to make up for earlier misstep with "Nina"

The opening of "An Evening With Nina" this weekend represents a kind of do-over for the Shadow Theatre Company.

Gravity Defied extends run of "[title of show]"

The crew at Gravity Defied will extend its run of "[title of show]", offering three additional productions of the comedy-within-a-comedy at the end of the month.

Aurora Symphony Orchestra launches new season this weekend

The Aurora Symphony Orchestra is kicking off its new season with a tribute to tubas.

The orchestra's first masterworks concert, titled "Sweet and Low," will kick off at 7:30 on Nov. 6 at the Simchat Torah Beit Midrash at 19697 E. Smoky Hill Road.

Full info follows after the jump.

Gravity Defied's "[title of show]" kicks off this weekend

photo by Gabriel Christus

The Gravity Defied Theatre company's take on the creative process behind theater will hit the Fox studio theater this weekend. Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell's "[title of show]," a comedy-within-a-comedy, turns the dramatic lens on itself, detailing the sometimes torturous, sometimes inspiring journey behind writing a show.

A feature about the comedy, which opens at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 follows after the jump.

Grandview theater series kicks off

Our four-part series about "Beauty and the Beast," the fall musical at Grandview High School kicked off this week. Take a look at www.aurorasentinel.com for the full story. In the meantime, here are some photos by Gabriel Christus from the first days auditions back in August: