It’s Valentine’s Day, and we all know the routine: Flowers, candy and a romantic dinner. Those are all wonderful, but there are other enjoyable ways to celebrate the holiday, and can be found in numerous venues around the Valley of the Sun.

Greasepaint is sponsoring auditions for a Valentine’s Day Cabaret! Proceeds will go towards a performer’s trip to New York City. The show will take place at the Stagebrush Theatre, 7020 E. Second St. in Scottsdale. Tickets are $10.

Tempe Comedy Presents Love and Marriage at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Pkwy. Tony Vivich will “take a positive, funny look at all the things that make life with someone else worthwhile.” Tickets range from $25 to $75.

Looking for something a little more intimate and profound on this Day of Love?

There will be four readings of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues Friday through Sunday at Third Street Theater at Phoenix Center for the Arts.

Ensler’s award-winning play is based on interviews with more than 200 women, and “celebrates women’s sexuality and strength through humor and grace.” Showtimes are 2 and 7 p.m. Admission is $10; proceeds will benefit the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. 

THIS WEEK
Friday, Feb. 14
Noted comedian Nate Bargatze is bringing his Good Problem to Have to the Celebrity Theatre. 440 N. 32nd St. in Phoenix. The show will start at 7 p.m.; tickets range from $49.75 to $144.75.

SMoCA Opening Celebration will begin at 6 p.m. at the museum, 7374 E. Second St. in Scottsdale. Patrons can chat with curators, meet artists and explore Unapologetic: All Women, All Year and Design Transfigured/Waste Reimagined There will be a  cash bar. Admission is free with an RSVP.

Tempe Comedy Presents Love and Marriage at 7:30 p.m. at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Pkwy. Tony Vivich will “take a positive, funny look at all the things that make life with someone else worthwhile.” Tickets range from $25 to $75.

Greasepaint is sponsoring auditions for a Valentine’s Day Cabaret! Proceeds will go towards the performer’s trip to New York City. The show will take place at the Stagebrush Theatre, 7020 E. Second St. in Scottsdale. Tickets are $10.

Feb. 14 to 16
There will be four readings of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues Friday through Sunday at Third Street Theater at Phoenix Center for the Arts. Ensler’s award-winning play is based on interviews with more than 200 women, and “celebrates women’s sexuality and strength through humor and grace.” Showtimes are 2 and 7 p.m. Admission is $10; proceeds will benefit the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence.

Saturday, Feb. 15
The urban Latin dance production Contra-Tiempo with live music by Las Cafeteras is being presented at the ASU Gammage. Showtime is 7 p.m., and admission is $20.

Jazz/pop singer Kat Edmondson will perform at 8 p.m. in the Virginia Piper Theater, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second St. The Texas native has performed with heavyweights like with Lyle Lovett, Chris Isaak and Gary Clark Jr. Tickets range from $25 to $45. 

She’s been impressing millions since the late 1980s, and singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan will bring her unique talents to the Arizona Federal Theatre, 400 W. Washington St. in Phoenix. The show starts at 8 p.m., while admission ranges from $46 to $86.

Sunday, Feb. 16
Sunday A’Fair, an outdoor concert series, is featuring Mariachi Juvenil de Mi Tierra — a Scottsdale-based group of 8 to 17 year-olds — at noon at the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall. Admission is free.

Wednesday, Feb. 19
The natural world is indeed awesome and worth our time: National Geographic Live: Designed by Nature will happen at 7:30 p.m. at the Mesa Arts Center, One E. Main St.  Bioengineer and research diver Kakani Katija will discuss the ocean’s midwaters  — one of the least explored ecosystems on our planet— and shares how its inhabitants could lead to breakthroughs in bio-inspired design. Admission ranges from $30 to $44.

Thursday, Feb. 20
Popular comedian Tom Segura is bringing his Take It Down tour to the Tempe Improv, 930 E. University Drive. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $56. 

One of These Nights, a tribute band featuring the music of The Eagles, will happen at 7:30 p.m. at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Admission is $35 or $45. The show will features the legendary band’s greatest hits, like Hotel California. 

Feb. 20 To 23
Wowing audiences since 2009, the colorful and nature-based Cirque du Soleil ‘Ovo’ is coming to Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson St. in Phoenix. Tickets start at $68; showtimes vary. 

Friday, Feb. 21
Classical crossover group Simply Three will perform at 8 p.m. at Mesa Arts Center. The trio play a range of genres and artists, from Gershiwn to Adele. Tickets range from $30 to $38.

Feb. 21 To 23
Controversial hardly begins to describe Louis CK, who will perform at 8 p.m. (all three days) at The Orpheum Theatre, 203 W. Adams St. in Phoenix. Admission starts at $37.50. 

The Grammy-winning musical celebrating the one-and-only Carole King, Beautiful is being staged at the Arizona State University Gammage. Showtimes var; admission starts at $40.

Feb. 21 To March 14
Night Of The Chicken: Revenge of the Angry Booger by Carrie Behrens is happening at Space 55, 1524 N. 18th Ave. in Phoenix. This Zoni-winning radio play focuses on a young girl who deals with the twin horrors of junior high and being a “Werechicken” (as part of a family-friendly series). Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students or $20 for adults. 

Saturday, Feb. 22
California funk band Delta Nove will take the stage at 9 p.m. at Last Exit Live, 717 S. Central Ave. in Phoenix. Admission ranges from $12 to $15.

America’s harsh political truth-teller and comedian is heading to Phoenix: Bill Maher is playing the Arizona Federal Theatre. Showtime is 8 p.m., and tickets start at $68. 

The Phoenix Chorale’s Valley Sing will happen at 4 p.m. at MCC Performing Arts Center, 1520 S. Longmore in Mesa. Partnering with the Phoenix Girls Chorus, the Phoenix Boys Choir and Mesa Community College, Valley Sing “is designed to build community through song, bringing together friends and neighbors from across the Valley of the Sun for the fun and joy of singing.” Admission is free. 

ONGOING
Until Feb. 16
Read all about it! The Broadway musical Newsies! is happening at the Desert Stages Theatre, 7014 E. Camelback Road.  Call the box office at (480) 483-1664 or click on the link for ticket prices.

Ballet Arizona will perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Symphony Hall, 75 N. Second St., Phoenix. Tickets range from $34 to $168. To buy tickets, call the box office at (602) 381-1096.

Until Feb. 23
Continuing their fine work, Black Theatre Troupe will present Trouble in Mind for most of the month. The story was written by Alice Childress and presents the story of a progressive, 1950s theatre company preparing to open a misguided new play on Broadway. Check the link for times and dates for performances at the Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center, 1333 E. Washington St., Phoenix.

The musica true storyl Americano focuses on Tony, the child of immigrants who discovers his undocumented status when he tries to enlist in the Marines. (It’s based on the life of Antonio Valdovinos.) Click the link for showtimes and ticket prices.

Those crazy rumors about Area 51 just might be true: The play Space Mission #5379: Saving Rachel Nevada is running at the Mesa Arts Center, One E. Main St. Tickets are $15; showtimes vary. 

Until Feb. 28
The classic Tony-winning musical La Cage aux Folles, created by the legendary Broadway composer Jerry Herman, will run through March 22 at the Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701 W. Paradise Lane in Peoria. All tickets can be purchased through the ABT Box Office by calling 623-776-8400 or online.

Until March 1
Elephant & Piggie’s “We are in a Play!” presented by Childsplay Theatre, focuses on two critters who sometimes face tough questions. What do you wear to a fancy party? Should you share your ice cream? This musical is being staged at the Herberger Theater Center, and is open to kids 3 and older. Admission ranges from $12 to $35; showtimes vary.

Athol Fugard’s “Master Harold”... And The Boys, about a tea shop in 1950s South Africa, is being staged at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix. Tickets start at $40 and showtimes vary. 

UPCOMING
Feb. 22 and 23
Ella Fitzgerald

Feb. 26 to March 1
Sondheim On Sondheim

Feb. 27
Hot Snakes and Kills Birds

Saturday, Feb. 29
David Sanborn Quartet
Itzhak Perlman

March 1
Harry Connick Jr.

March 2
Light Your Corner of the World

March 3
Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2020

March 3 to 8
Once on the Island

March 6 to 15
13 The Musical

March 6 to 8
M3f

March 6, 7, & 8
Beethoven, Haydn and Cerrone

March 7
Amor al Baile 6
CaZo Dance Fundraiser
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure 35th Anniversary

March 8
Ultimate Tributes

March 12 and April 12
My Son The Waiter, A Jewish Tragedy

March 13 and April 19
Chicago

March 27
Amy Grant