Amarillo tenor Eric Barry has been waiting for years for this. Not just playing the central role in Amarillo Opera’s Pagliacci on Saturday, but also getting to play a villain.
“It’s unlike any role that I’ve ever done,” Barry told me in a recent phone conversation. “In terms of operatic tenors, I sing all the romantic roles, the Boehmes, the Traviatas, where I’m singing these beautiful tenor lines and the famous arias.
“In this one, I get to be the bad boy, which is kind of nice,” he continued. “I get to become somebody totally different. It’s the complete opposite of my reality, so it’s fun to play make believe for an hour and a half and become this character.”
And though it’s one of the towering roles in the opera canon, it’s one Barry has yet to tackle—and he can’t wait to hit the stage.
“This is one of the only operas that I have studied where I get to the end and, every single time, whether it’s in a lesson or whether I’m just going over the score in my head, that I get goosebumps when I get to the last two pages,” he said. “It is so intense.”
The Opera will stage Pagliacci at 5 p.m. Saturday in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St. Tickets are $44 to $109, plus service fees.
Immediately following the performance, the Opera will host its Under the Big Top gala fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. in the Embassy Suites ballroom, 550 S. Buchanan St. Tickets are $225, including an opera ticket. Call 806-372-7464.
Amarillo Little Theatre closes out its Adventure Space season with Lauren Gunderson’s historical drama Silent Sky, on stage Thursday through April 19.
Set in the early 1900s, the play brings to life the true story of Henrietta Leavitt (played by Natalie Lawson), hired to work at the Harvard Observatory as a human computer—literally, someone hired to compute complex equations. She and her fellow computers are not allowed to actually use the telescope (shades of Hidden Figures, some 50 or so years later), but Henrietta and her team figure out a way to calculate the distance between stars. (Full disclosure: I’m an ALT board member, though not involved with this particular production.)
“Not only is it about real people and girl power, which I love, the script deals with real-life events, and it’s so well written,” said director Carrie Huckabay. “(Gunderson) is amazing. Her writing is witty, and it’s succinct.”
Like most, Huckabay had never heard of Henrietta or her fellow computers.
“I had no idea. I had no idea because history is written by the winners, right?,” she said. “Nobody knew about these women, nobody put them forward to be lauded. I think that’s a shame.”
Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and April 16 to 18, plus 2:30 p.m. Sunday and April 19 in the Adventure Space, 2751 Civic Circle. Ticket prices vary. Call 806-355-9991.
This week’s other can’t-miss options:
Cameron James Smith: 6 p.m. Tuesday; Walk On’s Sports Bistreaux, 3506 Soncy Road; 806-398-2003
WT Bad Poetry Competition: 7 p.m. Tuesday; Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex Recital; free; mharrison@wtamu.edu
Keep Us Live! From Bach to Rock & Everything in Between: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; Concert Hall Theatre on the Washington Street campus; free; 806-371-5340
Wine, Women & Shoes: 6 p.m. Thursday; Arts in the Sunset, 3701 Plains Blvd.; tickets $125, limited availability; 806-358-8177
Yellow City Comic Con Pint Night: 6 p.m. Thursday; 575 Pizzeria, 2803 Civic Circle; 806-322-5575
Garry L. Nall Lecture Series with Iris Jamahl Dunkle: 7 p.m. Thursday; Jack B. Kelley Student Center Legacy Hall at WT; free; 806-651-5238
AC/WT Art Exhibition Opening: 6:30 p.m. Friday; Amarillo Museum of Art, 2200 S. Van Buren St.; 806-371-5050
Dave McNeir and Bergundi Rose: 7 p.m. Friday; Beef O’Brady’s, 7306 S.W. 34th Ave.; 806-358-0997
An Evening with Kenny G: 7 p.m. Friday; Amarillo Civic Center Complex Auditorium, 401 S. Buchanan St.; tickets $70 to $160, plus service fees; 806-378-3096
Freaky Friday: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; Branding Iron Theatre in WT’s Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex; tickets $20 adults, $15 seniors; 806-651-2810
Harrington String Quartet: 7:30 p.m. Friday; Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall at West Texas A&M University; tickets $20; 806-651-2840
Hayden Labrier: 8 p.m. Friday; Golden Light Beer & Wine Garden, 6014 S. Western St.; 806-221-2337
Plemons Bridge: 8 p.m. Friday; Idol Art Studio, 1201 S. Polk St.; 806-236-4128
Whiskey Myers: 8 p.m. Friday; The Lumberyard, 850 N. 23rd St. in Canyon; tickets $53 to $159, plus fees; 806- 804-3000
DJ Chancho: 9 p.m. Friday; Western Horseman Club, 2501 E. Interstate 40; 806-379-6555, Ext. 2999
Tiny Joy with Kenzie Crabtree: 9 p.m. Friday; Golden Light Cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave.; cover; 806-374-9237
Steel N Time Auto Show: 11 a.m. Saturday; AutoNation Chevrolet, 2200 E. Interstate 40; free
Black Tie Revolt with Tiny Joy: 6 p.m. Saturday; Sad Monkey Mercantile, 9800 Texas Highway 217; 800-692-1338
Emo Revival Night: 7 p.m. Saturday; Atomic Yellow, 3701 Plains Blvd.; tickets $20 and up; atomicyellowict@gmail.com
Songwriters in the Round: 7 p.m. Saturday; Chalice Abbey, 2717 Stanley St., Suite A; $15 suggested donation; 806-576-2480
Sunset in the Desert opening: 7 p.m. Saturday; Nina Lune Art Gallery, 601 S. Prospect St.; free; 806-341-1934
Trivia Night: 7 p.m. Friday; Shark Beach Burgers, 1505 E. Farm-to-Market Road 1151; 806-335-5644
Indego with Stealing Handshakes and Derek Porterfield: 9 p.m. Saturday; Golden Light Cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave.; cover; 806-374-9237
The James Cook Band: 9 p.m. Saturday; Western Horseman Club, 2501 E. Interstate 40; 806-379-6555, Ext. 2999
Sirkiss: 9 p.m. Saturday; Broken Spoke Lounge, 3101 S.W. Sixth Ave.; no cover; 806-373-9149
Wine Run 5K: 9 a.m. Sunday; Bar Z Winery, 19290 Farm-to-Market Road 1541; registration $40; 806-488-2214
World Music Festival: 3 p.m. Sunday; Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall at West Texas A&M University; free; 806-651-2840
Pro Wrestling Trivia Night: 7 p.m. Monday; Pondaseta Brewing Co., 7500 S.W. 45th Ave.; 806-418-6282
Email submissions to info@brickandelm.com.
Movie options:
Opening Thursday: Romantic comedy You, Me & Tuscany (Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive, and Cinergy, 9201 Cinergy Square)
Special engagements: The Killer reissue (Wednesday, Hollywood 16); action flick Baby Driver (Thursday, Cinergy); concert film BTS World Tour Arirang in Goyang: Live Viewing (Saturday, Hollywood 16); Jerry Maguire 30th anniversary screening (Sunday, April 14 and April 15, Hollywood 16); Secret Movie Series (Monday, Hollywood 16)
