Alice in Wonderland, classical strings and the American Dream: Detroit's arts weekend
This weekend's arts offerings in metro Detroit include great options for art lovers and collectors, theatergoers and classical music fans.
Beauty from tragedy
Playground Detroit’s newest visual art exhibition, Keto Green’s “Against It All,” debuts Saturday with an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. at the gallery. Born and raised in Detroit, Green is a homeless man “living in a city full of drive and change, and overcoming poverty while trying to make a difference.” He paints in bright colors on found objects and depicts figurative and scenic images based on painful memories from his childhood, including the loss of a brother to suicide. Green uses his artwork to uplift viewers and spread awareness of mental illness.
Playground Detroit, 2845 Gratiot Ave., Detroit. 313-649-7741. www.playgrounddetroit.com.
A dream still deferred
In playwright Lynn Nottage’s “Sweat,” a group of Reading, Pennsylvania, factory workers struggles with life and loyalty in a failing economy and a rapidly changing industry. The play, which opened earlier this month at Detroit Repertory Theatre, won a Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for being “a nuanced yet powerful drama that reminds audiences of the stacked deck still facing workers searching for the American Dream.”
Detroit Repertory Theatre, 13103 Woodrow Wilson St., Detroit. 313-868-1347. detroitreptheatre.com. Runs through June 25. Advance tickets $25, same-day tickets $30. Theater opens one hour before curtain and shows begin exactly on time; latecomers will not be seated.
Grosse Pointe Art Fair
The Grosse Pointe Art Fair takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club on Lake St. Clair in conjunction with the Great Lakes Boating Festival. Beautiful boats and yachts will be docked along the piers and live music and food will be offered while dozens of award-winning artists sell paintings, sculptures, fiber art, jewelry and more. The event is free and open to the public, but the venue charges $20 for onsite parking to benefit the Grosse Pointe Youth Nautical Education Foundation. Free parking is available at Parcells Middle School (20600 Mack Ave.), with a free shuttle operating from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, 788 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Shores. 734-476-1772. www.grossepointeartfair.com.
Juilliard String Quartet returns
The world-renowned Juilliard String Quartet returns to Chamber Music Detroit for its eighth consecutive annual appearance Saturday. The 8 p.m. performance at Beverly Hills’ Seligman Performing Arts Center will also feature pianist Michelle Cann in a program that includes Schumann’s famed piano quintet as well as pieces by Mendelssohn and Tyson Gholston Davis.
Seligman Performing Arts Center, 22305 West Thirteen Mile,, Beverly Hills. 313-335-3300. www.chambermusicdetroit.org. In-person tickets for the nearly sold-out event start at $25; digital tickets available for $12.
Jazz organ triumph
Mighty jazz organist Gerard Gibbs will play two sets on Friday and Saturday nights at Cliff Bell’s with his combo, ORGANized Crime. A 35-year veteran of the keys, Gibbs was mentored by the late, great Richard (Groove) Holmes and tours nationally and internationally, playing piano, keyboards and organ for Detroit saxophonist James Carter. Shows are at 7:30 and 9:30 both nights.
Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit. 313-961-2543. cliffbells.com. $25 admission.
Through the looking glass
Mosaic Youth Theatre “Alice & the New Wonderful” reframes the story of Lewis Carroll’s Alice and her journey through Wonderland. It's getting its world premiere in Detroit with performances Saturday and Sunday. Award-winning playwright Idris Goodwin penned the adaptation, which includes original music and a fresh perspective performed by more than 60 youth actors, singers and technicians under the direction of Edmund Alyn Jones.
Detroit Institute of Arts – Detroit Film Theatre, 5200 Woodward,, Detroit. 313-872-6910. www.mosaicdetroit.org/tickets. Tickets start at $10.
Virtuoso violin
Acclaimed violinist and MacArthur Fellow Leila Josefowicz will join the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on Friday and Saturday evenings for a performance of Helen Grime’s wild violin concerto. Composer and conductor Daníel Bjarnason will also lead the orchestra through his own “Blow Bright,” as well as Mendelssohn’s Third Symphony.
Orchestra Hall, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 313-576-5111. www.dso.org. Tickets start at $19.
Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's arts weekend: Juilliard quartet, Pulitzer-winning play
