There is always more live local theater going on than any one theatergoer could ever attend, but we haven’t has this much “highly recommendable” local theater happening all at the same time since before the pandemic. Here are just a few I can attest to:

There are plenty of important, necessary plays about immigration being presented on stages across America right now, and for good reason – Curious Theatre’s excellent mother-daughter drama “Alma” being one of them (through Feb. 18). But the DCPA Theatre Company’s “Laughs in Spanish” (through March 12) is unlike any play you’ve likely seen before. It’s an irreverent Latina mother-daughter comedy set in Miami’s upwardly mobile art scene. It has all the elements that make for a familiar family comedy – but are never told from this cultural perspective. Like a lot of new plays, this one goes off the rails in the last 15 minutes, but still: It’s  the most surprising, heartfelt and fun comedy you can see pretty much anywhere in Colorado right now.

In fact, while the cold winter months are typically when we see our most difficult and heavy-handed storytelling, there’s a lot of lighthearted comedy out there, like the Butterfly Effect Theatre of Colorado’s bittersweet “Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B,” running through Feb. 25 at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder. Playwright Kate Hamill, known for her series of very fast-moving adaptations of Jane Austen, here gives Sherlock Holmes a farcical female reboot as the world’s greatest detective investigates nefarious scandals. Why bittersweet? This is the second-to-last production of BETC’s 17th season, at which time founding partners Stephen Weitz and Rebecca Remaly will step away from the company. 

(Addition: Remaly, the company’s Managing Director, said today of the company’s future: “There are many irons in the fire. We have no news to share yet, but we are weighing several options that would keep the company very much alive.”)

Boulder’s The Catamounts has a long-running series called “Feed” that combines food and communion with live storytelling. The 27th installment in the series, called “Feed: Après,” is a uniquely Colorado theatergoing experience featuring original short pieces by Colorado writers Jessica Austgen, Felice Locker and Peter Trinh. It runs Feb. 17 through March 5, also at The Dairy Arts Center, then goes on the road to The Arts Campus at Willits in Basalt. 

For those who do like it heavy, settle in for Cherry Creek Theatre’s “Moon for the Misbegotten,” the lesser-known sequel to Eugene O’Neill’s opus “Long Day’s Journey into Night.” It’s notable for many reasons, mostly for bringing Cajardo Lindsey and Emily Paton Davies, two of the best actors in Colorado, together on the stage for the first time, both after varying absences. And Lindsey is playing Jim Tyrone, which most likely will be the first opportunity for anyone in the audience to see a Black actor playing that considerable role.

All this in addition to three winners we’ve previously told you about: Buntport Theater’s absurd comedy “The Death of Napoleon: A Play in Less Than Three Acts” (through Feb. 18); Miners Alley Playhouse’s “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” through March 5 in Golden; and Vintage Theatre’s “Sophisticated Ladies” through March 5 in Aurora. 

Clocktower Cabaret re-opens Thursday

The Clocktower Cabaret is set to reopen tonight (Thursday) after the iconic venue in the basement of the D&F Clocktower flooded from a broken pipe on Feb. 3, just two hours before what was to be a sold-out weekend. “We rode the rough waters,” said resilient co-owner Jefferson Arca. The best way to help the venue’s recovery, he added, is to simply attend an upcoming show, and the February calendar is packed with burlesque, music and other events.  

Colorado Symphony flies off Twitter

I have been following our arts organizations’ evolving relationship with social media since the modern dance company Wonderbound took a bold leap off all social platforms last summer, which spurred a national dialogue about whether arts organizations are putting too much stock, time and creative energy into producing social content. Colorado Symphony has recently left Twitter, but spokesman Nick Dobreff says the ownership change that put Elon Musk in charge had nothing to do with the decision. “We deactivated our Twitter account because it was no longer serving our needs,” he said. “Most of our followers are on Facebook and Instagram, so that’s where our resources are being directed.”

Meanwhile, the Symphony’s new Artist Imagination Series, a year in the works, will next feature RZA presenting “36 Chambers of Shaolin and A Ballet Through Mud,” which will endeavor to bridge the gap between classical and contemporary music by fusing Shaolin alongside a brand-new RZA work. It’s Feb. 17-18 at Boettcher Music Hall. Nathaniel Rateliff’s new take on Harry Nilsson’s classic album “A Little Touch of Schmilsson” follows March 3-4.

How artsy are your mayoral candidates?

Care about the arts and looking for a (sort of) shortcut on the upcoming, 17-candidate Denver mayor’s race? The Colorado Business Committee for the Arts produced an artscentric questionnaire that was returned by 14 candidates. Each was asked to lay out their arts platforms and explain how the arts will continue to play a role in the economic engine of the city, how the city will support artists amid rising real-estate values and the continuing gentrification of Denver, and talk about the city’s role in advancing equity and social justice in the arts. You can download the whole thing here.

It’s worth a full read, and while it might not make up your mind, it should leave anyone who reads it encouraged that Denver will again be run by a pro-arts mayor who understands, as the CBCA has said, that arts and culture are responsible for $2.3 billion in regional economic activity. But they need to be nurtured and funded, and the candidate field for the most part gets that. 

Two big museum openings

Being relatively new to covering Denver’s fine-art world (as opposed to my comfort zone in the performing arts), I still find it challenging to understand when an art opening is not just a big deal – but a really big deal. Here are two I am fairly sure are really big deals:

The Denver Art Museum will unveil a groundbreaking exhibit called “Speaking with Light: Contemporary Indigenous Photography” on Feb. 19. It’s one of the first major museum surveys anywhere to explore the practices of Indigenous photographers over the past three decades. The 30-plus featured artists use photography to investigate Indigenous worldviews through the exploration of history, loss, identity and representation. The exhibit will be on view in the Hamilton Building’s Gallagher Family Gallery through May 21.

Also: The Kirkland Museum’s 20th anniversary celebration begins with Vance Kirkland’s “Cosmos,” opening Feb. 15 at 1201 Bannock St. During the last half of his estimable career, Kirkland’s paintings made a break from the earthly environment to explore outer space, first with his Nebulae paintings. His early interest in space dating to 1954 notably pre-dated the 1957 launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik that kicked off the international space race. “I am trying to paint something I do not know exists in a tangible way,” Kirkland said in 1977. “If I am looking at space, who is going to say that it never existed? It has existed in my mind.” “Cosmos” will be on display through May 28.

Briefly …

Julian Rubinstein’s Denver documentary “The Holly,” which was released at the Sie FilmCenter last Friday, must have done well in its only guaranteed week, because it’s now being held over through at least Feb. 16 …

Denver Film is offering a new series for Black History Month called “Black History Sounds Like: The ’90s Film Edition!” Next up: “The Bodyguard,” screening at 6:45 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 11). The series is in partnership with Black Pride Colorado,Color of Noize,Cleo Parker Robinson Dance and others.  

And finally …

Another reason to see Vintage Theatre’s “Sophisticated Ladies” is to see resilience in action. Musician J. Michael Young had been through plenty long before he had a COVID-related stroke last May. After eight days in the hospital and lots of occupational and physical therapy, Young is back in the pit for the first time playing the trumpet in Vintage’s salute to the music of Duke Ellington. His message to one and all: “Never give up!”