The Sunday Paper Staff Blog

When you’re married to one of the world’s most recognizable movie stars, you’ve got to have a pretty healthy ego. That would certainly explain the pairing of KEITH URBAN AND CARRIE UNDERWOOD. Sure, Urban’s been a high-profile country music luminary for most of this decade, but “American Idol” winner Underwood’s career has been on fire since her saucy hit single “Before He Cheats” made her a bona fide superstar—anyone who follows her onstage had better be pretty damn comfortable in his skintight jeans. The pair performs two shows this week, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25 at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. Tickets are $49.50 and $75. 404-240-6400. www.gwinnettcenter.com.

What better way to recognize Atlanta’s signature beer—and Earth Day—than with a weekend festival? That’s right, man, it’s time for the SWEETWATER 420 FEST, which pours into Candler Park Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20. Drink in the sounds of Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Outformation, Erica Newell with Dubconscious, the Last Waltz Ensemble, Entropy, Captain Soularcat, Uncle Joe’s Medicine Show, Sun Toucher, Mama’s Love, Kingrat and Steve Coffey & the Rockin’ Pontoons. Oh, and there’s beer, too. Admission is free; a wristband for ages 21 and up is $5. For more information, tap into www.sweetwater420fest.com.

You’ll never look at glasses the same way again, after eyeballing A NIGHT OF SPECTACLES: AN EYEWEAR FASHION EVENT. The evening features the creations of students from the Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta using recycled glasses. 
7 p.m. tonight at the King Plow Arts Center. Tickets are $75, with VIP tickets for $150. Proceeds go to support the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation vision services for the underinsured. www.nightofspectacles.com.

What’s a Tyler Perry play without the man himself taking part onstage? Hilarious and thought-provoking, if you go by the buzz on THE MARRIAGE COUNSELOR from the Perry faithful. The Atlanta-based mogul’s latest look at love and relationships runs Thursda, April 17 through Sunday, April 20 at the Fox Theatre.

Ticket prices range from $41.50 to $51.50. 404-817-8700. www.foxtheatre.org.

Sometimes making a charitable contribution can be as easy as having a good time. Take the inaugural SHIMON PRESENTS: FOR-A-CAUSE, which features music from Ike Stubblefield, Grant Green Jr., Jeff Coffin, Jeff Sipe, Oteil Burbridge and Atlanta’s own Bishop Don, as well as a silent auction, snacks and beer from Sweetwater and Terrapin breweries. All proceeds benefit the Georgia chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 7 p.m. Thursday, April 17 in the King Room at the Avatar Events building in Midtown. Tickets are $30. www.shimonpresents.com.

Who needs Andrew Lloyd Webber or a Technicolor dreamcoat? GODSPELL combines the power of a stage musical with the uplift of Bible stories so successfully you don’t even notice the nondescript backdrop. Theatrical Outfit’s production opens Wednesday, April 16 and runs through May 11 at the Balzer Theater at Herren’s.

Tickets are $30. 678-528-1500. www.theatricaloutfit.org.

It’s no secret that all plays start with a script—but you might not be aware of how powerful a live reading of those pages can be. Find out at True Colors Theatre Company’s third annual SPRING PLAY READING SERIES. Hear Carson McCullers’ “The Member of the Wedding” Wednesday, April 16, Eugene Lee’s “The Rest of Me” Thursday, April 17, Alice Childress’ “Wedding Band” Friday, April 18, and William Rose’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” on Saturday, April 19. Readings start at 7 p.m. each night at the Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road in Atlanta. 
The readings are free. 404-588-0308. www.truecolorstheatrecompany.com.

Bibliophiles take note: Author ALICE HOFFMAN discusses her latest novel “The Third Angel,” about three women and their connections to a haunted London hotel, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 15 at the Alpharetta Barnes & Noble. Admission is free. 770-993-8340. www.barnesandnoble.com.

Then catch the author again the next night, Wednesday, April 16, at the Literary Center at the Margaret Mitchell House at 7 p.m., following a 6 p.m. reception. Admission is $10. www.gwtw.org.

If you’re part of the college-age glasses-and-Birkenstocks brigade, you’re faced with a terrible dilemma tomorrow night (Monday, April 14). Do you go see whispery, hirsute singer-songwriter IRON & WINE (with opener Califone) at Variety Playhouse, or adventurous indie-rockers SPOON (with the Walkmen and White Rabbits) at Center Stage? The answer, most likely, is neither, since both shows are sold out—although there’s always scalpers and ticket-brokering Web sites.

www.variety-playhouse.com. 
www.centerstage-atlanta.com.

If you’re a fan of the online literary hub McSweeney’s, there’s nowhere else to be on Moday, April 14 except Wordsmiths Books in Decatur as contributor JOHN BRANDON reads from and discusses his novel “Arkansas,” which has been described as a “hallucinogenic, compelling and half-cocked hipster thriller.” Admission is free, and so are the drinks. 7:30 p.m. 404-378-7166. www.wordsmithsbooks.com.