Feature: Valentine's Day and Beyond: Shows to See in Northern NM this February

Looking for something romantic to do for Valentine's Day? Maybe this is a year where romance isn't on the menu, and you want something a little more cathartic or dramatic. Perhaps you're just in the mood to laugh. Luckily, regardless of where your emotions lie this February 14th, there is a show for you to see in northern New Mexico; in fact, there are a PLETHORA of shows this February!

Let's start with the big heart love story/big budget night out. Grab some tickets for the 20th anniversary National Tour of RENT, which hits Popejoy Hall in Albuquerque February 14 - 17. Based loosely on Puccini's La Boheme, the rock musical follows the lives of a group of artists who live and love under the specter of the AIDS virus. Please don't let Fox TV's Rent Live steer you away - this is a show to be experienced in person to be appreciated!

What about a little Shakespeare for your holiday? Join Oasis Theatre's production of The Winter's Tale, playing in Santa Fe at Annex A (next to Teatro Paraguas) January 31- February 17. A tyrannous leader becomes jealous of his best friend and envious of his virtuous pregnant wife. In typical Shakespearian fashion, false accusations, mistaken identities and many presumptions abound. In this classic tale of love gone wrong, Shakespeare looks at jealousy's destructive nature and how the power of love can ultimately prevail.

How about a comedy? Based loosely on Neil Simon's own experiences writing for Sid Caesar in the 1950s, Laughter on the 23rd Floor takes us inside the writer's room of a weekly comedy-variety show starring Max Prince. The action is told through the eyes of Simon's own alter-ego Lucas Brickman. The play focuses on the relationships of the writers through good times and bad, as well as through the lens of the McCarthy era. Laughter on the 23rd Floor plays January 25 - February 24 at the Adobe Theater in Albuquerque.

For a comedy of a different kind, go see We Are Hispanic-American Women, Okay? by Patricia Crespin, playing February 7-24 at Teatro Paraguas in Santa Fe. Originally staged ten years ago to the month by Paraguas, this revival is a hilarious, heartfelt romp about sisterhood, generational wisdom, and body politics. Over the course of the play, four generations of women argue, confront and explore in both English and Spanglish what it means to be a Latina in this day and age.

For more dark female humor, check out Lysistrata: A Woman's Translation by Drue Robinson, a humorous and updated take on the famous Greek play by Aristophanes. Find out how powerful a group of women can be in the face of a world hell-bent on death, war and destruction. The Vortex Theater in Albuquerque presents Lysistrata: A Woman's Translation February 8 - March 3.

In Santa Fe, and opening on Valentine's Day, Just Say It Theater presents The Big Heartless, a new play by Dale Dunn. The play explores the intricate relationships of a lonely teenager, her grandparents, her neighbor Mac and Mac's nephew, a boy seeking refuge from a tough-love program. The play was a semi-finalist in the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and a finalist at Actors Theater of Louisville's Humana Festival. The show runs through March 3rd at Warehouse 21.

Last but not least, did you know that The Real James Bond Was....Dominican! It's true, at least according to a new production playing at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque February 14 - 17. The show follows a Dominican boy in Queens and how his imagination and obsession with James Bond takes him on a journey of self-discovery and helps him figure out his place in the world. Based on a true story, the one-man show is written and performed by Chris Rivas.

Love, loss, laughter and more await you this February - now go out and see a show, New Mexico!

TICKETS AND THEATER INFORMATION: New Mexico Theater - February 2019

RENT; 20th Anniversary Tour

Popejoy Hall

February 15-17

Tickets https://unmtickets.entaus.com 877-664-8661 or 505-925-5858

A Winter's Tale

Oasis Theatre

Annex A, 3250 Calle Marie Suite A (Next to Teatro Paraguas)

January 31 - February 17

Tickets $25

Reservations: www.TheOasisTheatre.com

Laughter on the 23rd Floor

Adobe Theater

9813 4th Street NW, Albuquerque

January 25 - February 24

Tickets: $17 - $20

505-898-9222 https://adobetheater.org/reservations/

We are Hispanic Women, OK?

Teatro Paraguas

3250 Calle Marie, Suite B, Santa Fe

Tickets $12 - $20 Reservations: 424-1601 or through BrownPaperTickets.com

Lysistrata: A Woman's Translation

February 8 - March 3

The Vortex Theatre, Albuquerque

Tickets $24 Reservations: 505-247-8600 http://vortexabq.org/Reservations.php

The Big Heartless

February 14 - March 3

Warehouse 21, 1614 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe

Tickets $15 - $25

Reservations: 505-986-0847 or BrownPaperTickets.com

James Bond Was.....Dominican!

February 14 - 17

National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St. SW, Albuquerque

Tickets $12 - $25

505-724-4771 or Tickets.vendini.com