Monday, Dec. 29
Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals play the Hard Rock Tulsa Hotel & Casino, 777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa, on Monday, Dec. 29. The founder of ‘60s rock outfit The Rascals, Cavaliere and his new band mates play some of the band’s biggest hits, including “Groovin’” and “Good Lovin.’” The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member takes the stage at 8 p.m., and tickets are $35-$40 at www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com.
Saturday, Dec. 27-Tuesday, Dec. 30
The Tulsa Holiday Circuit welcomes the best quarter horses and their riders to Expo Square for a weekend of horsemanship excellence. The 2014 Winter Circuit Show starts Saturday, Dec. 27, with calf roping, breakaway, heading, boxing and other working horse categories. Judged competitions in barrels, stakes and poles begin at 6 p.m. The show continues through Tuesday, Dec. 30, with riding competitions and more. Events take place in the Ford Truck Arena and Mustang Arena at Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St., Tulsa; and events are free and open to the public to watch. For a schedule of events, visit www.tulsaholidaycircuit.com.
Ends Jan. 4
Step up to the challenge of Santa’s Adventures and an array of holiday-themed apparatuses for the holidays. Riversport Adventures in Oklahoma City’s Boathouse District dresses up its contraptions and features – get ready for the SandRidge Santa Zip zipline, the North Pole Climb skytrail and slide, the Candy Cane Rock Wall and more. Santa’s Adventures continues at 725 S. Lincoln Blvd., in Oklahoma City. Day passes are $35. Hours are 1 to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Jan. 4. Riversport Adventures will resume normal operations following the holidays. For more, visit www.boathousedistrict.org.
Opens Tuesday, Dec. 30
Satire and musical theater create Tony Award-winning entertainment in the Broadway hit play The Book of Mormon, opening Tuesday, Dec. 30, at Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall.
About a pair of young missionaries sent to a small, rural village in Uganda on a mission for the Mormon church, The Book of Mormon, which debuted on Broadway in 2011, has amused, perplexed and even provoked. The play was created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone of television’s South Park with Robert Lopez, the co-composer and co-lyricist of another Broadway hit, Avenue Q.
If Parker and Stone are less acquainted with live theater, they’re old hat at blasting political correctness, and The Book of Mormon takes plenty of opportunities to do just that. Devout young men Elder Kevin Price and Elder Arnold Cunningham are sent to Uganda to fulfill a two-year mission – mandatory for those of the Mormon faith. Straight off the plane, the naïve and upbeat pair run into members of a local militia headed by a warlord. In their assigned village, they meet the residents, whose lives are constantly under threat of punishment and death. While the people of their temporary home deal with excruciating poverty, famine, disease and war, the awkward missionaries optimistically strike out to convert locals but soon encounter inner conflict in the harsh new setting.
Although the play has had its criticisms for its depiction of the villagers as one-note, uncomplicated souls facing daily horrors with bravery, The Book of Mormon has largely been hailed. It won nine Tony Awards, including the one for Best Musical, as well as top honors from the Drama Desk Awards and the Laurence Olivier Award.
The play went through a long development period as the South Park pals, who have explored religion and Mormonism through their long-running Comedy Central animated show, developed it with Lopez. To be sure, The Book of Mormon looks at the very real atrocities many people in the world know too well, but not every satire or musical is as adept at highlighting the irony of those who try to heal the world without understanding its underpinnings or even their own problems.
The Book of Mormon opens at 7:30 p.m. in the Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre of the downtown Oklahoma City music hall, 201 N. Walker Ave. The play runs daily through Jan. 4 with matinee performances scheduled over the weekend. Tickets to The Book of Mormon are $35-$85, available at www.myticketoffice.com.
Wednesday, Dec. 31
The family-oriented New Year’s Eve celebration is back all over downtown Oklahoma City. Opening Night will feature more than 25 of the city’s favorite musical acts and live performers in everything from concerts to theater and comedy. This year’s event is free for children under age 5, $8 in advance and $10 at the event. For more information about the countdown, the Finale 5k Run and more, go to www.artscouncilokc.com.
Starts Wednesday, Dec. 31
Get ready for the fastest micro sprint cars in the world at the 2015 Speedway Motors Tulsa Shootout. The 30th annual race event begins Wednesday, Dec. 31, at the River Spirit Expo at Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St., in Tulsa. This precursor to the Chili Bowl Nationals midget car racing event draws competitors and fans from around the world. Practice rounds start Wednesday morning, but heat races takes place evenings through Jan. 3. Tickets start at $15 each day, and information is available at www.tulsashootout.com.
Opens Saturday, Dec. 31
The countdown to 2015 beats to the rhythm of a center drum. The 14th Annual New Year’s Eve Sobriety Powwow starts at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, at the Cox Business Center, 100 Civic Center, in downtown Tulsa. Hosted by the Friends of Sobriety, the powwow will feature gourd dancing until 4:30 p.m. followed by a supper break. Gourd dancing resumes at 6 p.m. followed by the grand entry of American Indian dancers at 7 p.m. Look for dance competitions in multiple categories throughout the night. The event is free and open to the public.
Saturday, Dec. 20
Get ready to jam for the holidays with San Francisco-based band Tea Leaf Green, Tulsa’s own Red Dirt Rangers and the Mike Hosty Duo from Norman. The 19th Annual Red Dirt Christmas brings rock, Americana and Red Dirt sounds to the stage at Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St., in downtown Tulsa. The show starts at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, and tickets are $18-$33, available at www.cainsballroom.com.
Opens Sunday, Dec. 21
Gilcrease Museum opens a new exhibition created to showcase some of its smaller, yet significant works. Frontier to Foundry: The Making of Small Bronze Sculpture in the Gilcrease Collection will include pieces by such artists as Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell among others. The display will also reveal the history of and advances American artists made in the field of bronze casting craft in the latter half of the 19th century. Frontier to Foundry opens on Sunday, Dec. 21, at Gilcrease, 1400 N. Gilcrease Museum Road, in Tulsa. The exhibition remains up through March. For more information about it and special tours scheduled on Jan. 17, Feb. 8 and March 3, go online to www.gilcrease.utulsa.edu.
Opens Monday, Dec. 22
War and conflict as seen through the eyes of artists is the subject of a new art exhibition opening Monday, Dec. 22, at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum or Art. Beyond the Battlefield: Depictions of War reveals visions of war as heroic and valorous as well as tragic and absurd in a show presented in conjunction with the University of Oklahoma School of Drama. In April, three performances have been scheduled of the one-act play Eliot, a Soldier’s Fugue, but until then, guests will be able to view paintings, prints and photos delivering a variety of perspectives on the subject. The museum is located at 555 Elm Ave., Norman, on the OU campus. Beyond the Battlefield continues through May 10. For more information, visit www.ou.edu/fjjma.
Month after month, we present a colorful kaleidoscope of the people, places and culture that make Oklahoma such a fascinating place.
© Oklahoma Magazine
