Art Gallery

By Kevin Lee Associate Editor

What: Blithe Spirit

Where:JJP Playhouse- 11 S. Carlen St.

Dates:Jan. 19-21; Jan. 26-28

Showtimes: evenings -8 p.m.; matinees -2 p.m.

Admission:$20; students & active military- $15; students -$5

In Midtown, the Joe Jefferson Players are dipping into the sizable wellspring of Noel Coward for inspiration. The Coward comedy Blithe Spirit is featured by the historic troupe on Jan. 19-21 and Jan. 26-28.

The 1941 comedy follows novelist Charles Condomine as he holds a séance during research for his next work. Things go off track when the eccentric medium stirs up the spirit of Condomine’s dead wife who is visible only to him, a scenario none too welcome by the writer’s current spouse.

The Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8:00 p.m. and the Sunday matinee curtain rises at 2:00 p.m.. The Joe Jefferson Playhouse is located at 11 S. Carlen St. and tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and active military and $5 for students.

For more information, phone 251-471-1534 or go to www.jjp.net

What: Greater Tuna – The Comedy with “Tex” Appeal

Where:Mobile Theatre Guild, 14 N. Lafayette St.

Dates: Jan. 19, 20, 21

Showtimes: Fri & Sat- 8 p.m. ; Sun. -2 p.m.

Admission: $14; senior citizens and military – $12; students -$8

As long as the weather is wintry, it’s a good time to enjoy the coziness of a theater and luckily there are a few selections to choose from in the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras season.

On January 19, 20 and 21 the Mobile Theatre Guild will present their version of Greater Tuna, a self-proclaimed redneck comedy which boasts the talents of an extraordinarily small cast. The satirical show starts and closes with an AM radio broadcast and in between takes the audience through the homes and lives of the inhabitants of Tuna, Texas, the third smallest town in the Lone Star State where-according to the authors – “the Lion’s Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies.” Twenty of Tuna’s residents are portrayed by only two actors, Jake Coleman and Chris Spencer.

For more information, call 251-433-7513 or go to www.mobiletheatreguild.org

What: Weekend Comedy

Where:Theatre 98, 350 Morphy Ave., Fairhope

Dates:Jan. 26-28; Jan. 31, Feb. 1-4

Showtimes: evening -8 p.m.; matinee 2:30 p.m.

Admission: $15; students -$10

On the other side of Mobile Bay, Fairhope’s Theatre 98 offers a rendition of Weekend Comedy for the Eastern Shore. The play runs the weekend of Jan. 26-28, then picks up again on Wed., Jan. 31 and continues through the first four days of February.

The play centers a rustic cabin in the Catskills that is mistakenly double-booked for a weekend. Both couples-one older and more conservative , one younger and more free-spirited-refuse to back out of their plans and end up sharing the cottage, some laughs and some life lessons along the way.

Adult tickets are $15 and student tickets are $10. Non-season ticket holders may begin making ticket reservations on Monday, Jan. 21.

For more info, call 251-928-4366.

What: MOJO Jazz Jambalaya

Where:Gulf City Lodge, 601 State St., Mobile

Dates: Mon., Jan. 22; 6:30 p.m.

Admission: $8; $5 for MOJO members

When musical revolutionary Miles Davis formed his second quintet in the early 1960s, he selected a group of youngsters who would go on to shape jazz and other musical forms in the decades to come. Two of those wunderkinds, saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Herbie Hancock, will be featured by the Mystic Order of the Jazz Obsessed as the focus of their January Jazz Jambalaya.

Shorter became one of the most influential songsmiths in the history of jazz and both he and Hancock branched out into jazz fusion in the coming decades with Hancock scoring some crossover hits in the pop music field in later decades.

Former Renaissance Café owner/local drummer Jim Marshall is developing the program. MOJO’s Jazz Jambalaya series, blending performances with educational components, is beginning its fourth year and currently holds the distinction as the only monthly jazz program available in the Azalea City.

As usual, food is included with the entrance fee and a cash bar is available.

For further information, call 251-459-2298 or e-mail mobilejazz@bellsouth.net

Kevin Lee is Lagniappe associate editor. Contact him at klee@lagniappemobile.com.

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