Courtesy of Good Gracious Variety Show
A locally funded, A Prairie Home Companion-esque show, the Good Gracious Variety Show will celebrate a collection of Southern artists and talents when it holds its 14th event on Saturday. Created with the help of family, friends, and a sponsor through Kickstarter, founder Boyd Baker, a self-described “cat juggler and story sharer,” describes the show as “Southern fun for everyone.”
The family-friendly quarterly event began in summer 2014 with a performance at Agnes Scott College before expanding to locations around Atlanta such as Variety Playhouse, Switchyards Downtown, and the Plaza Theatre. To grow the audience further, Bakers started a Good Gracious podcast after the fourth live variety show. The podcast features live musical performances recorded at Wondershop, Baker’s studio in Candler Park, along with conversations with civic leaders, authors, and more.
The line-up for the Saturday evening show at Candler Park’s Neighborhood Church features a host of local talent: the Good Graces, improvers from Dad’s Garage, singer-songwriter Robbie Horlick, the Squirrel Census (a favorite, Baker says), the Real Ukuladies of Atlanta, and storyteller Billy Hall.
Baker says the show “isn’t like a film or concert where you connect only with the stage—you connect with the community around you. I want folks to feel part of a ‘family’ when they come to the show. It’s almost like a reunion at each show.”
See it: Tickets for the 8 p.m., Saturday, February 9 show at Neighborhood Church are $15 for adults, $10 for kids, and can be purchased here.
