Opens Saturday, Feb. 23

A love story from California’s wine country sounds irresistible. Said love story told by composer Frank Loesser (Guys and Dolls) is downright thrilling to a musical theater fan.  Tulsa Opera brings out a real winner for its second production of the season. The Most Happy Fella, a Broadway musical from 1956, comes to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 101 E. Third St. It opens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, and continues on March 1 and 3. Tony, an older Italian vineyard owner takes a big leap when he asks young waitress Rosabella to marry him. The matter is complicated – they have never met, have only corresponded for a few months, and Rosabella thinks Tony is a young, strapping lad thanks to a photo he sends to her. The Most Happy Fella is often thought to have “operatic ambitions;” in other words, much of the story is sung (but in English). We hope this one ends well for both and for Tulsa Opera. Tickets are $54-$98, available at www.myticketoffice.com. For more the show, visit tulsaopera.com.

Saturday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m.

Mixing 1950s rhythm and blues with modern rock-and-roll, J.D. McPherson has swiftly built a career on making a forgotten music form relevant and entertaining all over again. The 35-year-old Oklahoma native has captivated listeners with his debut album Signs and Signifiers, released on a national label only last April, and he’s bringing it to Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St., Tulsa. Doors open at 7 p.m. with guest act the Bellfuries. When J.D. played the Mercury Lounge in Tulsa’s Boston District last year, tickets sold out fast. True, Cain’s is considerably bigger than the Merc, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to us if his rockabilly assault closed that box office early again. Tickets are $15-$25. Get them at www.cainsballroom.com.
 

Beginning Friday, Feb. 22

If you want to know what the experience of the two-weekend New Genre Festival is like, all you need is to hear these titles: Temple Hive, Transient Spaces, Strange Planet. For 20 years, Living Arts of Tulsa has brought pioneering artists to Tulsa presenting work that has perplexed and provoked. This year’s continues the tradition of breaking through traditional forms of art that might have separated dance from music from visuals from theater. The festival opens Friday, Feb. 22, with the art installations Transient Spaces and Temple Hive at Living Arts of Tulsa, 307 E. Brady St., as well as the 60-minute dance theater Strange Planet from the Jordan Fuchs Dance Company at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 110 E. Second St. Some call the works “revolutionary,” others are less enthusiastic. But New Genre is nothing less than a gift to Tulsa. The festival continues through March 2 at various venues. Visit www.livingarts.org for a schedule, locations and ticket and pass information.
 

Sunday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.

When the 85th Academy Awards airs Sunday night, will you be on your couch in sweat pants with a bowl of popcorn, or will you be dazzling? We thought so. Tulsa’s Wolfgang Puck Bistro, 3330 S. Peoria Ave., in Brookside hosts “A Taste of the Red Carpet” Sunday, Feb. 24. Show up at 7 p.m. to watch movie stars and entertainers escape their limo prisons and traipse the path into the Dolby Theater for the biggest night in film. The fun begins locally at 7:30 p.m., when the restaurant will serve dinner featuring plates and goodies created for this year’s Governors Ball, the official Oscars after-party catered by Mr. Puck himself for the last 19 years. Tickets are $75 per person. To purchase, call 918.292.8585.
 

Opens Saturday, Feb. 23

Following a particularly brutal election season, Theatre North presents August Wilson’s study of local politics and its impact on a friendship. Harmond has just inherited a real estate agency from his father. He also has plans to redevelop Pittsburgh’s Hill District with help from his friend Roosevelt and to run for election as the city’s first African American mayor. When legal questions over the acquisition of a Hill District property arise, the friendship and Harmond’s marriage are tested. Set in the 1990s, Radio Golf is the final installment of Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, a series of 10 plays (each set in a different decade) exploring African-American life in the U.S. throughout the 20th century. Theatre North presents the dynamic and often humorous work in the Charles E. Norman Theatre of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 110 E. Second St. Opening night is 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. The play continues Sunday, Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. and at 8 p.m. March 1-2. Tickets are $14, available at www.myticketoffice.com.
 

As is the case with all great music, a great album will often continue to gain fans long after its release and long following the big tour’s end. For stormy British rock legends The Who, 1973’s Quadrophenia, a richly textured rock opera about a restless London teen named Jimmy in 1965, is the kind of album that classic rock aficionados wish they could have heard played live (but were born too late) or could hear it again. Fortunately, Quadrophenia reigns again when Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and the band (sans, of course, late original members John Entwistle and Keith Moon) play the double album in its entirety along with other Who classics at the BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. Show opens at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14 with special guest act Vintage Trouble opening. Tickets are $39.50-$129.50, available at the BOK Center box office and online at www.bokcenter.com

Saturday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m.

Is it just us, or is it hard to imagine a world without Dwight Yoakam? That peek from under the down-turned brim of his hat, the funky shuffling, second-skin jeans and a rockin’ version of country music that even Nashville didn’t know what to do with – Dwight is a musician’s hero. The effortless Yoakam returns to Tulsa on tour for his newest album, 3 Pears, for a show at the Hard Rock Tulsa Hotel & Casino, 777 W. Cherokee St. Tickets are $45-$65, and doors open at 7 p.m. in the Joint. To purchase, visit the casino’s site at www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com.
 

Saturday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m.

Rick Springfield has been rather unfairly branded a “one-hit-wonder.” The fact is the former soap star (Dr. Noah Drake from General Hospital) and Grammy Award winner (Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1982) has had a few more hit songs besides Jessie’s Girl for which he’s rarely given credit. Remember I’ve Done Everything for You and Love Somebody? Even stronger testament to his longevity on the music scene, Springfield has been touring seemingly nonstop for several years and recording new albums for the fans that have stayed with him through the good and the sad. They’ll be out when Springfield plays River Spirit Casino Event Center, 8330 Riverside Parkway. Show is at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, and general admission tickets are $40. Visit www.riverspirittulsa.com to purchase.
 

Thursday, Feb. 14

Valentine’s Day is for lovers – lovers of art, music, food and fun. Whether you’re planning a night out with your significant other or counting on fun with your best buds, check out these happenings.

• Valentine’s Dinner and Dance: The buffet is steamy and the atmosphere romantic at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, which hosts dinner and dancing at its fabulous Persimmon Hill restaurant, 1700 NE 63rd St., from 6-10 p.m. Tickets are $44.95 each, and reservations are required. You’ll find the menu and other information at www.nationalcowboymuseum.org.
• David Phelps in concert: Christian vocalist David Phelps has been known to tug a few heart strings with his versatile voice. The singer formerly with the Gaither Vocal Band performs at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center, 701 S. Main St., Broken Arrow, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20-$40, available at www.thepacba.com.
• Tranfigured Love: Chamber music group Tulsa Camerata (shown) tells three different stories (and ideas) of love at its next concert. Leoš Janá?ek’s String Quartet No. 2 Intimate Letters, Carter Pann’s Nicky’s Trio, and Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht set the mood while La Villa Restaurant set the tables for dinner at Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Road. White wine reception is at 5:45 p.m., and music starts at 7:30 p.m. General admission is $20. Go to philbrook.org for more.
• Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Dance: Jeff Shadley and his band sizzle at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and Jazz Depot, 111 E. First St., Tulsa. The vocalist, trumpeter and band leader gets his big band swinging so you can, too, at 7 p.m. with complimentary champagne and dessert! Admission is $15-$20 (reserved tables). Call 918.281.8609 or visit www.okjazz.org for more.
• Group Sex with the Crispy Family Carnival: For the adventuresome, Club 209 presents an art show with humor and naughty appeal. Performance art that is adults-only blends with carnival show attractions and erotic visual art in this night that also benefits Tulsa CARES (www.tulsacares.org). Group Sex: A Cheeky Exploration of the Steamier Side of Love begins at 10 p.m. at 209 N. Boulder Ave., Tulsa. For more, visit www.club209tulsa.com.