THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR NOV 10 - 16 

• Beau Pearson

Ballet West: Rodeo
Plenty of artistic plans were disrupted in 2020, but every once in a while, it feels like a disruption was meant to be. While Ballet West originally intended to stage Agnes de Mille's classic 1942 ballet Rodeo during its 2020 season, the necessary postponement until 2020 means that the company is celebrating the work's 80th anniversary. "Rodeois part of the history of ballet, in particular, the development of American ballet," said Sklute in a press release. "Agnes de Mille redefined how we approach dance in the 20thcentury and it still colors the American approach—theatrically, artistically and technically—to ballet in the 21stcentury."

The one-act work, set to the music of Aaron Copland that includes the familiar theme "Hoe-Down," tells the story of a cowgirl who wants to find her place in a world dominated by masculinity. Sklute noted that It's also fascinating how much this 1942 work says about acceptance, inclusion and gender identity. Its ultimate message of staying true to yourself and being loved for who you are remains poignant and relevant today."

Working in collaboration with de Mille's hand-picked Rodeo repetiteur Paul Sutherland and her one-time assistant Diana Gonzales, Ballet West presents Rodeo as part of a program that also includes George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco and Jií Kylián's Return to a Strange Land. The final performances take place at the J.Q. Lawson Capitol Theatre (50 W. 200 South) on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 - $104, visit balletwest.org or arttix.org for tickets and additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

• Courtesy Photo

TJ Taylor @ Wiseguys
When Texas-native comedian TJ Taylor spoke with City Weekly earlier this year as part of our profile of up-and-coming local artists, he shared that one of his off-stage endeavors included teaching a continuing education class at the University of Utah on the art of standup comedy—how to craft their material, develop their stage persona and promote themselves. That's how you know you're dealing with a real professional: He's the guy other people go to in order to see how it's done.

You can also see he knows what he's doing from a December 2020 YouTube clip in which he breaks down the tumultuous year that was just coming to an end. "They said 600,000 people in Utah voted for Trump," he says. "And you know what that tells me about Utah? A lot of you m-----f-----s lied to me. ... Twenty-five percent of people in Wyoming voted for Joe Biden. Which tells me that one in four people in Wyoming needs to get the f--- out of Wyoming. There's nothing for you there."

"Being a comic in Utah is actually very fulfilling," Taylor shared in August. "There are some really good audiences who like being a part of a fun show and enjoy funny moments and good jokes. I was afraid that it would be very uptight, but there are some fun people in Utah."

Taylor brings his teachable talents as a headliner at Wiseguys Jordan Landing (3763 W. Center Park Dr., West Jordan) on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 general admission; visit wiseguyscomedy.com to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (SR)

• Courtesy Photo

Colm Tóibín: The Magician
Some writers wear their literary influences on their sleeve stylistically, but it's not often that you can get a sense of a writer's heroes simply through the stories they've chosen to tell. In addition to novels like Brooklyn—which was adapted into an Oscar-nominated 2015 film—Colm Tóibín has turned his attention to fictionalized tales of great authors. In 2004's The Master, Tóibín focused on five years in the life of American-born British writer Henry James, touching on subjects including a possible closeted queer identity. And similar themes abound in Tóibín's most recent novel, The Magician, chronicling the life of A Death in Venice writer Thomas Mann.

The Magician tracks Mann's life from his youth in a conservative British household with a Brazilian-born mother, and his pursuit of a respectable life that includes marrying into the family of a wealthy merchant. But hidden from the his family and from the rest of the world are his attractions to men, which consume him in particular when he becomes obsessed with a young boy he meets during a vacation in Italy. As his literary fame grows, the tension between his public and private life grows, including his political leanings during Hitler's rise to power.

Join Colm Tóibín for a virtual author event sponsored by the King's English Bookshop (1511 S. 1500 East) on Monday, Nov. 14 at 4 p.m. The Zoom event will be ticketed, with a free option that allows entrance to the broadcast, and a $30 option that includes entrance plus a copy of The Magician. Visit kingsenglish.com for the Eventbrite ticket link, and additional event information. (SR)