The metro area will see some exciting arts and entertainment offerings in 2016. Here’s a selection of upcoming events:
Atlanta History Center
It's going to be a big year for the Atlanta History Center, with a major new exhibit, new buildings and a new face.
The renovated building, with its new 30-foot atrium, invites visitors in for “Atlanta in 50 Objects,” opening Jan. 16, an exhibit that tells the city’s story through such iconic tangible items as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech manuscript and Georgia Tech’s Ramblin’ Wreck.
Grander in scale is the 7,700-square-foot exhibition “Atlanta Stories,” the center’s cornerstone exhibit on the city of Atlanta, bowing April 2. The exhibit opens at the same time as the history center’s new Souper Jenny cafe and coffee shop.
The biggest deal of all will arrive late in the year, when the new Cyclorama building is slated to open, though the monumental panoramic painting, "The Battle of Atlanta," will still be undergoing conservation. Conservators will be working in the open, and the public will be invited to watch as the painting is restored to its former glory. A glassed-in passageway to the new building will contain the civil war locomotive the Texas.
10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, noon-5:30 p.m. Sundays. $16.50 adults, $13 seniors and students, $11 youth, under 4 free. Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-814-4000, atlantahistorycenter.com.
Bo Emerson
Bruce Springsteen
The perennial road warrior didn’t plan to tour behind his recently released “The Ties That Bind: The River Collection,” but he figured he might as well round up the E Street gang for a quick, nine-week run to celebrate one of the stateliest offerings in his catalog.
The band won't be quite as big as the last time Springsteen visited Atlanta in 2014, but that doesn't mean they'll be mellow. Each night of this tour will be mixed for release on live.brucespringsteen.net as high-quality downloads and CDs. Recordings will be available within days of each performance. Also, since guitarist Nils Lofgren had to answer to the big Boss, he's had to cancel his solo tour, which included a January date at Variety Playhouse.
7:30 p.m. Feb. 18. $59-$154. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com.
Melissa Ruggieri
Georgia Aquarium sea lion exhibit
The Georgia Aquarium turned 10 in November and will celebrate the milestone with a series of upgrades and changes in 2016. The biggest is the $40 million sea lion gallery slated to open in the first part of the year. It marks the return of the whiskered, eared seals, which were relocated to other facilities in 2008 when work began on the dolphin exhibit. A total of 10 sea lions will be in the interactive exhibit, including new rescues Neptune and Jupiter, who came to Georgia Aquarium after they were found stranded and malnourished along the California coast.
Open daily (times vary, so check the website for the day you plan to attend). $38.95 adults 13-64, $34.95 seniors age 65 and older, and $32.95 children 3-12. Advance and online ticket discounts available. 225 Baker St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-581-4000, georgiaaquarium.org.
Melissa Ruggieri
Tracy Morgan
Actor and stand-up comic Tracy Morgan was severely injured last year in a vehicular accident, but he has made an impressive recovery. He made his first public appearance at the Emmys in September and performed admirably as host at his old stomping grounds, “Saturday Night Live,” in October. This national tour is set to run from February to May.
8 p.m. April 30. $35-$55, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 770-916-2800, cobbenergycentre.com.
Rodney Ho
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Last year, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival attracted 38,000 viewers, surpassing the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival as the largest such cinematic event.
This year, the 23-day feast of film is expected to top 40,000 in attendance, with 77 films, more than 165 screenings and seven venues, including the 2,700-seat Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
The Cobb arena will play host to the opening night film, “Remember,” a revenge thriller starring Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau.
Jan. 26-Feb. 17. Various venues. For the full lineup, go to ajff.org.
Bo Emerson
Steve Martin and Martin Short
Show-biz veterans Steve Martin and Martin Short are long-time friends who decided to go on tour together to tell jokes and sing songs. Entitled “An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life,” the show features the pair roasting each other and recounting amusing stories about their extensive film careers. Martin will play bluegrass and Short will dress up in ridiculous costumes.
7 p.m. April 24. $50-$225, Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-881-2100, foxtheatre.org.
Rodney Ho
“Disgraced”
Ayad Akhtar’s 2013 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama has been hailed as a searing commentary on Muslim identity in America. But, since the play arrived in 2012 the world has become a tenser place, and the story of the Pakistani-born attorney who tries to distance himself from his Islamic roots likely will feel more urgent than ever. Atlanta audiences will get a chance to engage in the conversation when the play begins previews at the Alliance Theatre later this month.
Meanwhile, director Susan V. Booth will lead a discussion with Akhtar at 7 p.m. Jan. 12 at the theater. The event is free, but reservations are recommended.
Jan. 27-Feb. 14. $20-$68. Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-733-5000, alliancetheatre.org/disgraced.
Wendell Brock
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
To celebrate the 100th birthday of late Atlanta Symphony Orchestra music director Robert Shaw in April, the symphony and chorus will perform “Ein Deutsches Requiem” by Johannes Brahms and the world premiere of “Zohar,” an oratorio by Jonathan Leshnoff.
Pairing the monumental “Requiem” with a new ASO commission should make for a breathtaking evening. The symphony and chorus also will take the show on the road, adding performances at the University of Georgia and New York’s Carnegie Hall to the Atlanta concerts.
8 p.m. April 14, 16. $37-$94. Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-733-5000, atlantasymphony.org.
8 p.m. April 27. $55-$65. UGA Performing Arts Center, 230 River Road, Athens. 706-542-4400, pac.uga.edu.
Jon Ross
Atlanta Ballet’s “Moulin Rouge”
The Bohemian world of the famous Parisian cabaret Moulin Rouge comes alive in the Atlanta Ballet’s production of choreographer Jorden Morris’ story ballet.
There’s little wonder why the show was a big hit when it had its Atlanta premiere in 2010. Beautiful sets, colorful costumes, a romantic story and fantastic dancing (including the can-can, of course) gave Atlanta audiences exactly what they longed for. It’s a safe bet the reprise will deliver as well.
The ballet tells the tragic love story of an aspiring young cabaret starlet caught between her love for a poor painter and the powerful and wealthy proprietor of the Moulin Rouge.
8 p.m. Feb. 5-6, 2 p.m. Feb. 6-7, 8 p.m. Feb. 11-13. $25-127. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 404-892-3303, atlantaballet.com.
Andrew Alexander
Tool
Tool isn’t prolific. In a career spanning nearly 25 years, there have been only four studio albums. It’s been nearly 10 years since the quartet released an album (2006’s “10,000 Days”), and the band’s last Atlanta-area appearance was in 2012.
That’s why the upcoming stop at Duluth’s Infinite Energy Arena is one of the most anticipated shows of early 2016. Talk of a new album is still just that. We’ll get it when we get it. Meanwhile, we’ll be happy with a live shot of Tool’s dark-edged and art-damaged metal.
7:30 p.m. Jan. 25. $59.50-$79.50. Infinite Energy Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. 770-626-2464, infiniteenergycenter.com.
Shane Harrison
Madonna
Atlanta originally was one of the first dates on the Rebel Heart tour, until production issues bumped back the launch date. Now, we’re at the tail end of the North American jaunt that already has earned the indefatigable singer more than $80 million from 45 concerts performed through Dec. 10.
Fans will hear many selections from her underrated “Rebel Heart” album, but those who still prefer old-school Madonna should have plenty of reason to get into the groove. Her set list, which doesn’t vary much between shows, has included “Holiday,” “Who’s That Girl” and a medley featuring “Lucky Star” and “Dress You Up.”
8 p.m. Jan. 20. $44-$359. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com.
Melissa Ruggieri
“Vik Muniz” and “Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks”
Two renowned contemporary artists will get in-depth treatment at the High Museum of Art in highly anticipated shows opening in February.
Known for his genre-busting photographs, Brazilian-born Vik Muniz will be featured in a mid-career retrospective that includes nearly 120 works. “Vik Muniz” will highlight the photographer’s use of unconventional materials to create chimerical photographs that often reference classical oil paintings and art history.
Although celebrated self-taught street artist-turned-contemporary art star Jean-Michel Basquiat died in 1988, his legacy has lived on in his influential works blending text and image. Organized by the Brooklyn Museum, “Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks” focuses on the notebooks filled with text and sketches the artist created between 1980 and 1987, which will be displayed alongside 30 paintings, drawings and mixed-media works.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays, noon-5 p.m. Sundays. Feb. 28-May 29. $19.50 adults, $16.50 students and seniors, $12 ages 6-17, free children 5 and younger and members. High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-733-4444, high.org.
Felicia Feaster
Cirque du Soleil, “Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities”
Instead of the usual fall or holiday-timed visit, the latest Cirque offering in Atlanta will launch March 3 for an open-ended run. “Kurios,” which opened in Montreal in May 2014, will be staged under the familiar blue-and-yellow big top at Atlantic Station.
The show is described in typically vague Cirque fashion: It’s set in the second half of the 19th century and named for odd characters who inhabit the Seeker’s Cabinet of Curiosities, a fantasy world where “seeing is disbelieving.” Expect the usual awe-inspiring acrobatics, garish costumes and head-trippiness.
Opens March 3. Tickets start at $35. Atlantic Station, 1380 Atlantic Drive, N.W., Atlanta. 1-877-924-7783, cirquedusoleil.com/kurios.
Melissa Ruggieri
Atlanta Opera’s “Pirates of Penzance”
Why do things always have to turn out so badly in an opera? Opera-goers typically have to deal with illness, murder, madness, suicide and lost love with nearly every visit. Those who long for something different will be well pleased with the Atlanta Opera’s “Pirates of Penzance.”
The Gilbert and Sullivan opera has tenor Matthew Newlin making his Atlanta Opera debut in the role of young Frederic, who is entering the rank of full pirate as he and his fellow pirates court the daughters of Major-General Stanley, played by baritone Curt Olds. Not only is the light-as-a-feather comedy sung in English, but no one has to die of consumption, get stabbed or even jump off a building.
8 p.m. March 5, 7:30 p.m. March 8, 8 p.m. March 11, 3 p.m. March 13. $29.53-130.47. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 404-881-8885, atlantaopera.org.
Andrew Alexander
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